Box Score MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University volleyball team was unable to overcome offensive struggles, as the Mountaineers suffered a 3-1 loss at No. 25 Baylor on Wednesday evening, at the Ferrell Center, in Waco, Texas. The Lady Bears (19-8, 11-5) took the match from the Mountaineers (11-18, 2-13) in set scores of 25-27, 25-16, 25-19 and 25-16.
 
"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."
 
Freshman outside hitter Kristin Lux had a team-best 13 kills for WVU, followed by junior outside hitter Katelyn Evans with 12.
 
Sophomore defensive specialist Alexa Hasting had a team-high 18 digs, while freshman setter Lacey Zerwas was one dig shy of her sixth double-double this season, recording nine digs and 35 assists in the match.
 
Junior right side hitter Natania Levak led the blocking effort with four block assists, followed by sophomore middle blocker Katie DeMeo and freshman Kristina Jordan with three each.
 
WVU finished the match hitting .087 with 41 kills and nine team blocks. BU had 61 kills for a .242 hitting percentage, as Yossiana Pressley led the Bears' offense with 20 kills.
 
Both teams traded points early in the first set before the Mountaineers used a pair of 5-0 scoring streaks for the 21-13 advantage. WVU capitalized on a BU service error a couple points later, but the Lady Bears did not back down, scoring seven in a row to cut their deficit to one at 22-21. West Virginia took a timeout to regroup, as Evans and Lux each put down a kill to bring up set point at 24-22. However, three consecutive kills from Baylor extended the set, putting the score in its favor at 25-24. The Lady Bears served into the net the following point, as Lux came up with a powerful swing to put WVU at set point once again at 26-25. Jordan and Lux then teamed up for the Mountaineer block, ending the frame in favor of West Virginia at 27-25.
 
With the second set tied at 11-all, Baylor used a 4-0 scoring streak for the 15-11 lead and never looked back. Junior setter Erin Slinde came off the bench following a Mountaineer stoppage, as she put down a kill to halt the Bears' scoring run at 15-12. Jordan came up with a pair of kills down the stretch to cut WVU's deficit to four, but Baylor continued to roll, scoring back-to-back points to increase its lead to six at 21-15. DeMeo put down a late kill, but it wasn't enough, as the Bears scored four in a row to claim the 25-16 second-set win, tying the overall match at 1-1.
 
Attempting to carry some momentum into the third stanza, WVU tied the set at 11-11 on a kill from Evans. Both squads continued to exchange points down the stretch, but West Virginia never found the momentum it needed to match Baylor's high-powered offense. Another five-point scoring streak from BU gave the Lady Bears a 23-18 edge late in the frame. WVU capitalized on a service error, but a kill from Pressley put the squad at set point. The Lady Bears then scored on a Mountaineer miscue for the 25-19 win and 2-1 lead in the match.
 
WVU started the fourth set in a 17-9 hole, but the Mountaineers scored four of the next five points to come within five at 18-13. However, West Virginia couldn't climb out of the hole, as Baylor scored five in a row to increase its lead to 10 at 23-13. WVU capitalized on a trio of BU attacking errors late in the frame, but a kill from Aniah Philo gave the Lady Bears the 25-16 triumph, with WVU dropping the match, 3-1.
 
Of note, the Mountaineers are one win away from collecting their 700th win in program history. West Virginia currently holds a 699-741 all-time record since its inaugural season in 1974.
 
Looking ahead, the Mountaineers will close their regular-season slate with a 2 p.m. ET league tilt at No. 5 Texas (18-4, 13-1) on Saturday, Nov. 24. The Longhorn Network will televise Saturday's match. The contest will be streamed live through WatchESPN and the ESPN app.
 
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.