Junior quarterback DJ Lagway is not expected to play in Baylor’s week two matchup against Prairie View A&M, per a report from On3’s Pete Nakos. Junior quarterback Nate Bennett is set to make his first start for the Bears as a result.

Lagway suffered a high-ankle sprain early in the Bears’ season opener against Auburn, playing with a cast and tape on his right ankle.

According to head coach Dave Aranda, Lagway was initially expected to suit up for Baylor’s home opener, but his status was still up in the air.

“He’ll go through the walk-through,” Aranda said in his Monday press conference. “We’ll see after today how Tuesday looks and Wednesday … If we get from day-to-day this week, we want to play him.”

Lagway threw for 333 yards and two touchdowns in the Aflac Kickoff Game, despite being able to only put pressure on his left ankle.

Bennett has played in only four games over the last two seasons. He appeared in three games in 2024 as a freshman, going 1-for-2 on passing attempts with 19 yards. His only action in 2025 came at the end of Baylor’s week three victory over Samford in 2025, completing five passes for 34 yards.

There is also a chance that sophomore quarterback Edward Griffin sees some playing time on Saturday. Aranda has trust in both his backups despite their lack of playing experience.

“I feel really good about Nate and Ed,” Aranda said on Monday. “We have guys that have been here and have invested and know the offense.”

The Bears will face off against Prairie View A&M at 7 p.m. Saturday at McLane Stadium.

The post DJ Lagway out against Prairie View A&M, Nate Bennett set to start first appeared on The Baylor Lariat.

It was a slow first 40 minutes. Baylor was trying to crack the tough Marquette defense but came up short multiple times.

LTVN’s Rylie Painter has more.

But things changed in the 43^rd minute when senior midfielder Aryanna Jimison got the chance to put the Bears in front.

“Same mindset: Go out, kill whoever’s in front of me and help my team win,” Jimison said.

With that mindset ingrained in her, Jimison broke free, dribbling in Golden Eagle territory, but was fouled from behind at the top of the box. She lined up in a spot she’s taken multiple shots from this season and delivered a low shot that caught a Marquette defender in the wall of players, which found the back of the net, putting the Bears in front.

“What I was anticipating was the goalkeeper making a save, deflecting it, maybe picking up a second ball,” head coach Michelle Lenard said. “Instead, it hit the wall in the way, but if you hit it hard enough in the right direction, good things happen.”

Jimison’s goal was the difference-maker as the Bears (6-1-0) won a defensive battle 1-0 over Marquette (3-1-3).

The Bears dominated possession right from kickoff. The backline was stringing passes with the midfielders on a consistent basis, looking for the perfect chance to find a crack in Marquette’s defense.

Baylor thought it found an opportunity in the first minute when Jimison fired in a shot from outside the box that ricocheted off the left post.

They continued to possess the ball and string together passes all the way to the goal but couldn’t score, finishing with three shots before heading into the water break.

The Golden Eagles played a different style, trying to get their offense going with short bursts, but they couldn’t generate goals either, finishing with three shots as well.

Both defenses picked up the intensity after the hydration break as they combined for zero shots in 20 minutes of game time, despite Baylor consistently pressuring Marquette’s goal.

The Bears held the lead heading into the locker rooms after Jimison’s goal in the 43rd minute.

Baylor came out of half right where it left off and fired on offense.

The Bears were pushing the Golden Eagles to their breaking point as they put up four shots in the first 11 minutes of the second half.

Baylor continued to come up just short of the goal, peppering shots in but failing to see the back of the net. They went into the hydration break outshooting Marquette by eight.

The Golden Eagles found life on offense in the 74^th minute, putting up two shots of their own. Fifth-year goalkeeper Azul Alvarez helped clean up for Baylor, recording her first save of the night.

Senior Lauren Omholt found herself in a few spots to put the Bears up by two, including a run where it was just Omholt and the goalkeeper, but goalkeeper Mia Hurd put her body on the line and snatched the ball from Omholt.

Baylor’s defense held for the rest of the game, getting their second shutout in a row.

“I think at the beginning of the season we didn’t have any clean sheets, which is something we are really pushing towards,” fifth-year defender Natalie Vatter said. “The fact that we could get one against LSU and one tonight is definitely momentum.”

The Bears picked up their fourth win in a row as they come to the close of non- conference play.

