Volleyball takes down Baylor for third time this season

AUSTIN, Texas — The No. 2 Texas volleyball team knocked off No. 6 Baylor, 25-22, 25-17, 17-25, 25-20 Wednesday at the Frank Erwin Center.

The victory kept the Longhorns' record over this split season unblemished at 17-0; Texas is 3-0 in matches rescheduled to this spring, after sweeping a pair of matches last week against Oklahoma. The Bears fell to 15-4.

The Longhorns' third victory over Baylor this season was a non-conference match. When the two rivals met in conference play in early November, the Longhorns earned back-to-back 3-2 wins in Austin.

Wednesday night was no different, as the Erwin Center had the feeling of a critical Big 12 showdown, with 604 fans inattendance.

The first set see-sawed back and forth, with each side putting points on the board early. A block from middle blocker Brionne Butler and setter Jhenna Gabriel put the Horns on the board with Baylor up, 1-0. In a decisive scoring run midway through the opening set, Texas mounted a 4-0 run, ignited by a kill from outside hitter Logan Eggleston, to lead 12-8.

Baylor never regained the lead, though the Lady Bears tied it up at 19 before Texas scored three of the final four points, with Eggleston sealing the 25-22 victory on a kill for UT's 25th point of the set.

Eggleston, who recorded a double-double with 23 kills and four digs, had seven kills in the first set alone.

The back-and-forth pattern continued into the second set, in which Texas played brilliant offense, hitting .429.

The Horns' hopes of a three-set sweep were washed away in the third set, as Baylor turned the tables to win, 25-17. The Lady Bears led by as many as eight, 23-15, late in the third, and made several key defensive stands.

However, the UT offense took over in the fourth and final set. The Horns battled back from an early 4-0 deficit to finally take a 14-13 lead on a statement kill by Eggleston, as the junior rattled off two more consecutive kills to keep Texas in front 16-15. With subs coming off the bench for both sides and Texas leading 22-19, the Longhorns held off a late Baylor rally, scoring the final three points of the contest to win the fourth set, 25-20.

Gabriel posted her fifth double-double of the season, dishing out 42 assists and 12 digs.

The season series between the Bears and Longhorns is not over. Baylor hosts Texas March 26.

Next up on the spring slate for the Longhorns is a duel with Texas State at 7 p.m. Monday in Austin, in a match that can be seen on Longhorn Network.