The highest-ranked road win in program history underlined No. 17 Baylor's masterful 3-1 win over No. 4 Wisconsin. Baylor's Yossiana Pressley helped the Bears' valiant performance (21-25, 25-22, 27-25, 25-17) with 31 kills on the night.
Match point gives the Bears a 4-0 start to the season! 👏👏👏#SicEm 🏐 pic.twitter.com/7glqmi2WqN
— Baylor Volleyball (@BaylorVBall) September 7, 2019
Just Thursday, Wisconsin fell to No. 11 Marquette, in what was a defining moment in Golden Eagles history. Entering the match, they owned a 0-20 record against their in-state rival, and ultimately defeated the Badgers in five sets.
No. 5 Illinois vs. No 16 Washington
Exhaustion proved to be an upsetting force for No. 5 Illinois in its five-set loss to No. 16 Washington. The Illini, who have now been in three consecutive five-set matches, fell in its opening match of Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge, losing 25-22, 20-25, 20-25, 25-21, 10-15 on Friday.
Illinois wasn't short of playmakers. Senior Jacqueline Quade led the team with 23 kills and a .405 hitting percentage. Beth Prince joined the festivities with 14 kills, while Diana Brown secured a double-double with 51 assists and 12 digs.
MORE THRILLING GAMES: Marquette shocks Wisconsin | Stanford, Texas impress
The Huskies won the fourth set — after the Illini took the second and third — which forced the fifth set, where Washington put up seven-unanswered points for a 14-8 lead and eventual victory. For Washington, Kara Bajema had 25 kills and Ella May Powell tallied 44 assists.
Friday introduced several invitationals across Division I volleyball, and the bundle of games pushed more teams into upsets.
No. 18 Purdue vs. Notre Dame
Luck continued in Notre Dame, as the Fighting Irish toppled No. 18 Purdue in a thrilling five-set match (16-25, 26-24, 22-25, 25-21, 15-12). The Boilermakers out-killed the Irish, 62-59, but the service aces seemed to give Notre Dame the upper hand. Eleven aces from four Notre Dame players (Madison Cruzado, Zoe Nunez, Sydney Brent, Charley Niego) out-dueled Jena Otec's two aces for Purdue.
🔴 SIDELINE CAM
— Irish Volleyball (@NDvolleyball) September 7, 2019
The moment we knocked off No. 18 Purdue at home was oh so sweet.#GoIrish pic.twitter.com/hblKkYDtGO
No. 23 Creighton vs. No. 12 Kentucky
No. 23 Creighton opened the UNI Invitational downing No. 12 Kentucky, 3-1. The two teams split the first two sets, before the Bluejays got off to a quick start in the final two sets (25-23, 20-25, 25-18, 25-22). Creighton put up a 9-0 drive toward the beginning of the third set. Kentucky burned a timeout during that span and the set was gone before the Wildcats could muster a strong offensive drive.
The fourth set, however, was more interesting. A 4-0 lead to begin the set strengthened the Bluejays momentum, until the Wildcats cut the score to 14-12. But Creighton just could not be stopped.
The Wildcats returned to the court Friday night, beating Northern Iowa 3-2.
No. 12 Kentucky vs. No. 15 Southern California
Kentucky regrouped in the nightcap — defeating No. 15 Southern California, 3-1 (25-18, 25-22, 24-26, 25-19). Leah Edmond led the Wildcats in kills (17), followed by Alli Stumler (13) and Leah Meyer (12).
Cincinnati vs. No. 21 Tennessee
The Lady Volunteers opened the Spartan Invitational disappointingly, being swept by Cincinnati (18-25, 19-25, 23-25). Tennessee opened the third set with a 5-2 drive, but the offense tear stopped there. Jordan Thompson totaled 26 kills for the Bearcats.
KEEP UPDATED: Scoreboard | Rankings
No. 21 Tennessee vs. Miami (OH)
Tides turned in the nightcap, as the Lady Volunteers secured a sweep over Miami (OH). Kailey Keeble came close to collecting her first collegiate career double-double with 15 assists and eight digs. The offense came to play as well with a season-high 12 aces, four coming from senior Tessa Grubbs — a career high.
Missouri vs. No. 14 Michigan
Mayhem continued in Ohio as Missouri began the Dayton Invitational with a sweep over No. 14 Michigan. The Tigers hit for .507 with 10 service aces, while the Wolverines totaled a .178 attack percentage. In the third set, Michigan pushed an 8-0 lead, but Missouri answered with 11 of the next 16 points for the victory.
No. 14 Michigan vs. Northern Illinois
Evidently, the loss did not linger long, as the Wolverines answered with a sweep over Northern Illinois in the nightcap. Michigan out-killed the Huskies 46-21.
No. 20 Hawaii vs. Sacramento State
Hawaii improved to 5-0 on the season after recording its first sweep of the year, beating Sacramento State 25-19, 25-17, 25-18 on Day Two of the Heineken Rainbow Wahine Invitational.