‘We knew they were physical; they’re big, they’re athletic,” Lenard said. “They were going to make it really difficult for us … Even if we had to grind it out in the end, to find a way to get results is very important right now.”

Baylor will look to push its win streak to five when it takes on Oral Roberts at 7 p.m. Sunday at Case Soccer Complex in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The post Jimison’s free kick goal lifts Baylor past Marquette 1-0 first appeared on The Baylor Lariat.

When senior safety Michael Allen walks into Baylor’s locker room, he does not need to say much. His teammates already know what he represents.

They have watched him lead in ways that do not require a spotlight, but in ways that begin long before he ever steps onto the field. Fifth-year cornerback Reggie Bush II felt that from the start.

“Everyone looks up to Mike,” Bush II said. “He came in with me at the same time … and I look up to him.”

That kind of admiration is not always seen for a player who does not fill up the stat sheet. Allen is not the one grabbing multiple interceptions a season or headlining highlight reels. His influence comes from somewhere deeper — a place he has spent four years cultivating.

Allen arrived at Baylor as a walk-on, unsure if he even had the physical tools to play safety at the Power Four level.

“I probably didn’t have the God-given ability to play safety at this level,” Allen said. “But I could have just sulked in that … instead, I asked, ‘Where else can I help us win?’”

That mindset became the foundation of his leadership. He learned early that it was not about talking; it was about doing.

“You can say whatever you want, but at the end of the day, you can’t really fool anybody in this locker room,” Allen said. “Your actions speak way louder than your words.”

Dominic DePizzol, Baylor alum and friend of Allen, saw that same humility from the very beginning. DePizzol led Allen’s first bible study at Baylor when Allen came in as a freshman.

“You know, when I first met him his freshman year, I think the thing that really stuck out to me a lot about him was that to be a great leader, you have to be a great follower,” DePizzol said. “He was always one of the most receptive guys in Bible study … always asking great questions.”

Bush II has also seen that firsthand.

“The amount of work he puts in, the amount of leadership he has … it’s something special,” Bush II said. “It just makes everyone want to be as great as they can for him.”

Allen leads by example in team runs, in lifts, in accountability and in relationships. The real root of his leadership comes from his faith, something he refuses to separate from his identity.

“Football is what I do. It’s not who I am,” Allen said. “I want to be known for how I impacted the people … how I treated them.”

That perspective came long before he put on a Baylor uniform. Baylor gave him a platform, and eventually, a calling.

After finding inspiration from his first Bible study at Baylor, Allen realized players were having meaningful conversations about faith, but the team had no organized space for it. So he built one.

Allen launched a player-led Bible study that is held weekly over dinner with support from Baylor’s sports ministry.

“There’s something about having a meal together,” Allen said. “We started it about two and a half years ago, and it’s probably been one of the most rewarding things of my time here.”

Rewarding is an understatement.

“We’ve had almost 25 to 30 guys get baptized over the last two and a half years,” Allen said.

He baptized many of them himself.

Some players arrive at Baylor with strong faith backgrounds, but many do not. Allen sees both as opportunities.

“There are guys who grew up going to church every Sunday … and guys who have never really heard the gospel,” Allen said. “One of the best things is when guys invite other guys to go. It’s so powerful.”

Bush II says that influence is felt everywhere, not just in Bible study.

“Everyone has something they look up to him for — whether that is his lifting, his faith or just him as a leader,” Bush II said.

Allen’s leadership is built on consistency, humility and a willingness to serve. These traits that have made him one of the most respected figures in the program.

“Being consistent, being the same person every single day,” he said. “I always want to help more, impact more.”

DePizzol says that consistency is rooted in Allen’s spiritual foundation.

“You know, his faith really stands out,” DePizzol said. “He seems to be an excellent follower of Jesus … I think he’d attribute a lot of his leadership capabilities and growth to his relationship with Christ.”

Allen plans to coach after his playing career ends, a dream he has had since high school.

“I actually walked on here with the hopes of learning under coach Aranda,” Allen said. “If I told my high school self I’d be sitting in defensive staff meetings … I wouldn’t have believed you.”

He grew up watching his uncle Dennis Allen, who is now the defensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears, serve as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders and New Orleans Saints

He has already interned with the Seattle Seahawks. He is already functioning as a player-coach within Baylor’s defense. He already understands the influence a coach can have on a life.

