Aug. 28, 2007

Box Score | Photo Gallery

WACO, Texas - Texas State took game one, but Baylor rallied to win three straight games as the Bears won their home opener 3-1 (26-30, 31-29, 30-17, 30-28) on Tuesday night at the Ferrell Center.

Katie Sanders (Katy, Texas) led all players with 20 kills and added a career best 17 digs to record her third straight double-double. The match marked her third straight with more than 20 kills as she tallied 21 against North Carolina and Stony Brook. She committed just two hitting errors to record a .419 hitting percentage.

"Katie has really been playing that way every day in practice," said head coach Jim Barnes. "She really held us together tonight when a lot of our offense wasn't clicking. Everyone else seemed to be off rhythm, but she continued to produce for us."

Anna Breyfogle (Buda, Texas) added 11 kills and six blocks, including one solo. Taylor Barnes (Arlington, Texas) enjoyed another great all-around match with 52 sets to go along with six kills, six blocks, six service aces and nine digs.

Sarah Grace (Houston, Texas) led the way defensively for the Bears with 21 digs on the night. Kristen Schramek (San Antonio, Texas) added 16 digs for Baylor.

Ashley Byrd (Denton, Texas), who was expected to miss the match with a sprained right ankle, came off the bench to record three kills with no errors in seven total attempts (.429). She also added three total blocks, including one solo.

Lawrencia Brown recorded 15 kills for Texas State, while Jessica Weynand tallied 10 putaways for the Bobcats. Kacey Wimpy registered a game-high 24 digs on the night.

Texas State (0-1) jumped out early, taking game one by a 30-26 score. The two teams traded the first 30 points with neither team taking more than a two point lead. With the match tied at 15 apiece, Texas State went on a 9-2 run to earn a seven point lead at 24-17. The Bears never got closer than three points as the Bobcats took a 1-0 lead.

"I think that we just weren't relaxed on offense," said Jim Barnes. "We had a lot of passing mistakes and then we couldn't get into a rhythm. Once we got into a rhythm, then we would hurt ourselves with service errors."

Baylor (3-1) came back from the 1-0 deficit to take game two and even the match. With Baylor holding a 13-11 lead, the Bears reeled off five straight points, forcing Texas State into a timeout. The Bobcats then went on a scoring spurt of their own, erasing the deficit and taking a 24-21 lead. With the score tied at 29, Baylor used a ball handling error and an attacking error to take the game and even the match 1-1.

"In our first game I think that we were really nervous," said Sanders. "We came together a lot in the second game. I think that was really important in the match; we knew that we had to win game two."

After the intermission, Baylor came out and dominated game three, winning by a score of 30-17. The Bears won the first three points, and never looked back, quickly racing out to a comfortable lead. Baylor held an 11-point advantage on several occasions before stretching the lead to 13 to gain the 2-1 advantage.

"We got a lot more aggressive with our serving in game three, and we passed better as a team," said Sanders. "I felt really confident to step up and swing away. I know that the team is behind me covering me."

"Katie was able to take over the game in the third game," said Taylor Barnes. "Our middle blockers did really well to help slow down the defense. When our middles hold up the opponent's middles, then Katie only has a one-on-one block, and she is able to hit to the entire court."

Game four was another back-and-forth battle, until Texas State scored three straight points to take a 20-15 lead. Later, Baylor would score five straight to take a 22-21 lead. Baylor held a three point lead at 28-25 after an Ashlie Christenson (Cleburne, Texas) solo block, but was forced into a timeout after two straight points by Texas State. Christenson tallied another kill before Ashlee Cooper (LaPlace, La.) ended the game as she took a tight set and crushed the ball down.

"You know we weren't really sharp on offense, which is typical in the early part of the season," said Jim Barnes. "Your defense is always going to be ahead of your offense at the beginning of the year, so we really had to step up on defense and let our defense win the match for us."

Baylor returns to action this weekend as the Bears host the Clarion Invitational at the Ferrell Center. Baylor will play Stephen F. Austin on Friday night, before facing Mississippi State and Oregon on Saturday.