Friday, August 28
Honolulu, Hawaii
9 p.m.
Baylor
1-0,0-0Big 12
3
vs
0
San Diego
0-1,0-0WCC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baylor | 26 | 34 | 25 | 3 |
| San Diego | 24 | 32 | 23 | 0 |
No. 21 VB Sweeps Away San Diego in Season Opener
8/29/2026 12:16:00 AM | Volleyball
BU’s Rakhmanchik paced the Bears with 18 kills
HONOLULU, Hawaii – No. 21 Baylor volleyball swept San Diego in a gritty 3-0 victory on Friday at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
The Bears battled through three tightly contested sets, each won by just two points. Baylor answered early deficits and made key plays down the stretch to secure the sweep.
RUNDOWN
San Diego came out swinging in the first, jumping in front 4-0 before Baylor settled in. The Bears steadily chipped away at the deficit and eventually erased an 18-15 Torero lead behind big kills from Ksenia Rakhmanchik and Mya Hemmer. After San Diego regained a 23-20 edge, Baylor refused to blink, as they closed the frame on a 6-1 run to steal the set, 26-24.
The second set featured Baylor's toughest test of the night. After falling behind 5-1, BU rallied to take a 15-14 lead before the teams traded shots deep into extra points. The Bears trailed 32-31 before consecutive points from a San Diego service error and a Hemmer kill put BU ahead, 33-32. Freshman Nadiya Johnson then delivered the deciding blow for a 34-32 win to put Baylor in the driver's seat.
Baylor once again fell behind 8-5 in the third before using a 6-1 run to take an 11-9 advantage. The Bears later trailed 16-14 but answered with four-straight points to move ahead 18-16. BU maintained its advantage down the stretch, with Rakhmanchik recording the final two kills to secure the 25-23 victory and complete the sweep.
GAME NOTES
WHAT'S NEXT
The Bears will take on host Hawaii at 12 a.m. CT on Sunday morning, with the match available on Mountain West Network+. The other matches will not be streamed, but live stats are available at BaylorBears.com/Stats.
Season and single-match tickets are on sale now for the 2026 season. You can find them at BaylorBears.com/tickets or by calling the Baylor Athletics Ticket Office at 254-710-1000.
To stay up to date with Baylor Volleyball all year long, follow the program on Instagram, Facebook, X and TikTok: @BaylorVBall. Want to support the team? You can do so by giving to the One Way Club.
The Bears battled through three tightly contested sets, each won by just two points. Baylor answered early deficits and made key plays down the stretch to secure the sweep.
RUNDOWN
San Diego came out swinging in the first, jumping in front 4-0 before Baylor settled in. The Bears steadily chipped away at the deficit and eventually erased an 18-15 Torero lead behind big kills from Ksenia Rakhmanchik and Mya Hemmer. After San Diego regained a 23-20 edge, Baylor refused to blink, as they closed the frame on a 6-1 run to steal the set, 26-24.
The second set featured Baylor's toughest test of the night. After falling behind 5-1, BU rallied to take a 15-14 lead before the teams traded shots deep into extra points. The Bears trailed 32-31 before consecutive points from a San Diego service error and a Hemmer kill put BU ahead, 33-32. Freshman Nadiya Johnson then delivered the deciding blow for a 34-32 win to put Baylor in the driver's seat.
Baylor once again fell behind 8-5 in the third before using a 6-1 run to take an 11-9 advantage. The Bears later trailed 16-14 but answered with four-straight points to move ahead 18-16. BU maintained its advantage down the stretch, with Rakhmanchik recording the final two kills to secure the 25-23 victory and complete the sweep.
GAME NOTES
- Ksenia Rakhmanchik led the Bears with 18 kills, her 10th-straight match with double-digit kills
- Nadiya Johnson had 11 kills in her debut, the most by a BU player in their first match since MJ McCurdy notched 12 against South Alabama last season.
- Johnson has the most kills by a freshman in a debut since Kyndal Stowers had 14 in the 2023 season opener.
- Isabela Haggard picked up her 12th-career double-double with 27 assists and 20 digs.
- Haggard surpassed 1,000 career assists in the first set and now has 1,024
- The sophomore's 20 digs were just two off her career high (22)
- Tehani Ulufatu notched her 50th-career ace in the first set.
- Baylor has won two of its last three season openers.
- With its win, BU tied the all-time series with the Toreros 2-2
WHAT'S NEXT
The Bears will take on host Hawaii at 12 a.m. CT on Sunday morning, with the match available on Mountain West Network+. The other matches will not be streamed, but live stats are available at BaylorBears.com/Stats.
Season and single-match tickets are on sale now for the 2026 season. You can find them at BaylorBears.com/tickets or by calling the Baylor Athletics Ticket Office at 254-710-1000.
To stay up to date with Baylor Volleyball all year long, follow the program on Instagram, Facebook, X and TikTok: @BaylorVBall. Want to support the team? You can do so by giving to the One Way Club.
—Baylorbears.com—
Players Mentioned
S
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
L/DS
/ VolleyballTeam Stats
Baylor
SD
Kills
46
50
Errors
21
23
Attempts
138
139
Hitting %
.181
.194
Points
64.0
60.0
Assists
40
47
Aces
7
2
Blocks
11
8
Game Leaders
Kills
18
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Kills
3
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Sunday, August 30
Monday, August 24
Thursday, August 13
Thursday, August 13
