Baylor Mauls Father Ryan 3-0 In Division II-AA State Volleyball

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Baylor’s match against Father Ryan in the Division II-AA state volleyball tournament on Wednesday was, in a matter of two words, unbelievably easy.

The Lady Red Raiders (45-2) destroyed the Lady Irish in a 3-0 breeze behind an offense that resembled a high-powered killing machine.

The monumental mismatch took less than an hour to conclude.

Set scores were 25-11, 25-10, 25-13.

“That was fun,” Baylor senior Gabby Gray said. “We were very confident.”

The Lady Raiders crushed the Lady Irish twice during the regular season by identical 3-0 scores.

Baylor’s intensity meter will have to ramp up on Thursday.

The Lady Raiders will tangle with six-time champion Briarcrest (44-3), which outlasted Harpeth Hall in five sets. Set scores were 25-17, 25-16, 23-25, 20-25, 15-9.

The match is scheduled for Blackman High School at 11:30 CT.

“I’ve scouted both teams,” Baylor coach Sarah Lail said. “I feel like I’ve got a good idea about their game plan, but we’re going to stick around to watch the match.”

Baylor, which has won seven straight matches and 10 of its last 12, and Briarcrest did not play during the regular season. The Lady Raiders won 3-2 at Harpeth Hall on Oct. 5.

“(Thursday) is a big day for us,” Gray said. “We haven’t played Briarcrest since last year’s state tournament. We’re playing really well right now. This season we wanted to be peaking at state tournament time and I think we’re doing that.”

Briarcrest beat the Lady Raiders 3-1 in last year’s tournament.

Baylor’s offensive onslaught was powered by a monstrous display of overpowering strength at the net. The Lady Raiders recorded 39 kills against the Lady Irish and had them back on their heels most of the match.

Gray had 14 kills and Ally Craig, a sophomore, added 10. Senior Jane Wilson added seven.

The first set was an indication of what was ahead for the Lady Irish.

Baylor, which has captured three state titles, the last coming in 2014, jumped to an 11-2 lead and it was 17-4 before Father Ryan had time to blink. At that point, the Lady Raiders had amassed seven kills and five aces.

Baylor was up 22-10 and finished off the 25-11 win when Gray knocked down two kills and the Lady Irish contributed a slam by Katie Finnegan that sailed long.

In Set 2, the Lady Raiders raced to a 14-2 advantage and built that advantage to 20-6.

Craig’s kill gave Baylor a 23-8 lead. It was 24-9 after Buckner faked a kill and dropped a tip on the Lady Irish. Wilson’s kill ended the set at 25-10.

Little changed in the third.

Baylor’s zipped into a 16-4 lead and the party was all but over.

At 20-11, Wilson had a kill and Sarah Sumida served an ace.

Sumida’s next serve found the net and Lexie Laurendine’s slap shot went out on the side, but the Lady Raiders were still up 22-13.

Gray delivered a rocket kill. Father Ryan’s Lauren Ballard’s slam hit the net. Wilson’s block ended the match.

“No matter which team we play Thursday, it’s going to be a good match,” Lail said. “Our whole focus this season has been to play as a team. All 14 girls have stepped up and we have some girls on the bench that could be playing for a lot of teams.

“We came over here to take care of business. If you’re here, you have a good team. When we went up 2-0 I told the girls in the huddle to pretend we were down two and had to win this one. This season our girls have built on confidence in themselves and they all feel good where they’re at with our chemistry.”

Baylor Stats vs. Father Ryan

Jane Wilson – 7 kills, 2 blocks

Lily Turner – 3 aces, 3 kills, 38 assists, 1 dig

Gabby Gray – 2 aces, 14 kills, 3 digs

Ally Craig – 3 aces, 10 kills, 1 block, 5 digs

Laura Kate May – 2 aces

Denver Rogers – 2 aces, 3 digs

Paris Buckner – 4 kills, 3 blocks

(Contact Larry Fleming at lerryfleming44@gmail.com and on Twitter @larryfleming44)