Box Score MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Four Mountaineers notched double-digit kills on Saturday afternoon, but it wasn't enough, as the West Virginia University volleyball team dropped a 3-2 match to No. 24 Baylor, at the WVU Coliseum, in Morgantown. The Mountaineers (9-10, 1-5) fell to the Lady Bears (12-6, 4-3) in set scores of 22-25, 13-25, 25-22, 25-20 and 17-15.
 
Junior outside hitter Katelyn Evans had a team-best 19 kills for WVU, followed by sophomore middle blocker Briana Lynch and freshman outside hitter Kristin Lux with 13 kills apiece. Junior right side hitter Natania Levak rounded out the Mountaineers in double-digits, notching a season-high 12 kills on 24 total attempts and no errors to hit .500 in the match. Lynch, who recorded a career high in kills, also had a team-high hitting efficiency of .632 in the five-set loss.
 
Additionally, a trio of Mountaineers notched double-digit digs, as sophomore defensive specialist Alexa Hasting led the floor defense with 20. Classmate Ava Richards followed suit with 12 digs on the day for a career high, while junior defensive specialist Gabrielle Cuckovich rounded out the Mountaineers with 11.
 
Freshman setter Lacey Zerwas dished out 45 of the team's 57 assists.
 
Evans, Levak and Lynch also had three total blocks each on the day, while freshman middle blocker Kristina Jordan added two block assists.
 
The Mountaineers posted a season-high 64 kills, hitting .246 in the loss, with 73 digs and seven total team blocks. The Lady Bears had 64 kills, 72 digs and six team blocks. Yossiana Pressley led BU's offense with 21 kills, while Tara Wulf had a team-high 21 digs.
 
"I thought we did some nice things out there, but we weren't consistent enough," fourth-year coach Reed Sunahara said. "We talk to our team about being consistent all the time, and that's what we have to do. Every time we have a match or practice, it is a learning experience, and we need to learn from today."
 
BU used a pair of 3-0 scoring runs midway through the frame to take an 18-10 lead in set one. West Virginia took a timeout to regroup, capitalizing on four Baylor miscues out of the stoppage to cut its deficit to four at 19-15. The Mountaineers continued to chip away, with Evans notching back-to-back kills, followed by Jordan, to come within two at 20-18. However, BU scored on a pair of WVU attacking errors to maintain the lead. The Mountaineers did not back down, though, scoring seven straight points to end the frame in their favor, 25-22, for the 1-0 match lead.
 
WVU jumped out to a 10-2 lead in set two and never looked back. Zerwas tipped one over the net before Evans put down a kill for the 14-5 advantage, forcing Baylor to take its final timeout midway through the frame. The Lady Bears notched four kills down the stretch, but the Mountaineers pushed their lead to nine once again following a 3-0 scoring streak. A kill from Evans brought WVU to set point at 24-13, as the Mountaineers won the second set, 25-13, off a BU ball handing error to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
The Mountaineers momentum started to fade in the third, though, as the Lady Bears won back-to-back sets, forcing WVU to play in its fourth five-set match of the season.
 
Both teams traded points early in the fifth set before BU used a 4-0 scoring run to its advantage for an 11-7 lead. However, four Mountaineer kills tied the set at 11 points apiece. The squads exchanged points once again before Baylor reached match point off a kill from Pressley at 14-13. WVU then capitalized on a pair of BU errors to stay alive, but the Lady Bears scored three straight points to end the set in their favor at 17-15, walking away with the 3-2 match victory.
 
Of note, the Mountaineers are three wins away from collecting their 700th win in program history. West Virginia currently holds a 697-733 all-time record since its inaugural season in 1974.
 
Looking ahead, The Mountaineers will embark on their first five-day Big 12 road trip of the season, as they take on TCU on Thursday, Oct. 18 and Oklahoma on Saturday, Oct. 20. First serve for Thursday's match vs. the Horned Frogs is set for 8 p.m. ET, while Saturday's match against the Sooners starts at 2:30 p.m. ET.
 
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.