No. 15 Baylor sweeps Cougars back to Houston

WACO, Texas (FOX 44) — No. 15 Baylor volleyball improved to 4-0 in Big 12 Conference play for the first time since 2019 with a 3-0 sweep of Houston on Wednesday night at the Ferrell Center.

Moving to 12-3 on the season, the Bears have now won 10-straight against the Cougars and improved to 37-9 against Big 12 foes from the Lone Star State.

The opening set proved to be back-and-forth battle but Bailey Warren gave the Bears the boost they needed, leading a 7-0 run that included the first three aces of her young career to help Baylor to a 25-16.

The Bears fell behind early in the second set as Houston raced out to a 13-7 lead. Behind five kills from Ksenia Rakhmanchik, Baylor chipped away and eventually rode the momentum for a 27-25 win.

The Bears would not look back in the third, securing the sweep, their second this season in Big 12 play.

Rakhmanchik led all players with a career-high 16 kills to pace the Baylor offense. Warren added 10 kills and a career-best four service aces, the first of her collegiate career, while junior middle blocker Gabrielle Essix also reached double figures with 10 kills and three blocks.

The Bears will be right back at it on Friday night when they host the No. 18 Jayhawks at 7 p.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KWKT - FOX 44.