“That’s something I feel called to pursue,” Allen said. “Because I know how much impact a coach can have.”

Allen will not leave Baylor as an All-American or an NFL prospect. He will leave as something far more rare: a leader whose legacy is measured not in tackles, but in people. That investment has turned back to him through his teammates’ effort.

“Everyone wants to be as great as they can for him,” Bush II said.

Michael Allen did not just lead Baylor football, he changed it one relationship, one Bible study and one act of faith at a time.

The post Safety Michael Allen leads Baylor football through faith-first approach first appeared on The Baylor Lariat.

For the first time since 1954, women are playing professional baseball.

All four teams — the New York Heights, Los Angeles Queens, Boston Hunters and San Francisco Firebells — do not forget this. Each team pays homage to a historical woman who were pioneers in their fields.

The Heights recognize Dorothy Height, a civil rights and women’s rights leader who focused on issues of Foundational Black American women. The Queens honor Lizzie Murphy, the first woman to play against major league players and is nicknamed “the Queen of the Diamond.” The Hunters commemorate Harriot K. Hunt, the first woman to apply to Harvard Medical School and establish a successful medical practice in the U.S. and the Firebells celebrate Lillie Hitchcock Coit, a champion of San Francisco’s volunteer firefighters and a large part of San Francisco’s history.

The Women’s Professional Baseball League (WPBL) comes from decades of hard work by women fighting for their place on the diamond.

In 1931, teenage Jackie Mitchell of the Chattanooga Lookouts struck out New York Yankees Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in an exhibition game. One week later, the MLB commissioner Kennesaw Landis voided Mitchell’s contract and banned women from playing professional baseball, which lasted until 1993.

Still, women have played baseball. In 1943, there were concerns about the impact World War II was having on baseball. In response, Chicago Cubs owner Philip K. Wrigley, the son of the namesake of the historic field in the North Side of Chicago, founded the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL).

The AAGPBL played for twelve seasons from 1943 to 1954, ending as the men returned from the war and attention shifted back to men’s sports, causing a decline in revenue, ticket sales and promotion. Women’s baseball faded into the background once more.

Maybelle Blair, former baseball player for the AAGPBL, is the WPBL’s mascot and threw out the first pitch on opening day at the age of 99.

Currently, girls are allowed to play Little League, and 25 of them have competed in the Little League World Series since 1984. Los Angeles Queens’ Mo’ne Davis was one of these girls, making a statement at 13 by being the first girl to pitch a shutout and the first African American girl to play in the LLWS in 2014.

Women are also legally allowed to try out and play on men’s teams at the high school and college level, under Title IX and federal anti-discrimination laws.

Los Angeles Queens’ Ashton Lansdell played on boys’ competitive travel teams from age 9 until she was recruited by Georgia Highlands College at 18, playing with them for a year before leaving to play softball for Ole Miss. Lansdell is an infielder for the Party Animals and the USA Women’s baseball team and was awarded the ‘most outstanding player’ award in the 2026 Women’s Baseball World Cup.

“We’re finally going to have a platform to step into where we feel welcome right away,” New York’s Denae Benites said on The WPBL Podcast hosted by Lansdell in early March. “We don’t have to fight for being the only girl on the field or in the league, we’re all the same. We all love the game of baseball; we’re all women that fell in love with this game, and now we just get to experience that together without having to earn our spot on the field because we’re a girl.”

Benites captained the Heights and finished the regular season with 11 homers, tying Firebells captain Kelsie Whitmore for the league-high.

Whitmore is another huge name in women’s baseball, possibly the largest.

Whitmore made history in 2022, entering a Staten Island FerryHawks game as a pinch-runner in the 9th inning and becoming the first woman to play professional baseball in an MLB partner league and, later on, the first woman to pitch in an MLB partner league. She went on to be a pitcher and outfielder for the Savannah Bananas.

Three years after her professional baseball debut, Whitmore made history once again as the first name called in the WPBL inaugural draft.

Whitmore led her team to become the WPBL’s first regular-season champion with 10 wins and five losses. On Sept. 9, San Francisco hosted the Boston Hunters for the first game of the WPBL Semifinals.

“This game is bigger than the wins and bigger than the numbers, the stats, all of it,” Whitmore told the fans Sunday night after the Firebells’ final regular season game. “It’s all about us being able to fulfill our dreams and be here today to live it out.”

