The University of Arizona volleyball team (11-1, 0-1 in Big 12) marked its first Big 12 conference loss of the season on Wednesday, Sept. 25, losing 3-1 against Baylor University. The Wildcats traveled to Waco, Texas where they fell to the Baylor Bears in four sets 25-18, 25-23, 16-25, 25-17. 

Jumping out to an early lead, Baylor was able to force Arizona to trail most of set one, using its defense to claim the 25-18 win. 

The Bears had back-to-back aces by Kendal Murphy, giving Baylor a strong 10-5 start. Jaelyn Hodge led with 5 of the 9 kills scored in the first set for the Wildcats. 

Hodge led with a season-high of 22 kills while also reaching a double-double with 10 digs. Carlie Cisneros followed with 9 digs and 11 kills of her own. Defensively, three Wildcats including Hodge led with double-digit digs including Haven Wray with 12 and Jordan Wilson with 11. 

The Wildcats and the Bears found themselves tied multiple times during set two, ultimately ending with Arizona losing by two points, 25-23. The Bears finished the set with a .400 hitting percentage which helped Baylor take a 2-0 lead in the match despite Arizona’s efforts.

The Wildcats fought for a fourth set; Arizona won set three going on a run of its own, gaining a 10-0 lead. Cisneros and Kiari Robey totaled 3 kills in the set. Additionally, Wilson put up an ace to jump to a 18-11 lead that would help the Wildcats secure the 25-16 win. 

The Wildcats completed the fourth and final set with a .106 hitting percentage led by Hodge with 4 kills. Arizona would not find a way to lead during set four and Baylor won 25-17. The Bears finished on a 4-0 scoring run, leaving Arizona with its first loss of the season.

Looking ahead:

Arizona will journey to Fort Worth, Texas to face Texas Christian University on Sept. 27 at 4:30 p.m. in Schollmaier Arena, continuing their Big 12 conference matches against the Horned Frogs.

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