Avah Armour delivered the decisive kill in the third set, but University of Central Florida women’s volleyball fell to No. 21 Baylor 3-1 Friday night at the Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas. The match opened UCF’s run of two consecutive top-25 matchups.
Baylor won the first two sets by identical 25-16 scores. Ella Chapman and Armour recorded kills to keep UCF within striking distance in the opening set, but Baylor maintained its advantage. Armour and Cohen also recorded early kills in the second set, while Cohen finished the frame with four kills.
UCF takes third set
UCF responded in a tightly contested third set and held a 15-13 lead at the media timeout. The Knights withstood Baylor’s attempts to regain control as the set moved toward a close finish.
Sophomore Nygeria Hart recorded a key kill to give UCF its first set point. Kiki Horne then put the Knights on the brink again before Armour delivered the final kill in UCF’s 27-25 victory.
Baylor closes out the match
Baylor answered in the fourth set by taking a 20-15 lead. UCF pulled within one behind two kills from Cohen and errors by Baylor, while Hart added another kill late in the rally.
Baylor won the fourth set to secure the 3-1 match victory. UCF will now prepare for another ranked opponent in its next match.
Next match
UCF will face No. 9 TCU on Sunday at 3 p.m. in Fort Worth, Texas. The match will be the second of UCF’s two consecutive top-25 matchups.
FSB Take
UCF answered Baylor’s two-set start with a competitive third-set win, with Armour finishing the 27-25 victory. Hart, Horne and Cohen also made key contributions during the rally. The Knights now move directly to another top-25 matchup against No. 9 TCU.
Source: Original report