Friday, September 25
Provo, UT
9:00 PM
Baylor
at
BYU
No. 17 VB Opens Big 12 Play with Top-25 Tilt at No. 22 BYU
9/24/2026 1:32:00 PM | Volleyball
BU will wrap its road through the Beehive State with a Sunday showdown at Utah
WACO, Texas – Baylor volleyball opens Big 12 Conference play on the road this weekend, beginning with a matchup against No. 22 BYU Friday night at 9 p.m. CT on FS1.
The Bears enter conference play looking to carry the momentum from an 8-2 non-conference start. Baylor will also be seeking its first-ever road victories against both BYU and Utah after defeating both teams at the Ferrell Center last season.
"You don't ramp it up, but you start over," Head coach Ryan McGuyre said "We're 0-0, and preseason is to get you ready for conference — to get you ready for these tough, tough games. We like what we've done, but it's a new season and it's on the road. It's a tough one, we going to have to be tougher than the challenges ahead of us. These all matter. I think to win the Big 12, somebody's got to go win good games on the road. These are two important matches for us."
Baylor enters Friday 7-4 in conference openers in the McGuyre era, winning each of the last two Big 12 lid lifters.
The Bears have also established themselves as one of the conference's most consistent programs since 2019. Baylor's 90 Big 12 victories since the start of the 2019 season are the most in the league during that span, 19 more than the next-closest team, Kansas. The Bears have posted just 28 conference losses over that stretch, producing a .763 winning percentage that is .161 points higher than the Jayhawks' .602 mark.
Friday's contest marks one of three nationally-televised matches on the Bears' 2026 schedule, with first serve from the Smith Fieldhouse in Provo, Utah, set for 9 p.m. CT. Baylor will then make the short trip north to Salt Lake City for its Sunday matinee with the Utes.
Baylor heads into its first conference weekend spearheaded by setter Isabela Haggard, who was named the Big 12 Setter of the Week after earning a spot on the league's "Starting Seven" a week ago.
Haggard totaled 82 assists across seven sets during Baylor's 2-0 week at the Baylor Classic, averaging 13.67 assists per set. She saved her biggest performance for the Bears' three-set sweep of UTEP, recording a Baylor career-high 45 assists. Her 45 assists were the most by a Baylor setter in a three-set match since Averi Carlson also recorded 45 at Iowa State in October 2023.
Sophomore Ksenia Rakhmanchik enters conference play as one of the Big 12's most productive offensive weapons. The Minsk, Belarus, native leads the league and ranks among the nation's top 10 in attacks per set (12.00), kills per set (4.84) and points per set (5.23).
Defensively, libero Morgan Madison enters the weekend averaging 4.84 digs per set, ranking fourth in the Big 12. Madison has anchored a Baylor back row that will face two challenging road environments to open conference play.
Friday's game will be televised nationally on FS1, with stats available at BaylorBears.com/Stats.
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Single-match tickets for the 2026 season are on sale now. You can find them at BaylorBears.com/tickets or by calling the Baylor Athletics Ticket Office at 254-710-1000.
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To stay up to date with Baylor Volleyball all year long, follow the program on Instagram, Facebook, X and TikTok: @BaylorVBall. Want to support the team? You can do so by giving to the One Way Club.
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The Bears enter conference play looking to carry the momentum from an 8-2 non-conference start. Baylor will also be seeking its first-ever road victories against both BYU and Utah after defeating both teams at the Ferrell Center last season.
"You don't ramp it up, but you start over," Head coach Ryan McGuyre said "We're 0-0, and preseason is to get you ready for conference — to get you ready for these tough, tough games. We like what we've done, but it's a new season and it's on the road. It's a tough one, we going to have to be tougher than the challenges ahead of us. These all matter. I think to win the Big 12, somebody's got to go win good games on the road. These are two important matches for us."
Baylor enters Friday 7-4 in conference openers in the McGuyre era, winning each of the last two Big 12 lid lifters.
The Bears have also established themselves as one of the conference's most consistent programs since 2019. Baylor's 90 Big 12 victories since the start of the 2019 season are the most in the league during that span, 19 more than the next-closest team, Kansas. The Bears have posted just 28 conference losses over that stretch, producing a .763 winning percentage that is .161 points higher than the Jayhawks' .602 mark.
Friday's contest marks one of three nationally-televised matches on the Bears' 2026 schedule, with first serve from the Smith Fieldhouse in Provo, Utah, set for 9 p.m. CT. Baylor will then make the short trip north to Salt Lake City for its Sunday matinee with the Utes.
Baylor heads into its first conference weekend spearheaded by setter Isabela Haggard, who was named the Big 12 Setter of the Week after earning a spot on the league's "Starting Seven" a week ago.
Haggard totaled 82 assists across seven sets during Baylor's 2-0 week at the Baylor Classic, averaging 13.67 assists per set. She saved her biggest performance for the Bears' three-set sweep of UTEP, recording a Baylor career-high 45 assists. Her 45 assists were the most by a Baylor setter in a three-set match since Averi Carlson also recorded 45 at Iowa State in October 2023.
Sophomore Ksenia Rakhmanchik enters conference play as one of the Big 12's most productive offensive weapons. The Minsk, Belarus, native leads the league and ranks among the nation's top 10 in attacks per set (12.00), kills per set (4.84) and points per set (5.23).
Defensively, libero Morgan Madison enters the weekend averaging 4.84 digs per set, ranking fourth in the Big 12. Madison has anchored a Baylor back row that will face two challenging road environments to open conference play.
Friday's game will be televised nationally on FS1, with stats available at BaylorBears.com/Stats.
Â
Single-match tickets for the 2026 season are on sale now. You can find them at BaylorBears.com/tickets or by calling the Baylor Athletics Ticket Office at 254-710-1000.
Â
To stay up to date with Baylor Volleyball all year long, follow the program on Instagram, Facebook, X and TikTok: @BaylorVBall. Want to support the team? You can do so by giving to the One Way Club.
Â
—Baylorbears.com—
Players Mentioned
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