NORMAN – The Oklahoma volleyball team took No. 2 Baylor to the wire, falling in a five-set battle, 3-2, Thursday night in Waco, Texas. The Bears took the match 25-16, 25-13, 17-25, 22-25, 15-13.
Baylor outhit the Sooners .255 to .203 in the match and led with 61 kills to OU's 51.
Defensively, the Sooners led the Bears 61-56 in digs with
Guewe Diouf and
Keyton Kinley leading the Sooners with 13 apiece.
Grace Talpash added 11 digs of her own and
Aysia Harty chipped in nine. Baylor out-blocked the Sooners 9.0-6.0 and
Abby Butler led OU by getting in on three.
Once again, Diouf led the team with 20 kills on a .271 clip for a career best and a double-double.
Sarah Sanders added 14 kills, while Sanaa Dotson had a career night with 13.
Talpash notched herself a career high as well with 42 assists and a double-double performance.
Baylor took the first set, 25-16, and the second, 25-13. The Sooners then dominated set three, 25-17. OU led wire-to-wire, beginning with a Talpash ace and earning set point on a Baylor error. OU hit .423 in the third frame while holding Baylor to just .088.
The fourth set started with a 4-0 Baylor run, but the Sooners would not go down without a fight. OU took a lead at 18-17 and never looked back. A kill from Diouf secured the fourth frame and send the teams to the decisive fifth set.
OU took the lead at 12-11 in the fifth set, but Baylor tied things at 13-all. The Bears earned the final two points to take the set, 15-13.
The Sooners and Bears will take to the court again Friday at 6 p.m. The match will air on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
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