Wildcats Drop Pair of 5-Set Matches vs. William Penn and Grand View

BALDWIN CITY, Kan. – Hitting the road for their first conference road trip of the season, the Baker volleyball team dropped two five-set matches against William Penn and Grand View on Friday and Saturday.

Starting off the weekend, the Wildcats made their way to Oskaloosa, Iowa to take on William Penn on Friday. Brie Reedy led the Wildcats with 17 kills in the match, while both Kennedy Bryan and Kierra Hipple each also had double digit kills with 13 and 11 respectively. Kennedy Bryan also finished second on the team with 17 digs in the match, while Kierstyn Harmon and Emma Grossoehme combined for 48 assists.

Baker got off to a slow start in set one and was never fully able to recover. They scored three straight points late in the set on kills from Kennedy Bryan and a service ace from Kierstyn Harmon, but the Wildcats dropped set one, 25-15.

The Wildcats quickly grabbed a lead in set two and never gave it up. The Statesmen tied the set twice, but Baker retook the lead each time, eventually winning set two by a score of 28-26 on back-to-back errors for William Penn.

Going into the third set, Baker struggled to carry that momentum over, losing the set, 25-13, but quickly regained their balance for set four. With the score tied at 12, Baker rattled off four straight points to take a 16-12 lead and force a timeout. Baker's lead would be cut to two, but that is the closest they would get as Baker took set four, 25-21 and sent the match to a fifth set.

Baker took a strong 10-6 lead in the set, but following a timeout, the Statesmen came back. With the score tied at 17 in set five, the Statesmen scored the next two points to win the set, 19-17 and win the match, 3-2.

The Wildcats then stayed in Iowa and took on Grand View on Saturday. Adelyn Bybee and Kennedy Bryan led the 'Cats in this one, each picking up 11 kills in the match. Harmon and Grossoehme also each had 23 assists, while Reese Kehl had a team-high 17 digs.

Baker trailed early in set one, 5-2, but quickly scored five unanswered to take a 7-5 lead. The lead changed hands multiple times throughout the set, but with the score tied at 15, Baker went on a 6-1 run and held a 21-16 lead. Baker would not let the Vikings come back as the Wildcats won set one, 25-22.

The Wildcats fell behind quickly in set two and trailed 16-5 before eventually losing the set, 25-15. Overcoming the loss in set two, the Wildcats came out hot in set three and led 12-6 midway through the set. Baker stayed hot for the rest of the set and won set three, 25-17 to take a 2-1 lead in the match.

Both teams traded points early in set four, but Grand View eventually found their stride and pulled away to win set four, 25-19. Baker was able to get out to an early lead once again in set five, but the Vikings went on an 11-0 run. Baker was able to cut the lead to 14-12, but a kill for Grand View ended it, giving the Vikings a 15-12 win in set five and a 3-2 win in the match.

Baker is now 6-8 on the season and 1-3 in Heart of America play. They will be back in action on Tuesday, Sept. 26, when they host Benedictine at 7:00 p.m., inside the Collins Center.

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