Friday, August 30
Waco, Texas
7:30PM
Baylor
2-0,0-0Big 12
3
vs
0
Tulsa
1-1,0-0AAC
1
2
3
F
Tulsa
14
23
17
0
Baylor
25
25
25
3
No. 23 VB Has 2-0 Day, Sweeps Tulsa
8/30/2024 10:09:00 PM | Volleyball
Murphy shines in starting role, Sczech records 500th career kill
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
A consensus top-20 national recruit in the 2023 class, Kendal Murphy saw limited court time for Baylor volleyball as a freshman until the last five matches of the season, when she had double-digit kills in an upset of 22nd-ranked Houston and made her only start in an NCAA Tournament first-round matchup against James Madison.
After the 23rd-ranked Bears' sweeps of ACU and Tulsa on Friday in the Baylor Classic, it's going to be hard to keep the 6-3 outside hitter off the court.
Murphy recorded 11 kills and a .579 hitting percentage in a dominant win over ACU (25-11, 25-17, 25-14) and her first-career double-double with 13 kills and 10 digs in beating the Golden Hurricane, 25-14, 25-23, 25-17.
"I didn't feel like I'd be relying on her so much, so soon," Baylor coach Ryan McGuyre said, "to kind of be the glue of our team in just how she manages her swings, her decisions, speaking life into others, but just understanding what we need to do to win. And then, being the six-rotation outside that doesn't get a break at all. She is, for sure, getting as many reps or more reps than anybody in the gym."
Even Murphy called Friday's season-opening performance a "pleasant surprise" after collecting just seven kills through the team's first 25 matches a year ago.
"I don't really know that there's a difference other than just court time, in matches," she said. "I would say my mindset, my work ethic has been the same since last season. I said this last year, but my mindset was 110% at practice every single day. Because even if I'm not in the games, I know I'm making the starters better in practice."
It was also a big day for junior right-side hitter Allie Sczech, who had five of her 10 kills in the third set versus Tulsa and helped close it out with her 500th career kill on the penultimate point of the match.
"This is going to be a big year for her, period," McGuyre said. "She's an upperclassman now, she has the tools and the potential. Good showcase freshman year; probably felt disappointed in her sophomore year. Really for her, her aspirations are huge and her dreams are big, so just allowing her to stay in the moment."
Dominating from start to finish against ACU (1-1), which bounced back for a reverse sweep against Campbell, the Bears rotated 13 players into the match and got eight kills, five digs, three blocks and a service ace from preseason All-Big 12 pick Elise McGhee.
Making her first start at Baylor, Auburn transfer Jackie Barrett Frazier had 22 assists, six digs, four kills and a pair of blocks from the setter position, helping the Bears hit .372 as a team.
"I think Jackie did a great job both matches in just finding the right hitters at the right time," McGuyre said of Frazier, who had a double-double versus Tulsa with 28 assists and 16 digs. "Whatever the hit percentage is, the setter should get a lot of credit for that in how they distribute the ball."
Frazier is also sneaky good with her dump kills, which "is just a fun way to keep the other side on their feet and on their toes."
"I would like to say I'm sneaky," said Frazier, a three-year starter at Auburn. "My dad calls my one-handed dump my hook shot. I have a lot of fun talking to him about it. He tries to give me pointers from the basketball side of things. . . . Our team in practice digs them, so they keep me really honest to how I need to grow as a player. And then, playing against other teams, it makes it pretty easy to get kills."
Sczech and McGhee added 10 kills apiece in the three-set sweep of Tulsa, while Frazier (16), Lauren Briseño (14), Murphy (10) and Tehani Ulufatu (10) recorded double-digit digs and Alicia Andrew chipped in with five blocks to hold the Golden Hurricane to a .087 hitting percentage.
"Serve and pass is volleyball for life, no matter what level," McGuyre said. "In the first and third sets, I thought we were a lot cleaner at that. The second was tighter because we were loose from the service line, a little bit loose with our serve receive, to keep them in the match."
The Bears (2-0) close out the Baylor Classic with a matchup against the Campbell Camels (0-2) at 11 a.m. Sunday, with Tulsa-ACU to follow at approximately 1 p.m.
WACO, Texas – Friday proved a clean sweep for 23rd-ranked Baylor volleyball as it followed the morning's defeat of Abilene Christian with a 3-0 victory against Tulsa.
The Bears (2-0) defeated the Golden Hurricane (1-1) in three sets at the Ferrell Center on Friday night. Winning the first set 25-14, BU then edged past Tulsa to take the second set 25-23. Baylor secured the third set 25-17, holding Tulsa to a .087 hitting percentage overall.
Kendal Murphy led the Bears with 13 kills, and newcomer setter Jackie Barrett Frazier had a double-double with 28 assists and 16 digs.
