The Baylor Bears Women’s Volleyball Team entered the first round of its NCAA Women’s Volleyball Playoffs against the James Madison Dukes. The players of Baylor caused a giant upset by trouncing the Dukes in the very first round of the competition.

The Baylor Bears had made it to the playoffs after a very rough regular season. However, they have definitely planted their feet in the game now that they are here. In fact, they won the first round of their NCAA playoffs with an overwhelming clean sweep.

The clean-sweeping first-round playoff heroics of the Bears

The Baylor Bears completely defeated the offensive effort of the James Madison University Dukes. The 30 November fixture between the two sides favored the Dukes heavily, but the Bears defied all expectations and won the match. Baylor Volleyball tweeted about the triumph of its team via its official X account.

The tweet said, “What a sweep start to the Tourney!” The Baylor Bears showcased a really staunch defense against their opponents as they barred JMU from touching the 20-point mark. The Baylor Bears conquered the first playoff round of the NCAA Championship with scores of 25-15, 25-19, and 25-19.

The Baylor Bears have caused several upsets throughout the regular season, scoring the necessary points to make it to the postseason. With this match, the NCAA witnessed the rise of a dark horse in the Baylor Bears. In fact, renowned NCAA host and reporter Michella Chester had named Baylor as one of the dark horse candidates to watch out for.

The NCAA witnesses the rise of a dark horse in Baylor Bears

Michella Chester was recently featured in a video clip posted by the NCAA Women’s Volleyball, where she named six dark horse candidates. The Baylor Bears were one of the teams Chester mentioned, along with Hawaii, UCSB, TCU, Georgia, and Minnesota. 

Delivering on the expectations of the NCAA host, the women of Baylor passed their first test with flying colors. Elise McGhee led the attack of the Bears and scored 16 kills against JMU. McGhee also blindsided the defense of the Dukes with five brilliant service aces.

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McGhee was majorly aided by Averi Carlson, who kept the ball moving for her teammates and posted 31 assists on the scorecard. Interestingly, the Baylor Bears scored just one block in the entire match. Despite this, the Bears created such intense defensive pressure that didn’t yield even a bit against the JMU offense. Will the Baylor Bears cause more upsets in the tournament and ultimately claim the NCAA title?

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