Baylor volleyball is back in Waco for a two-match week at the Ferrell Center, and the No. 18 Bears will use the 20th Baylor Classic to welcome Incarnate Word on Wednesday and UTEP on Friday.
The Bears have owned this event for years. Baylor is 49-6 all-time in the Classic and carries a 12-match winning streak into the 2026 edition, with a 5-1 record already through the first two multi-team events of the season.
Freshman Nadiya Johnson said the home setting matters, especially after the energy Baylor played in front of at Nebraska.
"We really want to fill the Ferrell, and we want people to come support volleyball," she said. "Texas is the best state to play in because there are so many young girls that play volleyball.
We really want to be able to show the light of God to young girls as they grow up and play; we want to be that experience for other people. Seeing that for Nebraska was so inspiring for us because we have the Ferrell here, and so many young girls nearby; it just seems so attainable, and we really want to reach for that."
Baylor’s first matchup of the week is a familiar one, even if it has been a long time coming. Wednesday’s meeting with Incarnate Word arrives exactly 43 years after the programs last played, when Baylor swept UIW 2-0 in San Antonio in September 1983. Friday’s match against UTEP is even newer in the memory bank, but only barely - it will be the first meeting between the teams since September 2012.
Ryan McGuyre has never coached against either opponent during his time in Waco, though he does own a 72-35 record against in-state teams.
The Bears are coming off a productive weekend at the Ameritas Challenge in Lincoln, Neb., where they finished 2-1. Baylor opened with sweeps of Georgia Tech and New Mexico before dropping its lone match to No. 1 Nebraska.
Even in defeat, Baylor pushed the Huskers harder than anyone else had early this season. Nebraska had allowed opponents to reach 20 points in only one of its first 15 sets, but the Bears got there in all three sets and forced extra points in the third before falling 26-24.
Ksenia Rakhmanchik has been the engine for Baylor’s offense from the jump. The Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week leads the conference and ranks among the nation’s top 10 in attacks per set at 12.22, kills per set at 4.78 and points per set at 5.19.
She averaged 6.00 kills per set while hitting .302 at the Ameritas Challenge, and her 18-kill outing against Nebraska stood out even in a tight loss. Setter Isabela Haggard also earned a spot on the Big 12’s Starting Seven after guiding Baylor to a .264 hitting percentage over the three-match weekend.
Wednesday’s match against UIW is a 2-5-4 night, with tickets available for $2.54. Friday brings free cheeseburgers for students while supplies last. Both matches will stream on ESPN+, with live stats at BaylorBears.com/Stats.
Single-match tickets are available at BaylorBears.com/tickets or by calling the Baylor Athletics Ticket Office at 254-710-1000.
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