Wildcats Win Five-Set Thriller over Vikings, Split Final Homestand of 2024

BALDWIN CITY - Baker volleyball came out on top of a thrilling five-set match against Grand View on Friday before falling to William Penn on Senior Day as the Wildcats split their final set of home games this past weekend.

The Wildcats defeated the Vikings in five sets on Friday, winning sets two and three by respective scores of 25-18 and 25-23 before claiming the match on a 15-13 win in the fifth set.

The Vikings finished with a higher hitting percentage (.202) than BU (.140), but the Wildcats tallied 12 aces in the match compared to nine from GVU. Aby Widhalm (14) and Meredith Brown (11) each registered double-digit kills, while Kierstyn Harmon and Taryn Dial both went for 20-plus assists with Harmon having 23 and Dial with 20.

Grand View started off the night by winning 11 of the first 13 points to control things early on. The Wildcats would cut it to four points, but the Vikings stretched the lead back out and eventually took the opening set by double digits.

Baker was the one to get off to a hot start in set two with Harmon firing off a couple of aces to give them a quick 5-1 lead. BU kept the Vikings an arm's length away for most of the set before tying the match with an ace by Kylie Murray and a couple of kills from Widhalm finishing off the frame.

After a couple of one-sided sets, the match tightened up in the third with neither side leading by more than two points for the entire set. After Grand View took a 22-21 lead, Abby Elffner tied it up with a kill and then Emma Grossoehme came through with a clutch ace to give BU the advantage. A swing from Brown sealed the set with Baker taking a 2-1 lead on a two-point win in the third set.

The Wildcats got off to a good start in the fourth set as well, taking a four-point lead early on before the Vikings stormed back to eventually take a 14-10 lead. GVU won seven straight points and pushed the match to max sets with its second double-digit win of the night.

In the decisive set, Baker took a quick 4-1 lead, but the Vikings once again fought back and eventually went ahead at 10-9. Brown came through with a pair of clutch blocks for BU and she delivered the game-winning spike to give Baker a 3-2 victory, snapping the team's recent six-game skid.

For Senior Day on Saturday, the Wildcats honored nine seniors for their dedication and commitment to the BU volleyball program. Those seniors included Lila Avila, Jesse-Leigh Baker, Emma Berkley, Olivia Deichmann, Emma Grossoehme, Kierstyn Harmon, Kierra Hipple, Kady Vialpando and Grace Wood.

After falling in the first two sets by identical scores of 25-22, Baker came out on top of a third 25-22 result to push the match to a fourth set before the Statesmen claimed the conference contest with a 25-23 win in the fourth.

Widhalm racked up 17 kills to lead the BU attack, while the Wildcats posted double-digit aces for the third straight game with 11 against WPU. Dial recorded 22 assists to finish with at least 20 assists for the ninth time this season.

The back-and-forth battle began immediately in the opening set with Baker boasting the set's largest lead at just three points with a 9-6 advantage. Grossoehme and Harmon each reeled off an ace with Harmon's putting BU in front at 21-20, but WPU used a couple aces of its own to climb back and take the first set, 25-22.

In set two, the Wildcats erased an early Statesmen lead and went up 11-10 on a kill from Brown before WPU reclaimed the lead. Trailing 23-19, Baker mounted a late rally to get within two points, but it would come up short as the Statesmen took a two-set lead in the match.

Deichmann fired off an attack and Murray followed with an ace to put Baker on top in the third set. The Wildcats scored five unanswered points to stretch the lead and worked up to a seven-point lead before a dump from Harmon and a WPU attacking error extended the match on a 25-22 win for BU.

Looking to force their second straight five-set match, the Wildcats took a 9-7 lead in the fourth set with Widhalm putting up four early kills. William Penn jumped back in front midway through the set and eventually led by five before the 'Cats came storming back with a 5-0 run. The Statesmen regrouped and claimed five of the final eight points to win the match.

Finishing with a 7-6 record at home this year, Baker will play its final match of the regular season with a matchup at MidAmerica Nazarene on Tuesday, Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. in Olathe, Kan.

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