Sunday, November 9
Waco, Texas
3PM
Baylor
vs
Utah
No. 23 VB Sweeps Away West Virginia
11/7/2025 10:07:00 PM | Volleyball
BU upped its winning streak to 19-straight matches against the ‘Eers
WACO, Texas. – No. 23 Baylor volleyball extended its dominance over West Virginia with a commanding 3-0 sweep on Friday night inside the Ferrell Center.
The Bears (13-8, 8-5 Big 12) were in control from start to finish, improving to 9-1 at home this season while earning their 19th-straight win over the Mountaineers and 16th-consecutive set victory in the series. With the sweep, Baylor improved to 10-0 in opening sets at home this season and moved to 12-2 this season when winning the first set.
Baylor set the tone early in the opening frame, racing out to a 10-6 lead behind a strong effort from Gabbi Essix and Manuela Bibinbe. The Mountaineers bounced back in the form of a 9-0 run to take the 15-10 lead, only to see BU go on an 8-0 spurt to go back in front 19-17. The Bears hit .220 in the set but edged out the 'Eers for the 25-23 win in the opening stanza.
After a back-and-forth start to the second set, the Bears surged ahead with a 7-2 run to go up 10-5. Baylor would keep WVU at arm's length for the remainder of the set due in large part to Ksenia Rakhmanchik's eight kills at a .500 clip and roll with a 25-16 win.
With West Virginia fighting to stay alive, they battled with the Bears tooth-and-nail in the third set, forcing 11 ties and three lead changes. The Bears went up 19-16 late in the match, only to see WVU put up one last fight, tying the match at 19 and forcing head coach Ryan McGuyre to call a timeout. Focused out of the break, Baylor left no doubt, riding a 6-0 run to send the Ferrell Center crowd home happy with a 25-19 win.
With a week between games, McGuyre and his team really went to work to try and fix what ailed them on the road last week.
"We really just had to go hard and battle," he said. "It wasn't back to the drawing boards, but it was about getting back to our identity, which is work hard, go really hard and be gritty. We've got to be a little bit meaner and nastier on the court. It wasn't easy coming back up. Conflict still builds character if we're committed to each other, and we had a lot of conflict this week. But it speaks of the character of the leaders on the team and who they are, that at the end of the day, it's about persevering to work through it. It makes us stronger and better because nobody quit on each other as we challenged one another to be better this week."
The Bears hit .269 on the night while holding West Virginia to .176, improving to 13–1 this season when out-hitting their opponent. Essix was a steady presence with 11 kills on .667 hitting, her best efficiency this season when recording double-digit kills. Rakhmanchik had a match-high 15 kills, giving her 221 on the season, the fourth-most by a freshman in program history. MJ McCurdy contributed seven kills in her return to the starting lineup, fed by Harley Kreck and her 35 assists and nine digs. Libero Morgan Madison anchored the defense with 12 digs, her 17th match in double figures this season.
BU will have another quick turnaround, facing Utah at 3 p.m. on Sunday in a match televised nationally on ESPN2.
Single-game tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at Baylorbears.com. Follow @BaylorVball on X, Instagram and Facebook for additional updates.
The Bears (13-8, 8-5 Big 12) were in control from start to finish, improving to 9-1 at home this season while earning their 19th-straight win over the Mountaineers and 16th-consecutive set victory in the series. With the sweep, Baylor improved to 10-0 in opening sets at home this season and moved to 12-2 this season when winning the first set.
Baylor set the tone early in the opening frame, racing out to a 10-6 lead behind a strong effort from Gabbi Essix and Manuela Bibinbe. The Mountaineers bounced back in the form of a 9-0 run to take the 15-10 lead, only to see BU go on an 8-0 spurt to go back in front 19-17. The Bears hit .220 in the set but edged out the 'Eers for the 25-23 win in the opening stanza.
After a back-and-forth start to the second set, the Bears surged ahead with a 7-2 run to go up 10-5. Baylor would keep WVU at arm's length for the remainder of the set due in large part to Ksenia Rakhmanchik's eight kills at a .500 clip and roll with a 25-16 win.
With West Virginia fighting to stay alive, they battled with the Bears tooth-and-nail in the third set, forcing 11 ties and three lead changes. The Bears went up 19-16 late in the match, only to see WVU put up one last fight, tying the match at 19 and forcing head coach Ryan McGuyre to call a timeout. Focused out of the break, Baylor left no doubt, riding a 6-0 run to send the Ferrell Center crowd home happy with a 25-19 win.
With a week between games, McGuyre and his team really went to work to try and fix what ailed them on the road last week.
"We really just had to go hard and battle," he said. "It wasn't back to the drawing boards, but it was about getting back to our identity, which is work hard, go really hard and be gritty. We've got to be a little bit meaner and nastier on the court. It wasn't easy coming back up. Conflict still builds character if we're committed to each other, and we had a lot of conflict this week. But it speaks of the character of the leaders on the team and who they are, that at the end of the day, it's about persevering to work through it. It makes us stronger and better because nobody quit on each other as we challenged one another to be better this week."
The Bears hit .269 on the night while holding West Virginia to .176, improving to 13–1 this season when out-hitting their opponent. Essix was a steady presence with 11 kills on .667 hitting, her best efficiency this season when recording double-digit kills. Rakhmanchik had a match-high 15 kills, giving her 221 on the season, the fourth-most by a freshman in program history. MJ McCurdy contributed seven kills in her return to the starting lineup, fed by Harley Kreck and her 35 assists and nine digs. Libero Morgan Madison anchored the defense with 12 digs, her 17th match in double figures this season.
BU will have another quick turnaround, facing Utah at 3 p.m. on Sunday in a match televised nationally on ESPN2.
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—
Players Mentioned
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OH
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