K-State volleyball fell to No. 24 Baylor in four sets Sunday afternoon at Morgan Family Arena, dropping the match 3-1 (31-33, 30-28, 20-25, 13-25).

The Wildcats and Bears traded extended sets to open the match, with K-State evening the score after a 30-28 second-set win. Baylor took control from there, winning the final two sets to close out the match.

The opening set featured 18 ties and six lead changes, with neither team able to create much separation. K-State and Baylor stayed close through the first half before Baylor used a 4-point run to build a 19-15 advantage. The run included Baylor libero Morgan Madison recording back-to-back service aces.

K-State responded with a kill and ace from Reagan Fox before Skylar Brady tallied a kill on an assist from Emerson Van Lannen to tie the score at 22, setting up a back-and-forth finish.

The teams traded points late, eventually tying at 30-30. Addison Massey recorded her 12th kill of the set to give the Wildcats a 1-point lead, but Baylor responded with two straight kills before Lacy Tinnell and Isabela Haggard combined for a block to close out the set, 33-31.

Massey led K-State with 12 kills in the opening set, while Baylor’s Ksenia Rakhmanchik recorded 15. The Wildcats hit .327 as a team and recorded a season-high 22 kills in the set.

K-State responded in the second set, building an early 12-6 advantage on a 6-2 run. Baylor answered with 6 straight points to tie the score at 12, then took a 15-14 lead.

The Bears continued to pressure the Wildcats, eventually building a 22-19 lead. K-State fought back, however, and neither team could pull away as the set featured seven ties down the stretch.

With the score tied late, K-State forced Baylor into a service error, then Massey and Ellah Derrer combined for a block to finish the set, 30-28. The Wildcats outhit Baylor .184 to .100, recorded six team blocks and forced 12 Baylor errors.

The win evened the match at one set apiece and gave K-State a chance to carry its momentum into the second half.

However, Baylor’s serving began to create problems for the Wildcats in the third set. K-State took an early 13-9 lead before the Bears responded with a 6-1 run to move ahead.

Baylor continued to extend its lead, using aggressive serving and defense to slow K-State’s offense. The Bears led 18-14 before closing the set with a 25-20 victory.

Baylor recorded 14 kills while hitting .324 and outblocking the Wildcats 4-0. K-State also had 14 kills but committed seven attack errors.

Head coach Jason Mansfield said Baylor’s serving began to wear down the Wildcats’ passers and affected their offensive rhythm.

“I thought they served really well in the third, really aggressively,” Mansfield said. “I think that our passers just got worn down.”

Baylor carried its control into the fourth set, opening with a 6-0 run to take an 8-2 lead. The Wildcats struggled to find their offensive rhythm as the Bears continued to extend their advantage.

Baylor reached the media timeout ahead 15-7 and maintained control through the final points. Rakhmanchik added six kills in the final set as the Bears continued to put pressure on K-State’s defense.

The Wildcats finished the set with 11 kills but committed eight errors and hit .088. Baylor closed out the match with a 25-13 win.

Massey led the Wildcats with 25 kills and 11 digs, recording her seventh 20-kill match of the season and third double-double. Van Lannen added a career-high 32 assists and 12 digs for her fourth double-double, while Sekita recorded 20 digs. Derrer finished with nine kills and a team-high five blocks, while Brady added 10 kills.

Rakhmanchik led all players with 32 kills, the most by any Big 12 player in a match this season. She hit .406 for Baylor, which finished with a .278 team hitting percentage compared to K-State’s .205.

After the match, Mansfield said he was encouraged by how his team competed through the extended opening sets, particularly after struggling in second sets earlier in the season.

“I think we figured out how to play first sets, so I’m really happy about that,” Mansfield said. “I’m really, really proud of the girls for coming and competing.”

Mansfield also pointed to the team’s response after dropping the opening set. He said K-State’s ability to come back and win a 30-28 second set showed improvement.

The Wildcats return to Morgan Family Arena at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, to host No. 16 TCU (18-5, 9-3 Big 12) on ESPN+.