NCAA volleyball: Texas, Baylor, OU get Big 12 victories; UK, A&M win in SEC

There were some big numbers, like 23 kills for Baylor’s Yossiana Pressley and 21 each for Kentucky’s Avery Skinner and Arkansas’ Jillian Gillen, Texas and red-hot Logan Eggleston stayed unbeaten, and Texas State laid claim to being the best team in the Sun Belt.

But there was little drama in NCAA Division I women’s volleyball Saturday, a day after it seemed that every match went five.

The recaps follow, but first a look at Sunday’s schedule. Links to streams and broadcasts can be found on our VolleyballMag.com TV listings page.

The ACC has the Pitt-Notre Dame rematch after the Irish won in five on Friday. Also, North Carolina is back at NC State and Virginia is back at Virginia Tech.

There are three matches in the SEC as South Carolina goes back to Georgia, LSU plays again at Texas A&M, and Arkansas returns to Mississippi State.

Also, Louisiana-Monroe of the Sun Belt Conference goes to Central Arkansas of the Southland.

ACC — In the only match of the day, Syracuse (4-4) hit .424 and swept visiting Boston College (0-6) again, this time 25-12, 25-9, 25-20.

Marina Markova led with 14 kills and had two errors in 17 attacks to hit .706. She added a dig and four blocks. Ella Saada had 13 kills, hit .478, and had 10 digs. Yulia Yastrub had five kills in 10 errorless swings, an assist, an ace, three blocks, and five digs. Elena Karakasi had four kills, 32 assists, a block, and two digs.

BC, which got six kills each from Amaka Chukwujekwu and Silvia Ianeselli, hit .073.

Big 12 — On Friday, they all went five. Saturday? Three matches, three sweeps, as Oklahoma beat Kansas, Baylor did the same to Texas Tech, and Texas won at Kansas State. 

Oklahoma (2-4) beat visiting Kansas (1-7) 28-26, 25-22, 25-20 as Guewe Diouf led with 14 kills, an ace, three blocks, and eight digs. Tyler Alcorn had seven kills, hit .385, and had six blocks. The Sooners hit .163, while Kansas hit .103. Ayah Elnady had eight kills for the Jayhawks.

Where Kansas hasn’t won again since beating Baylor in the season opener, Baylor (7-1) hasn’t lost. Yossiana Pressley had 23 kills as the Bears won at Texas Tech (3-5) 27-25, 25-21, 25-19. 

Pressley hit .392, and had an assist, two blocks, and 12 digs. Her teammates combined for 18 kills, including eight by Laura Harrison, who had two blocks and five digs. Marieke van der Mark had five kills and five blocks, and Lache Harper had two kills and eight blocks.

Texas Tech, which hit .115, got 11 kills from Samantha Sanders and 10 from Brooke Kanas.

Texas (8-0) made quick work of Kansas State (3-3) 25-15, 25-16, 25-16 as the Longhorns hit .389 and were led once again by Logan Eggleston.

Eggleston, who is having a fantastic fall, had 17 kills with two errors in 37 attacks to hit .405 and had an ace, three blocks, and four digs. Brionne Butler had 10 kills with one error in 16 swings to hit. 563 and added four blocks. Skylar Fields had eight kills with one error in 17 attacks and hit .412, and Asjia O’Neal had seven kills, an ace, two digs, and seven blocks, one solo. 

Jayden Nembhard had seven kills for Kansas State, which hit .141.

SEC — A day after getting getting swept at Kentucky, Tennessee took the first set off the Wildcats, but still came up short 24-26, 25-23, 25-22, 25-13.

Avery Skinner led UK with a career-high 21 kills, hit .391, and added an assist, an ace, two blocks, and four digs. Alli Stumler had 15 kills, had the Wildcats’ other ace, and had two blocks, and 13 digs. Azhani Tealer, Elise Goetzinger, and Reagan Rutherford had seven kills each. Goetzinger had five blocks. Madison Lilley had 48 assists, 15 digs, and three blocks, one solo.

