No. 24 Baylor has a chance Friday night to double down on a result it already delivered less than two weeks ago, but this time the spotlight is a little brighter.
The Bears host No. 16 TCU at 7 p.m.
CT at the Ferrell Center in a Blackout on the Brazos, finishing off a three-match homestand with another ranked showdown.
The matchup comes with recent momentum on both sides of the Baylor ledger. The Bears split a pair of five-set battles last weekend, clawing back from a 2-0 hole to reverse sweep Houston before falling 3-2 to No.
17 Kansas two days later. Now they turn around and face the Horned Frogs again after sweeping TCU 3-0 in Fort Worth less than two weeks ago.
That win was Baylor’s first road victory over a top-10 opponent since sweeping No. 7 Florida in 2021, and it extended the Bears’ winning streak in the series to four.
Baylor has taken 15 of the last 19 meetings, owns a 26-11 all-time edge and is 14-4 against TCU in Waco.
For head coach Ryan McGuyre, the rematch is where the real test begins.
"It's the one tomorrow that's most important, even from the end of that one we said the better team always wins the second match," he said. "We gotta be just as prepared…there's some things that we did well that we want to continue to do, and some that we have to get in our gym and clean up."
Ksenia Rakhmanchik arrives with big numbers and a milestone in sight. The sophomore is one kill away from 700 for her career after being named to the Big 12's "Starting Seven" in back-to-back weeks.
She put up 48 kills against Houston and Kansas combined, leads the Big 12 and ranks fifth nationally with 4.88 kills per set, and is second in the conference at 5.29 points per set. Rakhmanchik has gone for at least 20 kills in three straight matches, including 23 in the first meeting with TCU, and has reached double figures in 28 consecutive matches.
Baylor has leaned on her heavily all season; she has led the team in kills, attacks and points in 18 of its 19 matches.
The Bears also have several other individual markers within reach. Isabela Haggard, a three-time Big 12 Setter of the Week this season, is third in the league with 9.84 assists per set and has five double-doubles.
Victoria Davis is four kills shy of 400 for her career. Freshman Jules Hernandez needs one dig to get to 100, and Haggard is five blocks away from 100 in her career.
Libero Morgan Madison is averaging 3.60 digs per set.
Baylor enters at 13-6 overall and 5-4 in Big 12 play, still holding down the No. 24 spot in the AVCA poll. The Bears have now appeared in 129 of the last 131 polls. Friday’s win over Houston was McGuyre’s 250th at Baylor, and he is nine victories away from 800 for his career.
The match will stream on ESPN+, with stats available through BaylorBears.com/Stats.
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