This is what the Women’s Professional Baseball League is about.

For decades, baseball has been a “boys’ club.” Women and girls have been kept out of teams and leagues or encouraged to play softball — an entirely different sport — instead. We have been quizzed on players’ names, accused of being bandwagon fans, and questioned for wearing jerseys (No, I am not wearing an Ian Happ Cubs jersey as a fashion statement).

It seems so difficult for people to believe that women can enjoy baseball independent of a man, and yet statistics show that 41% of Major League Baseball fans are women, and history shows that women have been playing baseball nearly as long as men have, despite the obstacles that have stood in our way.

It holds to official baseball guidelines, with three exceptions: the women are permitted to use aluminum bats, the games are only seven innings long, and the fences are a shorter distance.

With the WPBL, women once again have a league of their own.

The WPBL continues its playoff season at 6:00 p.m. CT on Sept. 10. Games can be watched on ESPN+.

The post Sports Take: Women have always belonged in baseball, WPBL is proving why first appeared on The Baylor Lariat.

Baylor traveled 828 miles to face Auburn in the season opener in Atlanta, while the Tigers traveled 110.

The Bears played in front of a sea of blue and orange, erupting when they fell just short of winning a slugfest in week one.

“We played a really physical, complete game from the first quarter to the fourth quarter,” senior tight end Hawkins Polley said. “It’s not just a one-time thing. I think we all feel like we can continue to do that the rest of the season and improve on that.”

Baylor (0-1) heads back home to McLane Stadium to face off against Prairie View A&M (1-1, 1-0 SWAC), and it hopes to show out in its first home game of the season.

The Bears are scavenging for a victory. They are on the heels of a four-game losing streak, going back to their 55-28 loss to Utah last November.

They also want to win for the Baylor faithful. Baylor football and the athletics department have taken the fans to heart in the last year under Athletic Director Doug McNamee. The Bears now have an opportunity to bring some energy back into a fanbase that is searching for hope.

“We have to win,” head coach Dave Aranda said. “I’d say that No. 1 is to get people excited. I think there’s enough film, or the views of, like, ‘Hey, these guys are maybe different. Maybe these guys can do something.'”

The players appreciate playing in front of a crowd of green and gold. They are ready to see the Baylor community cheer them on after playing against an Auburn-heavy crowd in Atlanta.

“We take pride in playing in McLane,” Polley said. “We want to win in McLane, win in front of our students, our families … It’s just awesome whenever you get to play in McLane. It feels like home.”

The Bears still need to show up for all 60 minutes against Prairie View A&M. An underdog taking advantage of their opponent coming off a major game is not unheard of. Aranda looked to some of the biggest upsets over the past 20 years, including Appalachian State’s 2007 win over Michigan and UMass’ win over Rutgers last Thursday.

Aranda and his team are imperative that they will not slip against the Panthers.

“I’m very invigorated to fight that,” Aranda said. “This opponent is a nameless face opponent. Our standard is the standard regardless of who we play. That will be the fight. I’m fired up to fight it.”

Prairie View A&M is not easy for an FCS opponent. The Panthers already have two games under their belt, dominating rival Texas Southern 52-14 in week one. Their coaches know how to confuse opponents with their playcalling.

“They have a good system, and when they get guys open, they’re open, open,” Aranda said. “They do a great job of identifying how stuff is put together and attacking the weakness of it … They put you in conflict.”

The team plays a fast-paced brand of football. Quarterback Tevin Carter threw for 217 yards and four touchdowns while seven receivers made multiple catches against Texas Southern.

“They’ve got a bunch of athletes on that team,” fifth-year cornerback Reggie Bush II. “We’re just trying to keep our focus on keeping our eyes right, playing how we’re supposed to play, making no mistakes, and just being 1-0.”

Baylor enters week two banged up from the season opener. Junior quarterback DJ Lagway, fifth-year offensive lineman Kaden Sieracki, junior offensive lineman Koltin Sieracki and junior wide receiver Jadon Porter are day-to-day. Senior safety Jacob Redding also tore his ACL before week one.

While the injuries hinder the team physically, the Bears’ resilience has also fired them up.

“It just showed his heart,” junior offensive lineman Nate Kibble said. “He tells us before the game, ‘I’m willing to go out there and die for you guys.’ So, it makes us want to do the same thing.”

