SAN ANTONIO – Going up against its first ranked opponent of the season, Virginia Tech's volleyball team was defeated by No. 18 Baylor 3-0 at the UTSA Invitational on Saturday afternoon inside the Convocation Center.
Sophomore Kaity Smith and senior Jaila Tolbert each tallied double-digit kills, with Smith putting down her second-most of the season (17) and Tolbert with 12 on a .402 hitting percentage.
Trailing 5-0 in the first set, Tech (9-2) battled all the way back and cut the deficit to two points at 20-18 after a kill by sophomore Ester Talamazzi. Baylor (8-3) would have the lead at set point, 24-21, but the Hokies would come back to tie it at 24-all. Another tie took place at 26-26 following a Tolbert kill, but the Bears would get the next two points to win it, 28-26.
Baylor got out ahead once again in the second frame, going up 7-3 to force a Tech timeout. It would extend its lead even further to 21-11, however the Hokies would go on a 7-4 run but would fall 25-18.
The Bears started the final stanza hot, causing Tech to take a timeout at 7-1. A couple kills from Talamazzi brought Tech back to five points, but Baylor responded with a run of its own to claim it, 25-16.
Yossiana Pressley, who was teammates with Tolbert on the U.S. Collegiate National Team – Detroit this summer, led the Bears with a team-high 17 kills on a .364 hitting percentage and five figs.
NOTES
- Tolbert turned in over 10 kills for the fifth time this season as well as hitting north of .400 for the fifth match, too.
- Smith was one kill shy of tying her season-high 18 kills set against IUPUI on Sept. 7. The Kentucky native's seven digs marked the third time she's had exactly seven in 2018.
- Setter Rhegan Mitchell dished out 28 assists and owned five digs, marking her fifth consecutive match of owning five or more digs.
- Talamazzi finished with seven kills, 11 digs, three assists and an ace. The sophomore's 11 digs were a team-high and the third match this year that she led the team in digs.
QUOTING HEAD COACH JILL WILSON
"I think we came out fighting and were aggressive in the first set," Tech Head Coach Jill Wilson said. "Our passing overall today just wasn't what it normally was. I was disappointed we didn't make some quick changes with that, but I was proud of our team for never quitting and showing some fight.
"Jaila [Tolbert] and Kaity [Smith] took some great swings against a very athletic and high-blocking team. They hit some high and really smart shots, I just think if our passing was there, we could have put a few more balls away.
"Going into the UTSA match, I think we just need to get our rhythm back passing. It's been a strength of ours for most of the season, so just getting back into a routine and getting back to some small details with our passing game and the rest will fall after that."
WHAT IS NEXT
- The Hokies will hit come back on Sunday to take on host UTSA at 1 p.m. ET inside the Convocation Center, wrapping up the final match of the UTSA Invitational.
