Friday, October 17
Waco, Texas
7PM
Baylor
11-6,6-3Big 12
3
vs
1
Cincinnati
10-7,2-5Big 12
1
2
3
4
F
Cincinnati
16
13
30
20
1
Baylor
25
25
28
25
3
No. 20 VB Smothers Cincinnati in 3-1 Win Over the Bearcats
10/17/2025 11:16:00 PM | Volleyball
WACO, Texas – Harley Kreck delivered a standout performance to lift No. 20 Baylor volleyball to a second-straight win, beating Cincinnati 3-1 on Friday night.
Taking a sixth-straight against the Bearcats, the Bears improved to 11-6 on the season and 6-3 in Big 12 play, while moving to an impressive 7-1 at home.
Baylor's defense set the tone throughout the night, holding the Bearcats to a .090 hitting percentage, the lowest by a Big 12 opponent against the Bears this season. BU's 18 team blocks were its most in any match since posting 20 against San Diego State on Sept. 2, 2022. On the offensive side, Baylor hit .259, its second-best mark in Big 12 play this season, moving to 7-0 this season when hitting over .250.
After a nip-and-tuck battle, Cincinnati pulled within a point at 9-8 in the first set, only to see the Bears go on a 6-1 run to take control of the match and close it out 25–16.
Baylor kept the pressure on in the second, cruising to a 25-13 win behind five team blocks, with the Bears' front line holding Cincinnati to a negative hitting percentage as BU took a 2-0 lead in the match.
"Beginning sets, our focus is just to find rhythm offensively as soon as possible," Kreck said "Once we see what's working and who's hot, we continue to streak those hitters until they make changes and if they don't we'll continue to feed them, so it helps us to get into a rhythm when stuff is working right off the bat."
Cincinnati responded with its best set of the night, forcing extra points in a set that featured 21 ties and 10 lead changes, before the Bearcats ultimately escaped with a 30-28 win to stay alive.
In the final set, Baylor had to battle from behind early before eventually tying the match at 14. A 4-0 surge put the Bears in control, and they would finish off the night with a 25-20 win.
Kreck turned in a complete performance, recording 37 assists, a career-high six blocks, six digs, and a pair of service aces, finishing with 12 points, third-most on the team. Freshman Ksenia Rakhmanchik led the Bears with 14 kills, marking the fifth time this season she's paced the team in that category. Junior Victoria Davis was a model of efficiency once again, hitting a match-high .571 on nine kills.
In the backcourt, freshman libero Morgan Madison continued her standout debut campaign, notching 12 digs to bring her season total to 238, surpassing Hannah Lockin Sedwick's program record for digs by a freshman. Madison broke the mark with nine regular-season matches remaining.
Only 17 matches into her career, the freshman is making a big impact with the veterans on the team.
"One thing I love about Morgan is if you can feel a lull coming on, she does not allow the team to fall into that hole," Kreck said. "Morgan keeps the standard, and she fires us up, while making plays to back it up. I know she's only a freshman, but truly, you would never know it. Aside from her play, the way she leads and the way she has a voice for her team, everybody listens to her, everybody respects her. So I'm looking to her every time the game is on the line."
Next up, Baylor returns to the Ferrell Center on Thursday, Oct. 23, hosting No. 21 BYU, for a "whiteout". First serve in that match is set for 7 p.m.
Single-game tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at Baylorbears.com. Follow @BaylorVball on X, Instagram and Facebook for additional updates.
Taking a sixth-straight against the Bearcats, the Bears improved to 11-6 on the season and 6-3 in Big 12 play, while moving to an impressive 7-1 at home.
Baylor's defense set the tone throughout the night, holding the Bearcats to a .090 hitting percentage, the lowest by a Big 12 opponent against the Bears this season. BU's 18 team blocks were its most in any match since posting 20 against San Diego State on Sept. 2, 2022. On the offensive side, Baylor hit .259, its second-best mark in Big 12 play this season, moving to 7-0 this season when hitting over .250.
After a nip-and-tuck battle, Cincinnati pulled within a point at 9-8 in the first set, only to see the Bears go on a 6-1 run to take control of the match and close it out 25–16.
Baylor kept the pressure on in the second, cruising to a 25-13 win behind five team blocks, with the Bears' front line holding Cincinnati to a negative hitting percentage as BU took a 2-0 lead in the match.
"Beginning sets, our focus is just to find rhythm offensively as soon as possible," Kreck said "Once we see what's working and who's hot, we continue to streak those hitters until they make changes and if they don't we'll continue to feed them, so it helps us to get into a rhythm when stuff is working right off the bat."
Cincinnati responded with its best set of the night, forcing extra points in a set that featured 21 ties and 10 lead changes, before the Bearcats ultimately escaped with a 30-28 win to stay alive.
In the final set, Baylor had to battle from behind early before eventually tying the match at 14. A 4-0 surge put the Bears in control, and they would finish off the night with a 25-20 win.
Kreck turned in a complete performance, recording 37 assists, a career-high six blocks, six digs, and a pair of service aces, finishing with 12 points, third-most on the team. Freshman Ksenia Rakhmanchik led the Bears with 14 kills, marking the fifth time this season she's paced the team in that category. Junior Victoria Davis was a model of efficiency once again, hitting a match-high .571 on nine kills.
In the backcourt, freshman libero Morgan Madison continued her standout debut campaign, notching 12 digs to bring her season total to 238, surpassing Hannah Lockin Sedwick's program record for digs by a freshman. Madison broke the mark with nine regular-season matches remaining.
Only 17 matches into her career, the freshman is making a big impact with the veterans on the team.
"One thing I love about Morgan is if you can feel a lull coming on, she does not allow the team to fall into that hole," Kreck said. "Morgan keeps the standard, and she fires us up, while making plays to back it up. I know she's only a freshman, but truly, you would never know it. Aside from her play, the way she leads and the way she has a voice for her team, everybody listens to her, everybody respects her. So I'm looking to her every time the game is on the line."
Next up, Baylor returns to the Ferrell Center on Thursday, Oct. 23, hosting No. 21 BYU, for a "whiteout". First serve in that match is set for 7 p.m.
Single-game tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at Baylorbears.com. Follow @BaylorVball on X, Instagram and Facebook for additional updates.
—Baylorbears.com—
Team Stats
UC
Baylor
Kills
40
53
Errors
28
18
Attempts
134
135
Hitting %
.090
.259
Points
53.0
76.0
Assists
38
43
Aces
3
5
Blocks
10
18
Game Leaders
Kills
14
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
7
Kills
7
Aces
2
Blocks
6
Players Mentioned
MB
/ VolleyballS
/ Volleyball
L/DS
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballBaylor Volleyball: Highlights vs Cincinnati | October 17, 2025
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