Washington’s Run Stopped By No. 1 Baylor In Elite Eight

Saturday, December 14

Waco, TX

1:00 PM

University of Washington

27-7

Baylor

29-1

Washington

Baylor

Washington’s Run Stopped By No. 1 Baylor In Elite Eight

December 14, 2019 | Volleyball

Box Score Video: Post-Match Press Conference Box Score PDF

By: UW Athletic Communications

WACO, Texas – Washington's memorable 2019 season came to a close today in the Elite Eight, as No. 1-ranked Baylor celebrated on its home court following a 25-20, 21-25, 25-19, 25-18 win that sent the Bears to the Final Four. The tough loss meant the final appearance for four incredible Husky seniors: Kara Bajema, Shayne McPherson, Avie Niece, and Cailin Onosko.

The Huskies (27-7) battled hard but the top-seeded Bears (29-1) were too strong today at the Ferrell Center. The Dawgs were looking to reach the Final Four for the fifth time and the first time since 2013.

"Unfortunately I've been here before and I'm never prepared for when it ends, because I believe in this team," said Head Coach Keegan Cook. "This one was special though. This group of athletes had to carry a heavy load, particularly the senior class. It's hard to do this thing well, it's hard to do it right, there's lots of shortcuts for athletes and for coaches, and when you do it right it's difficult. When you commit to growing on and off the court it's difficult."

Washington showed some early nerves in the first set but rallied to tie things up halfway through the set, but another late Baylor push got them the one set lead. Washington responded with some great execution and tough serving and tied the match at a set apiece. The Huskies had their chances in sets three and four but it was the Big 12 Champion Bears that made the big plays down the stretch in the final two sets.

"Baylor was excellent," said Cook. "They were firing on all cylinders offensively, passing the ball well. I thought we served the ball well, particularly in the first set which kept us in it, and they steadied out and made it a very physical game for us … Baylor had it going."

Bajema, who set the new UW single season kills record this year—adding 20 more today to finish with 597 for the year—talked about the special bond of the 2019 team.

"It's been a journey every single year. A new group comes in and you learn how to mesh with them, and it's a new year every single time," Bajema said. "And this year was special because I think we had a pretty good bond and the other teammates in my class we took on this leadership role and we were really close, and we just enjoyed our time and that's what I think is most important: liking where you are and the people that are around you. So that's why something like this is so hard, because you're saying goodbye to something that was so big in your life for so long."

It was a season and group of seniors that Coach Cook won't soon forget.

"These four seniors, just tremendous," he said. "I didn't have the words for them out there but I hope they know how proud I am of them as well as our younger athletes who grew a lot this season. A team that defeated the Pac-12 Champions, the SEC Champions, and Big Ten Champions, a team that did a lot over the course of this season and they have a lot to be proud of."

Along with Bajema's great effort, Niece had five kills and three blocks while McPherson had 13 digs and three aces and Onosko had three digs in their final matches.

Junior Samantha Drechsel was huge today with 15 kills on a .520 attack percentage and was named to the All-Region Tournament Team along with Bajema. Sophomore Ella May Powell had 42 assists and five digs and junior Lauren Sanders had five kills on a .250 percentage.

Cook has now taken UW to three Elite Eights in his five years, and believes the Huskies will break through to the next stage.

"I always wondered what we could do over long periods of time," said Cook. "This is our third Elite Eight in five years. Young players here are following the lead of the older players and they're doing it right. I'm really proud of our culture. I'm proud of our staff and our players. There's no question that if we're good for long enough that our moment will come."

SET 1: Baylor started off with a service error on the first point. Drechsel had UW's first kill for 2-2. Baylor then scored three straight transition kills and a UW error made it 2-6 and the Huskies used an early timeout to settle down. Drechsel snapped the run with a rightside kill for 3-7. Claire Hoffman got her first kill for 4-8. The Huskies had an overpass but Powell turned and solo blocked the Baylor swing for 5-9. A Bajema float serve was overpassed and Hoffman spiked it for 8-11. Drechsel killed another from the right and then Baylor missed a swing wide. McPherson followed with two-straight aces and the Huskies suddenly led, 13-12, and Baylor called timeout. Baylor scored out of the break to go back up one, but Drechsel finished for 14-14. Lauren Sanders had her first kill on a slide for 16-all. The Huskies had to free ball to Baylor and the Bears killed it, and then Baylor's serve caught tape and dropped straight over for an ace for 16-19, as UW used its second timeout. Niece won a joust out of the break but Baylor had a block on the next rally for 17-20. UW was blocked on two straight tip attempts as the Bears got to set point at 19-24. Drechsel saved one with a kill but Baylor converted the next chance for the 20-25 win.