Baylor faces off against Prairie View A&M at 7 p.m. Saturday at McLane Stadium.

The post Baylor looks to show out for fans in home opener first appeared on The Baylor Lariat.

No. 20 Baylor volleyball has its toughest test of the season on Friday, facing off against the best team in the nation in front of a packed opposing gym.

Baylor (4-1) hits the road for a three-game slate for their second tournament of the 2026 season, facing Georgia Tech (7-0), No. 1 Nebraska (4-0) and New Mexico (2-3).

The Bears on the heels of a disappointing outcome against No. 10 Florida and will look to get back to their winning ways in the Ameritas Challenge in Lincoln, Nebraska.

The Cornhuskers are a different beast when it comes to volleyball, and Baylor will have to roll out its most complete performance of the year to compete. It is a new level of challenge for the players, but head coach Ryan McGuyre is no stranger to top-ranked teams, knocking off No. 1 Texas in 2019.

“We were just really strong,” said McGuyre when asked about what was key in the win over Texas. “We were really confident. The big key is we were trusting one another, and the team was really unselfish in 2019.”

His trust in how deep the 2019 squad gave him the confidence to tout any of his players on the court. He is now searching for a similar trust in the current team.

“Didn’t care who got how many sets, didn’t care who started,” McGuyre said. “Those that had to come in and finish the match were ready the whole entire time. That will be important for us going forward.”

Road games against high competition are difficult, especially as the Bears come off a match against an undefeated Georgia Tech on Thursday. Nebraska will take on a sub-.500 New Mexico team before playing Baylor.

“I think it’s hard on the staff from a scout standpoint,” McGuyre said. “Teams make adjustments. So, New Mexico on day three might look a lot different than they did going into the week, as they play and different things happen. And you have those quick turnarounds. So you’ve got to recover well. You’ve got to prepare well.”

The Bears will have a quick turnaround after their Georgia Tech match before running into powerhouse Nebraska. McGuyre still has faith in his squad.

“I still love the grit of this team; they want to battle,” McGuyre said. “At the end of the day, they like getting out on the court. That’s a reliability; I know what I’m getting from them.”

Nebraska fans add even more home-court advantage for the Cornhuskers. The team brought in a nation-leading 8,600 attendees per home match. Needless to say, the environment will be intense.

“I feel like our team’s really good at crowds,” freshman middle blocker Mya Hemmer said. “In Hawaii, we were able to see a gym full of their colors, so it didn’t really faze us that much. We were able to hone in on our game, which is really nice … we travel pretty well, that I’ve noticed so far.”

Baylor opens the weekend against Georgia Tech at 4 p.m. Thursday at the Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln, Nebraska.

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Baylor women’s golf left the scorching hot temperatures of Waco and headed to Charleston, South Carolina, to compete in the Cougar Classic, where fifth-year Bridget Boczar led the charge for the Bears on Monday.

Boczar put up 12 birdies in her first two rounds and finished the day at seven under par, sitting in first place and helping the Bears climb to second place.

Baylor looked to keep that momentum rolling into Tuesday to take down first-place No. 1 Florida but fell short, shooting four over as a team.

By the end of the tournament, the Bears took home third place at five under, behind Florida and No. 21 Tennessee.

Boczar’s first two rounds showed promise of what’s to come for the Baylor this season, but she was unable to keep it rolling into her third round, shooting a two-over-par 74. That dropped her from first place back to tied for second place at the end of the tournament. Boczar was the only Bear inside the top 10.

Junior Malena Castro and sophomore Paloma Ibarra Ambia shot their tournament best on Tuesday, both shooting a two-under-par 70, helping Baylor claim third place. Castro finished tied for 15^th, up 12 places from Monday, while Ibarra Ambia finished tied for 27th, up 15 places.

The Bears finished tied for first as a team with 50 birdies in the two days, as well as placing 11^th in bogeys with 50.

The third-place finish marked the Bears’ third straight year with a top-five finish to start the season and the second straight season starting with a top-3 finish.

The Bears will look to keep up the strong finishes as they head to Norman, Oklahoma, for the Schooner Fall Classic. The first round begins on September 19^th.

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Baylor men’s golf is in search of a new era under new head coach Jean-Paul Hebert. While the return to Big 12 dominance might be in the near future, important steps can be made in the 2026-27 campaign.