The Vols, who hit .101, got 17 kills from Danielle Mahaffey. She added two kills and two digs. Raquel Perinar had eight kills, three digs, and six blocks.

Texas A&M swept LSU in the season opener for both teams. The Aggies hit .179 in the 25-21, 25-22, 25-14 victory, while LSU hit .060.

Camryn Ennis led Texas A&M with 11 kills, an assist, four blocks, and 10 digs. Mallory Talbert had seven kills, hit .313, and had an ace and five blocks. Morgan Davis added six kills, a dig, and six blocks, two solo. Camille Conner had five kills and hit .364 to go with 29 assists, an ace, and 13 digs. 

Taylor Bannister was the lone bright spot for LSU with 15 kills, two solo blocks, and 14 digs.

South Carolina opened with a 25-21, 25-19, 25-23 sweep at Georgia. Kyla Manning led with 13 kills, hitting .308, and added an assist, two aces, and nine digs. Riley Whitesides had 11 kills, hit .320, and had an assist, six blocks, and six digs. Mikayla Robinson had seven kills, hit .375, and an assist, and five blocks. 

Rachel Ritchie had 10 kills, an ace, and four digs for Georgia, which hit .144.

And Arkansas opened with an 18-25, 25-15, 25-23, 23-25, 15-11 victory at Mississippi State as Jillian Gillen picked up where she left off last season with 21 kills. Gillen had a block and nine digs. Taylor Head had 16 kills, an assist, two blocks, and 18 digs, and Elizabeth Pamphile had 10 kills, an assist, a block, and two digs. Hailey Dirrigi had seven kills, an assist, two aces, four blocks, and 12 digs. And setter Gracie Ryan had five kills in nine errorless attempts, 49 assists, three aces, and 11 digs.

Gabby Wadden led State with 16 kills as she hit .361 and added four blocks and six digs. Lauren Myrick had 12 kills, an ace, a block, and 15 digs, and Logan Brown had 11 kills, three assists, an ace, and 10 digs.

Sun Belt — Texas State proved it’s the top team in the league as it swept Louisiana 25-15, 25-20, 26-24. It left Texas State 11-1, 6-0 in the Sun Belt, while the Ragin’ Cajuns dropped to 11-3, 5-3.

The Bobcats had five players with eight or more kills and hit .301. Tyeranee Scott and Janell Fitzgerald had 11 kills each. Scott hit .429 and had a block, while Fitzgerald had an assist, two digs, and three blocks.

Lauren Teske had nine kills, four assists, two aces, 12 digs, and a solo block. Kenedi Rutherford and Jillian Slaughter had eight kills apiece. Rutherford had six digs and a solo block, while Slaughter hit .444 after having no errors in 18 attacks. She added three digs and two blocks. And setter Emily DeWalt had six kills in 10 errorless attempts, 41 assists, an ace, and 15 digs.

Louisiana, which hit .187, had 35 kills, nine from Hali Wisnoskie, eight from Kara Barnes, and seven from Kelsey Bennett. Barnes had no errors in 17 attacks and two blocks, one solo.

Madison Brown had 19 kills as Arkansas State (5-3) won at Texas-Arlington (5-1) 21-25, 25-23, 28-26, 25-20. Brown hit .309 and had six digs and four blocks, two solo. Josie Stanford had 16 kills, hit .351, and had a dig and two solo blocks. Paulina Sobolewska had 13 kills, an assist, a block, and 19 digs. Lauren Musante had three kills, 47 assists, ASU’s only ace, three blocks, and 21 digs. 

Brooke Townsend, who hit .457, and Brianna Ford had 19 kills each for UTA. Townsend had a block and six digs, while Ford added an assist, an ace, and 10 digs. Briana Brown had 10 kills and two solo blocks. Allie Wells had 27 digs and seven assists.

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