The Huskies hit just .161 in the set while Baylor hit .538. Drechsel had six kills and hit .444 in the frame.

SET 2: Powell dumped for a kill for 2-2 to start the second set. Baylor aced the Dawgs on a 3-0 run that Drechsel ended from the left for 3-5. Drechsel added another from the right and Bajema fired an ace to tie it back up at 5-all. Baylor was called out of rotation for another ace for 6-5. Niece converted a quick set from Powell for 7-6 and then McPherson got her third ace for 8-6. Drechsel added another kill but Baylor got back even at 10-10. Bajema heated up with a couple kills for 12-11. Bajema tallied another and then Baylor made two-straight errors for 15-12 Dawgs at the media timeout. The teams traded service errors, then Drechsel tooled the block for 17-14. A great rally was finished by Bajema out of the back row for a four-point lead at 18-14. The Huskies made just their second attack error of the set for 19-17 and took timeout. Baylor doubled for a Husky point, and Sanders had a kill for 21-18. A couple more Baylor service errors and an attack error had it set point UW at 24-21 and Baylor took timeout. A tough Bajema serve led to an easy transition for UW and Powell found Niece for the spike to end it, 25-21.

Washington got rolling wit ha .367 attack percentage in the second, enough to overcome Baylor's still-strong .355 mark. Drechsel put away six of her seven swings in the set to lead the way.

SET 3: Sanders and Bajema opened the third set with back-to-back kills. Niece crushed a quick for a 6-4 lead. Drechsel went high hands for another kill for 7-5. Baylor got even but Hoffman finished a Powell bump set for 8-7. Bajema pushed one to the floor for 10-10. But Baylor went on a 3-0 run with some tough serving and the Huskies had to take timeout down 10-13 despite hitting .421 in the set as Baylor was hitting .625. Baylor got one more on a block before Niece got kill off a Baylor net error. Drechsel had a right side finish and then a Bajema dig led to another Drechsel kill for 14-17. Sanders tooled the block on a slide for 16-19, but UW then served long and Baylor tallied another block for 16-21 and the Huskies needed their last timeout. The Dawgs couldn't regain any momentum and dropped the set, 19-25, to go down 1-2.

Baylor's attacking was just too much in the set, as the Bears had 17 kills and just 1 error on 26 swings to hit .615 while UW was strong on its side at .324 with six kills from Bajema but it just wasn't quite enough.

SET 4: Bajema broke through the block on the second point of the fourth and then served an ace for a 4-3 lead. Hoffman and Niece roofed one for 5-3 and Niece and Drechsel had another stuff for 6-4. Consecutive blasts from Hoffman on the left made it 8-5 and forced an early Baylor timeout. Baylor got a couple back but Bajema found open space out of the back row for 9-7. A couple Husky errors had it tied again at 10-10, but Bajema sided out from the left on the next rally. The Husky offense momentarily stalled but Baylor's did not, as the Bears scored three straight to put the Huskies down 12-15 before UW called timeout. Hoffman got the big kill out of the break to snap the run for 13-15. A Bajema kill and a Baylor error got UW within one at 15-16, but Baylor killed a tough out of system swing on the next point and then the Huskies had two straight out of system swings get dug and Baylor killed both in transition for 15-19 and UW needed timeout again. Washington couldn't find its rhythm this time when it needed it, hitting out on two of the next three points and overpassing the third to fall down seven, 15-22. Bajema got a kill to get back within five, but UW made a block error on the next point and Baylor finished the following point for match point at 17-24. Bajema had one last kill to save the first match point, but Baylor converted the next chance to end it, 25-18.

Again the Bears hit .441 while the Huskies dropped to .172 in the final set despite another valiant effort from Bajema who went down swinging with eight kills and a .500 hitting percentage in the frame.