Junior opposite Allie Sczech recorded her 500th career kill in the home stretch of the third set.
THE RUNDOWN
Set 1
Despite Tulsa earning the first point of the set, the Bears quickly gained control as Victoria Davis and Kendal Murphy got the block to edge back 3-4, followed by a 5-0 scoring run. The Bears next went on a 3-0 scoring run thanks to back-to-back kills from McGhee and an ace from Alicia Andrew, causing Tulsa to call timeout at 18-9. After three consecutive kills by Murphy, McGhee and Allie Sczech, the Bears ended the first set 25-14 on a 5-0 scoring run, led by McGhees's jump serve.
Set 2
As the Bears headed into the second set, McGhee and Murphy continued to dominate the court with seven and 10 kills, respectively, by the end of the frame. After the Bears extended their lead to 16-11 with a 4-0 scoring run dually executed by Sczech and Murphy, Tulsa had a surge of energy to tie the set at 17-all. The Bears and Golden Hurricane traded points until Baylor produced back-to-back blocks to pull ahead 22-20 before winning the set 25-23.
Set 3
The Bears never looked back, opening the last set with a strong start by Frazier, who won a joust to make the set 8-5. With continual kills by McGhee, Sczech and Murphy, the Bears pulled ahead 16-10, causing the Hurricane to call a timeout. Tulsa never found the spark they were looking for, and Baylor took the set 25-17, securing their second sweep of the day.
HIGHLIGHTS
UP NEXT
The Bears return to the Ferrell Center on Sunday, facing Campbell at 1 p.m.
The Baylor-Tulsa match will be streamed on ESPN+. Live stats can be found at BaylorBears.com/Stats, with a final scoresheet and full recap posted to BaylorBears.com after conclusion of play.
Fans interested in purchasing tickets can visit BaylorBears.com/Tickets. All seats are general admission for volleyball in the Ferrell Center.
To stay up to date all year long on all things Baylor volleyball, follow the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @BaylorVBall.
Baylor Bear Insider
A consensus top-20 national recruit in the 2023 class, Kendal Murphy saw limited court time for Baylor volleyball as a freshman until the last five matches of the season, when she had double-digit kills in an upset of 22nd-ranked Houston and made her only start in an NCAA Tournament first-round matchup against James Madison.
After the 23rd-ranked Bears' sweeps of ACU and Tulsa on Friday in the Baylor Classic, it's going to be hard to keep the 6-3 outside hitter off the court.
Murphy recorded 11 kills and a .579 hitting percentage in a dominant win over ACU (25-11, 25-17, 25-14) and her first-career double-double with 13 kills and 10 digs in beating the Golden Hurricane, 25-14, 25-23, 25-17.
"I didn't feel like I'd be relying on her so much, so soon," Baylor coach Ryan McGuyre said, "to kind of be the glue of our team in just how she manages her swings, her decisions, speaking life into others, but just understanding what we need to do to win. And then, being the six-rotation outside that doesn't get a break at all. She is, for sure, getting as many reps or more reps than anybody in the gym."
Even Murphy called Friday's season-opening performance a "pleasant surprise" after collecting just seven kills through the team's first 25 matches a year ago.
"I don't really know that there's a difference other than just court time, in matches," she said. "I would say my mindset, my work ethic has been the same since last season. I said this last year, but my mindset was 110% at practice every single day. Because even if I'm not in the games, I know I'm making the starters better in practice."
It was also a big day for junior right-side hitter Allie Sczech, who had five of her 10 kills in the third set versus Tulsa and helped close it out with her 500th career kill on the penultimate point of the match.
"This is going to be a big year for her, period," McGuyre said. "She's an upperclassman now, she has the tools and the potential. Good showcase freshman year; probably felt disappointed in her sophomore year. Really for her, her aspirations are huge and her dreams are big, so just allowing her to stay in the moment."
Dominating from start to finish against ACU (1-1), which bounced back for a reverse sweep against Campbell, the Bears rotated 13 players into the match and got eight kills, five digs, three blocks and a service ace from preseason All-Big 12 pick Elise McGhee.
Making her first start at Baylor, Auburn transfer Jackie Barrett Frazier had 22 assists, six digs, four kills and a pair of blocks from the setter position, helping the Bears hit .372 as a team.
"I think Jackie did a great job both matches in just finding the right hitters at the right time," McGuyre said of Frazier, who had a double-double versus Tulsa with 28 assists and 16 digs. "Whatever the hit percentage is, the setter should get a lot of credit for that in how they distribute the ball."
Frazier is also sneaky good with her dump kills, which "is just a fun way to keep the other side on their feet and on their toes."
