Wildcats Fall at Home to No. 25 Benedictine, 3-1

BALDWIN CITY - After pushing the Ravens to five sets in the previous meeting, Baker volleyball dropped a 3-1 match to No. 25 Benedictine on Tuesday night in the Collins Center.

The Wildcats opened up the night with a 25-23 come-from-behind win in set one, but couldn't ride the momentum as the Ravens took the next three sets on scores of 25-16, 25-12 and 25-20.

Baker faced a tough BC attack that hit nearly .200 for the match (.195) and racked up 16 blocks. Aby Widhalm finished with 17 digs and 11 kills for BU, while Taryn Dial tallied 17 assists and earned two aces from the service line.

After the Ravens jumped out to a quick lead in set one, back-to-back kills from Kailtyn Stout followed by an ace from Kylie Murray put the Wildcats in front at 12-11. BC reclaimed the lead and built it up to a six-point advantage before BU went on an emphatic 11-3 run to come back and steal the opening set, 25-23. A couple of kills from Widhalm along with both of Dial's aces helped spark the rally for BU.

In set two, Abby Elffner kicked off Baker's scoring with one of her four kills in the match as the Wildcats tried to stick close, but the Ravens worked up an eight-point lead midway through the set. Attacks from Widhalm and Murray pulled the Wildcats closer, but Benedictine claimed four of the final five points to tie the match at 1-1.

The Ravens got out to a hot start in the third set with a 6-1 run before four straight errors cooled things off and allowed Baker to eventually take a one-point lead at 8-7. Then, BC delivered a brutal blow by scoring 11 unanswered points and held BU to just two points the rest of the way to take the third set comfortably at 25-12.

Grace Wood supplied the Wildcats with a nice lift to start the fourth set with back-to-back aces before kills from Widhalm and Stout kept the score at a two-point advantage for BU at 9-7. The Ravens used a 6-1 spurt to take the lead and held a small cushion until an ace from Kierstyn Harmon put the 'Cats within three. BU couldn't muster up a late rally though as BC sealed the match with a 25-20 win.

With a 6-4 record at home, the Wildcats have had all four of their setbacks inside Collins come against conference opponents. BU won its first four home games to start the year with all four of them coming on sweeps against non-conference foes.

Baker begins its second straight weekend road trip with another top-25 matchup, taking on No. 21 Central Methodist on Friday, Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. in Fayette, Mo.

#BakerBuildsChampions