Wildcats Start Strong, Fall to Pioneers, 3-1 on Senior Day

BALDWIN CITY, Kan. – After starting off the match with a win in the first set, Baker volleyball fell to conference foe MidAmerica Nazarene, 3-1 on Senior Night here Friday at the Collins Center in Baldwin City.

Prior to the match, the Wildcats recognized seniors Delaney Franklin, Ashley Matthews and Caitlyn Peters for their contributions and dedication to the Baker volleyball program.

Kierra Hipple led the team with 10 kills in the match, marking her second straight game with double-digit kills. Kierstyn Harmon and Emma Grossoehme nearly matched each other in assists with Harmon tallying 16 dimes and Grossoehme adding 15 of her own. Reese Kehl recorded a team-high 18 digs to give the freshman libero over 400 digs (406) this season.

Baker found itself down early in the opening set with MNU jumping out to an 11-3 lead before the Wildcats started to claw their way back. A kill by Meredith Brown followed by a dump by Grossoehme sparked a 7-1 run for BU, drawing within two on an ace from Kehl. Olivia Deichmann connected on the first of her six kills in the match to tie the set at 20-20. Trailing 23-22, the Wildcats rolled off three straight points to claim the first set, 25-23 and open the match with a 1-0 advantage.

The Pioneers came out and took control of set two quickly as well, going up 12-3 early on in the frame. Deichmann fired off three straight kills for BU and an attack by Brown cut into the MNU lead at 15-7. The visitors scored six unanswered points to close out the set and draw the match even with a 25-10 win.

In the third set, Baker avoided another early deficit and kept things close until a string of four straight points saw them tie the frame at 9-9 with kills by Deichmann and Brown serving as the bookends to the BU run. After falling behind 13-9, the Wildcats came back with an emphatic 7-0 run during Grossoehme's serve. Hipple started off the spurt with a kill, while Brown had back-to-back blocks to put Baker in front, 16-13. The Pioneers would go on a devastating run from there, winning 12 of the final 15 points to take the third set, 25-19.

Carrying over the momentum from the third, MNU rolled out to a 12-1 advantage to start the fourth set. The Wildcats found a little traction on another set of Grossoehme serves with the homegrown setter notching a pair of aces to bring BU within seven points. The Pioneers kept the Wildcats at arm's length away for the rest of the set as the two sides traded points until MNU sealed the match on a 25-15 win.

With Collins play coming to a close for the Wildcats, they will head out for their final match of the 2023 season with a matchup against No. 21 Central Methodist on Tuesday, Oct. 31 at 7 p.m. in Fayette, Mo.

#BakerBuildsChampions