Wildcats Sweep Bluejays, Pick Up Third Straight Victory

HILLSBORO, Kan. – Baker volleyball secured its first sweep of the season after defeating Tabor in straight sets on Thursday night in Hillsboro, Kan. to stay perfect in the month of September with three straight victories.

Thursday's match served as a bit of revenge for the Wildcats after the Bluejays swept them back on Aug. 22 in Baldwin City.

Baker hit over .200 in two of the three sets and had four different players tally exactly seven kills with Kierra Hipple, Kylie Murray, Olivia Deichmann and Meredith Brown all leading the BU attack. Grace Wood and Kierstyn Harmon teamed up for 11 assists apiece, while Kennedy Bryan led the team in digs with 23.

After falling behind 4-1, the Wildcats put things in gear with four straight kills early in the first set before the two teams traded points through the midway stretch of the frame. BU pulled ahead late and claimed the set's final six points to take a 1-0 lead.

The second set featured both sides going on mini bursts throughout the set with Baker going up 13-11 at one point before Tabor retook the lead at 15-14. The pendulum would swing back in the Wildcats' favor after Brown's kill capped a 6-0 run. The Bluejays made things interesting late in the set after scoring four straight points to take a 23-22 lead, but followed with three consecutive errors to give BU a 25-23 win.

The Wildcats kept the intensity up in the third set as well, while capitalizing on another string of Bluejays miscues to go up 12-10. After Adelyn Bybee notched an ace to make it a six-point advantage for BU, it was back-to-back kills by Deichmann and Hipple that dealt the final blow in Baker's straight-set victory.

Up next, Baker opens up its conference schedule with a matchup against Heart of America opponent MidAmerica Nazarene on Tuesday, Sept. 12 at 7 p.m. in Olathe, Kan.

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