Tulsa Sweeps Abilene Christian to Conclude Baylor Volleyball Classic

Sunday, September 1

Waco, Texas

1:00 p.m.

Tulsa

2-1,0-0AAC

Abilene Christian

1-2,0-0WAC

Tulsa

Abilene Christian

Tulsa Sweeps Abilene Christian to Conclude Baylor Volleyball Classic

9/1/2024 6:53:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

WACO, Texas — The Tulsa volleyball team wrapped up the Baylor Classic Sunday afternoon with a 3-0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-21) sweep over Abilene Christian (1-2) to move to 2-1 on the young season.

For their outstanding efforts all weekend, three Golden Hurricane players were named to the All-Classic Team, including senior middle blocker Tytiana Johnson, junior outside hitter Beth Bayless and senior libero Marta Pecalli.

Selected as the top blocker of the tournament, Johnson totaled 14 blocks at a 1.56 blocks per set average. She was in on six block assists in the season opener against Campbell, stuffed three Baylor attacks and knocked down five more against ACU. On the offensive side, she also hit for .500 over the tournament resulting from 20 kills to one error out of 37 total attacks.

Bayless was named the top hitter over the weekend, capped off by a 10-kill performance and .333 hitting percentage against the Wildcats. Overall, she slammed down 23 kills to only six errors to 70 total attempts, just one mark shy of teammate Tatum Tornatta's 71. She also pitched in 10 digs in Sunday's sweep to secure her second career double-double.

Pecalli, the anchor of the TU defense, came through once again with seven digs in Sunday's win, totaling 34 over the weekend at a 3.78 average. She also chipped in 12 assists in the offensive attack. Pecalli was named the top libero alongside Baylor's Lauren Briseño.

As a team, Tulsa maintained control for two-thirds of the match, never trailing or allowing a tie until the third frame. The Hurricane won the blocking battle 8-7 and the dig war 50-46.

Junior Brayden Hipp and freshman Brittany Bacorn split setting duties for the Hurricane, with Hipp leading the way with 13 and Bacorn producing 11. Hipp also dug out 10 Wildcat attacks for her sixth career double-double and first of the season.

"I like the way our team competed this weekend," Head Coach Lauren Ramatowski said. "Our defense did a really nice job of putting pressure on the opponent's offense. We were able to keep two of the three teams under .200 for their hitting efficiency. Our ability to play long and clean will be a strength of ours this season. We will continue to grow in our ability to find kills. We have depth in our offense, it's just about the attackers finding the confidence to take big swings in the right moments and be more creative in managing shots when we are not in a good situation. Overall, a good first weekend of growth for our team."

Match Notes

Tulsa remains undefeated against Abilene Christian at 3-0 all-time.
MB Tytiana Johnson (Top Blocker), OH Beth Bayless (Top Hitter) and L Marta Pecalli (Co-Top Libero) were all named to the All-Classic Tournament Team.
OH Beth Bayless (10 kills/10 digs) earned her first double-double of the year and second in her career.
S Brayden Hipp (13 assists/10 digs) also earned her first double-double this season and sixth of her career.
Tulsa never trailed or tied until the second rally of the third and final set.
The Hurricane out-killed (39-29), out-assisted (34-26), out-blocked (8-7) and out-dug the Wildcats (50-46).
TU recorded 20 kills in the third set.

How It Happened

SET 1 | Tulsa scored first off a kill from OH Tatum Tornatta and never looked back, leading by as many as five points multiple times throughout the opening set to finish 25-20 for the 1-0 match advantage. Six different attackers for TU found the floor for kills and blockers combined for three stuffs.

SET 2 | TU opened up a huge lead to start set two, winning the first five rallies on the way to a 13-4 start. TU's biggest lead was opened up at 20-10 before closing out 25-17 for the 2-0 lead. Neither team made it past 10 kills, and Tulsa forced a negative hit percentage by the Wildcats (-.077). As a team, Tulsa combined for 17 digs to Abilene Christian's 15.

SET 3 | The third and final set was the most competitive of the day as both teams played through nine tie scores and five lead changes. Neither squad led by more than one score until Abilene Christian grabbed a 9-7 lead. The score was tied up again two more times until the Hurricane took control at 15-14 and cruised from there to the set win, 25-21. Tulsa recorded 20 kills during the frame, including six from OH Beth Bayless and five from OH Lauren Eitler.

Tulsa 25 25 25
Abilene Christian 20 17 21

Baylor All-Classic Team
Top Blocker – Tytiana Johnson, Tulsa, 14 blocks, 1.56 b/s
Top Hitter – Beth Bayless, Tulsa, 23 kills, .243%
Top Setter – Jackie Barrett Frazier, Baylor, 65 assists, 7.22 a/s
Top Libero/DS – Marta Pecalli, Tulsa/Lauren Briseño, Baylor – 34 digs, .378 d/s
MVP - Kendal Murphy, Baylor, 30 kills, .460%