Wildcats’ Comeback Bid Falls Short at Park in Five Sets

PARKVILLE, Mo. - Baker volleyball nearly pulled off a stunning comeback on the road Tuesday night, rallying from a 2-0 hole to force a decisive fifth set before falling just short against (RV) Park, 3-2.

Falling on scores of 21-25, 26-28, 25-20, 25-22, 14-16, the loss snapped a five-match winning streak for the Wildcats, who entered the night sitting inside the top-five of the Heart standings. Baker is now 2-3 in five-set matches this season after completing a reverse sweep at Peru State earlier this month.

Statistically, the Wildcats narrowly outhit Park, .153 to .144, while also holding an 8-6 edge in service aces. Kylie Murray led BU with 14 kills and two aces while hitting .333. Reedy added 11 kills and a match-high seven blocks and Miranda Kuntz (24) and Taryn Dial (23) combined for over 45 assists in the match.

Baker trailed 2-0 after the Pirates escaped a tightly contested second set, 28-26, despite the Wildcats leading 18-15 earlier in the frame. Park survived three late set points and strung together three straight points in extras to take the two-set lead.

The Wildcats swung the momentum back in set three with a 6-1 run midway through the frame. Reedy teamed up with Aby Widhalm for a key block before slamming home the final kill to close out the set, 25-20.

Baker then used a 10-3 surge in the fourth to build an 18-12 cushion. Park rallied to tie the score at 21-all, but the Wildcats answered with four of the final five points to push the match to a decisive fifth.

In the fifth, Baker surged ahead 13-10 and later reached match point at 14-13. But after a Park timeout, the Pirates responded with four straight points to seal the win and spoil BU's comeback bid.

The Wildcats continue their road swing with a weekend trip to the Hawkeye State. They will play at Grand View on Friday night (Oct. 3) at 7 p.m. before turning around and taking on William Penn at 11 a.m. on Saturday (Oct. 4).

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