"I would like to say I'm sneaky," said Frazier, a three-year starter at Auburn. "My dad calls my one-handed dump my hook shot. I have a lot of fun talking to him about it. He tries to give me pointers from the basketball side of things. . . . Our team in practice digs them, so they keep me really honest to how I need to grow as a player. And then, playing against other teams, it makes it pretty easy to get kills."
Sczech and McGhee added 10 kills apiece in the three-set sweep of Tulsa, while Frazier (16), Lauren Briseño (14), Murphy (10) and Tehani Ulufatu (10) recorded double-digit digs and Alicia Andrew chipped in with five blocks to hold the Golden Hurricane to a .087 hitting percentage.
"Serve and pass is volleyball for life, no matter what level," McGuyre said. "In the first and third sets, I thought we were a lot cleaner at that. The second was tighter because we were loose from the service line, a little bit loose with our serve receive, to keep them in the match."
The Bears (2-0) close out the Baylor Classic with a matchup against the Campbell Camels (0-2) at 11 a.m. Sunday, with Tulsa-ACU to follow at approximately 1 p.m.
WACO, Texas – Friday proved a clean sweep for 23rd-ranked Baylor volleyball as it followed the morning's defeat of Abilene Christian with a 3-0 victory against Tulsa.
The Bears (2-0) defeated the Golden Hurricane (1-1) in three sets at the Ferrell Center on Friday night. Winning the first set 25-14, BU then edged past Tulsa to take the second set 25-23. Baylor secured the third set 25-17, holding Tulsa to a .087 hitting percentage overall.
Kendal Murphy led the Bears with 13 kills, and newcomer setter Jackie Barrett Frazier had a double-double with 28 assists and 16 digs.
Junior opposite Allie Sczech recorded her 500th career kill in the home stretch of the third set.
THE RUNDOWN
Set 1
Despite Tulsa earning the first point of the set, the Bears quickly gained control as Victoria Davis and Kendal Murphy got the block to edge back 3-4, followed by a 5-0 scoring run. The Bears next went on a 3-0 scoring run thanks to back-to-back kills from McGhee and an ace from Alicia Andrew, causing Tulsa to call timeout at 18-9. After three consecutive kills by Murphy, McGhee and Allie Sczech, the Bears ended the first set 25-14 on a 5-0 scoring run, led by McGhees's jump serve.
Set 2
As the Bears headed into the second set, McGhee and Murphy continued to dominate the court with seven and 10 kills, respectively, by the end of the frame. After the Bears extended their lead to 16-11 with a 4-0 scoring run dually executed by Sczech and Murphy, Tulsa had a surge of energy to tie the set at 17-all. The Bears and Golden Hurricane traded points until Baylor produced back-to-back blocks to pull ahead 22-20 before winning the set 25-23.
Set 3
The Bears never looked back, opening the last set with a strong start by Frazier, who won a joust to make the set 8-5. With continual kills by McGhee, Sczech and Murphy, the Bears pulled ahead 16-10, causing the Hurricane to call a timeout. Tulsa never found the spark they were looking for, and Baylor took the set 25-17, securing their second sweep of the day.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Kendal Murphy led the Bears for the second time on the day with 13 kills
- Allie Sczech recorded her 500th career kill
- Sczech and Elise McGhee each had 10 kills
- Jackie Barrett Frazier had a double double (28 assists, 16 digs)
UP NEXT
The Bears return to the Ferrell Center on Sunday, facing Campbell at 1 p.m.
The Baylor-Tulsa match will be streamed on ESPN+. Live stats can be found at BaylorBears.com/Stats, with a final scoresheet and full recap posted to BaylorBears.com after conclusion of play.
Fans interested in purchasing tickets can visit BaylorBears.com/Tickets. All seats are general admission for volleyball in the Ferrell Center.
To stay up to date all year long on all things Baylor volleyball, follow the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @BaylorVBall.
- BaylorBears.com -
Team Stats
Tulsa
Baylor
Kills
31
41
Errors
20
13
Attempts
127
116
Hitting %
.087
.241
Points
39.0
55.0
Assists
29
34
Aces
3
6
Blocks
5
8
Game Leaders
Kills
13
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
10
Aces
3
Blocks
2
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
4
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
MB
/ VolleyballS
/ Volleyball
L/DS
/ Volleyball
MB
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballOPP
/ Volleyball
L/DS
/ VolleyballDOUBLE TROUBLE
Monday, October 06
Flyin' High to 4️⃣-0️⃣ in Big 12 Conference play!
Sunday, October 05
The finishing touches 🎨 on 🔟 straight against the Coogs!
Sunday, October 05
Baylor Volleyball: Highlights vs. Kansas | October 3, 2025
Saturday, October 04
