Virtually everyone that knows anything about high-school volleyball in the Chattanooga area knows how good Baylor's Rachel Travis is.

Travis suffered a sprained ankle and missed two weeks of action, but she's back now and the Lady Red Raiders are rolling right along.

Things changed for Baylor while she was sidelined, forcing a number of line-up variations and putting players in new positions.  It appears that Baylor is now better than before.

Like cross-town rival GPS, Baylor entertained three region foes this weekend and the Lady Raiders prevailed in all three matches.

Baylor defeated Battle Ground Academy on Friday night in three close sets before downing Father Ryan 3-1 on Saturday morning and two-time defending D-II state champ Ensworth by 3-0 on Saturday afternoon.

Baylor beat BGA by scores of 25-20, 27-25 and 25-19 before taking a 25-12, 25-16, 21-25 and 25-13 victory over Father Ryan.

Travis had 14 kills and 20 digs in that match while teammate Madeline Rose had 16 kills and eight digs to go along with three blocks and an ace.

Megan Kaylor finished with 30 assists while Haven Bethune had 14 digs.

"I'm really pleased at this point," Baylor coach Sarah Lail said after the win against Father Ryan.

"We had a great win last night and continued that intensity this morning.  We really stepped up for these region matches and it's been a big weekend for us so far.

"This is Rachel's third day back and she's only about 85 percent, but she's getting stronger every day.  It will take her a little time to regain her quickness, but our team has really improved in the last couple of weeks.  Her being out forced our girls to step up and that's made us a better team," Lail nodded.

Baylor was on the receiving end last October at MTSU's Murphy Center when Ensworth dominated play while winning its second-straight state title.

The shoe was on the other foot Saturday afternoon as Baylor prevailed by scores of 25-20, 29-27 and 25-17.

"We played well all weekend, but that was definitely an emotional win for us in the second set against Ensworth.  Greyson Ingle had a huge block against their best hitter in the second set and that was an exciting moment for us.

"That play seemed to light a fire under our team.  We built a 7-1 lead in the third set and were able to maintain the rest of the way," Lail added.

Rose had 20 kills and eight digs in the Ensworth match while Travis contributed 24 digs and a dozen kills.

Kaylor added 26 assists and seven digs while Rachel Ford had nine kills and 10 digs.

Baylor returns to action on Monday with a big non-district match against Soddy Daisy.

BAYLOR STATS AGAINST FATHER RYAN:

Greyson Ingle -- 3 kills;

Kate Kaufman -- 3 kills, 3 digs;

Haven Bethune -- 4 aces, 14 digs;

Madeline Rose -- 16 kills, 8 digs, 3 blocks, 1 ace;

Macall Nabors -- 8 digs, 1 ace;

Rachel Travis -- 14 kills, 20 digs, 2 aces;

Megan Kaylor -- 30 assists, 7 digs, 2 kills, 3 aces;

Rachel Ford -- 7 kills, 9 digs, 2 aces.

BAYLOR STATS AGAINST ENSWORTH:

Greyson Ingle -- 3 kills, 1 block;

Kate Kaufman -- 1 kill, 2 assists, 4 digs;

Haven Bethune -- 1 ace, 4 digs;

Madeline Rose -- 20 kills, 3 blocks, 8 digs;

Macall Nabors -- 10 digs;

Rachel Travis -- 2 aces, 12 kills, 24 digs;

Megan Kaylor -- 26 assists, 7 digs;

Rachel Ford -- 9 kills, 10 digs.

BAYLOR STATS AGAINST BGA:

Greyson Ingle -- 5 kills;

Kate Kaufman -- 5 kills, 1 block, 4 assists, 3 digs;

Haven Bethune -- 8 digs;

Madeline Rose -- 9 kills, 3 blocks, 11 digs;

Macall Nabors -- 7 digs;

Rachel Travis -- 1 ace, 15 kills, 17 digs;

Megan Kaylor -- 1 kill, 1 block, 28 assists, 12 digs;

Rachel Ford -- 2 aces, 10 kills, 11 digs.

(Email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@comcast.net)