Jayhawks Dominate Baylor in Straight-Sets Victory

Saturday, November 16

Lawrence, Kan.

12:00 PM

University of Kansas

#17 Baylor

Jayhawks Dominate Baylor in Straight-Sets Victory

11/16/2024 2:18:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Game Book

LAWRENCE, Kan. – No. 12 Kansas volleyball powered through a tightly contested match to secure a straight-set victory over No. 17 Baylor, taking the victory by set scores of 25-22, 26-24, and 25-17.

Despite an early deficit in the first set and a back-and-forth battle in the second, the Jayhawks displayed resilience, with key kills from Ayah Elnady, Caroline Bien, and London Davis leading the charge. With the victory, the Jayhawks moved to 22-3 overall and 13-2 in conference.

"The joy in this arena when they play, the enthusiasm," said Kansas Head Coach Ray Bechard. "We've got a line around the block here wanting to get autographs. I just think this is a team that the community, this university and the athletic department can really identify with because they do it the right way."

In the first set, Baylor surged to an early 7-3 lead, but the Jayhawks remained unfazed and began chipping away at the Bears' advantage. A clutch ace by Bryn McGehe tied the game at 9-9, and a powerful kill from Elnady gave the Jayhawks their first lead of the set at 10-9. Heading into the media timeout, Kansas maintained its momentum, securing a 15-13 lead following a Reese Ptacek kill. After the media timeout, a successful challenge by Baylor shifted the momentum slightly, allowing the Bears to tie the game at 16-16. The set remained closely contested until the end. An Elnady kill put the Jayhawks ahead 24-21, but Baylor responded with a kill to narrow the gap to 24-22. Ultimately, a decisive Kansas kill by Davis secured the first set for the Jayhawks with a 25-22 victory.

The second set began with both teams trading points, but Elnady's kill and service ace helped Kansas stay competitive. A ball-handling error by Baylor gave the Jayhawks a 5-4 lead, and Elnady followed up with another key kill. Kansas kept pressure on Baylor, with strong offensive plays from McGhee and Bien. After a kill by Toyosi Onabanjo, Baylor took advantage of errors from Elnady and Burns to extend their lead to 10-6. Kansas fought back, with Bien's kill cutting the lead to 11-8. Despite some errors from both teams, Baylor held on to their lead leading Kansas to take a time-out. Out of the timeout, Kansas regained momentum and tied Baylor's lead at 19-19, thanks to a strong kill by Ptacek. The set remained tightly contested.

Kansas briefly took a 20-19 lead before Baylor tied it at 20-20. There would be a total of three times before the set reached a dramatic conclusion with a clutch Kill from Elnady and a block from Ptacek, sealing the set 26-24 in the Jayhawk's favor.

In the third set, the game began with Baylor taking an early lead at 2-0. Kansas quickly responded with kills from Ptacek and Elnady to tie the game at 2-2. The teams exchanged points, with notable kills from Bien, Onabanjo, and McGhee. At 5-5, a service error by Kansas gave Baylor a slight edge. The set remained close, but after a few more exchanges, Kansas gained momentum, including a crucial kill from Bien, pushing them ahead to a 12-9 lead, as the set entered the first media timeout. Baylor tried to close the gap, trimming Kansas' lead to four at 20-16. However, the Jayhawks held firm, never relinquishing their advantage, and comfortably closed out the set with a 25-17 victory.

Up next, the Jayhawks will hit the road on Nov. 24 to face in-state rival Kansas State for another Big 12 competition.