The Bears opened their season at the Bombs Darts Birds Collegiate in Chandler, Arizona, finishing in a three-way tie for seventh in the 13-team slate. Baylor shot 10-under, 10-under and 12-under-par over the course of the weekend, landing them at 32-under-par, tying with UTEP and James Madison for seventh.

“This tournament was a birdie fest, or a horse race, as we would call it,” Hebert said. “We needed a little bit more horsepower … Our players showed a lot of fight and played solid as a group. I’m proud of them. This was a good start. This game is all about learning and growing, and that’s what we will do this season.”

Hebert is stepping in after the retirement of 21-year Division I coach Mike McGraw.

“I know Jean-Paul is going to do a great job with this program,” McGraw said. “I sort of helped with the foundation, if you will, but he’s going to take it to new heights.”

Part of the foundation is fifth-year Jonas Appel, who remains as a force for Baylor after leading the team in scoring average last season. Appel shot 11-under-par, tying for 11th place at the tournament, notching his 14th top-25 finish of his career.

Senior Alex Heard followed at 6-under, helped by an eagle on the 17th hole of the final day. Senior Davis Ovard started strong, posting a pair of 5-under-par 69s, but could not get under par on the final day, landing him at 5-under for the weekend. He tied with freshman Chase Yenser, who made an impressive debut, shooting under par in all three rounds.

Individual sophomore Patrick Babb logged a 2-under-par 70 in round two but struggled to put it together in the final round, leaving him 3-over par.

The Bears held their own in a competitive field that hosted teams from three of the Power 4 conferences. The tournament is the beginning of a long season for Baylor. There are kinks to work out, and the squad looks to build on their solid start.

The Bears have another out-of-state tournament next week as they will fly off to compete in the Fighting Illini Invitational at Olympia Fields Country Club in Chicago, Sept. 19-20.

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Baylor was one yard away from glory on Saturday against Auburn. Devastation still lingers for fans, but the Bears are fueled up for the road ahead of them.

While one might expect the disappointment from a loss of such caliber to carry over into the next week, Baylor has its sights set on week two.

“We feel determined,” fifth-year cornerback Reggie Bush II said. “I feel like this is different than any team I’ve been on. I’ve never felt so connected after a game that didn’t turn out how we hoped for it to happen. We are all determined to get better … there were no heads down [in the locker room]. Nobody was feeling down; you could feel the energy. We knew who we could be.”

The Bears (0-1) are set to play Prairie View A&M (1-1) for their home opener and second game of the season. While the Panthers might not bring the same prowess as Auburn to the football field, the mindset is still the same.

“I think the key is having the same mentality as Auburn,” senior tight end Hawkins Polley said. “It’s a nameless, faceless opponent. It doesn’t matter where they come from, what conference they’re in … we get to go play college football on Saturday, so we’re just as excited about Auburn as we are about Prairie View.”

The excitement for the game is important, but there are still tangible challenges left over from the week one loss. The forefront of which are the injuries: senior Jacob Redding will miss the season with an ACL tear, while junior quarterback DJ Lagway, junior wide receiver Jadon Porter, offensive linemen fifth-year Kaden and junior Koltin Sieracki are all on a day-to-day basis per head coach Dave Aranda.

“[Lagway] will go through the walkthrough, and so he’s going for today … right now DJ is a day-to-day guy. We want to play him,” Aranda said. “Kaden Sieracki, we’re looking at him. Koltin Sieracki, we’re looking at him. Jadon Porter, they both got lower leg injuries that we’re looking at. I would consider those guys day-to-day as well.”

Injuries are the worst part of football, but they have a paradoxical way of firing up a team even more than before.

“It’s just super encouraging to know that’s the type of fight we have on this team,” Polley said. “We know, ‘Hey, if you can push through [injury], I can push through whatever I’ve got going on physically and mentally.’”

The Bears had plenty to hang their hat on in the one-point loss. Fifth-year Gavin Freeman had a career game at wide receiver, Lagway threw a pair of touchdowns on one leg and Bush II notched his first career interception, a goal he set for himself over the summer.

“Trying to keep it going,” Bush said when asked if he had a new goal for the season. “I’m trying to get to at least three. I want to see the whole corner room get a pick; I want to see the whole defense make plays. It’s just a love for the team. I want to see everyone make a play. I got mine. I’m trying to see everybody get theirs.”

The Bears will host Prairie View A&M at 7 p.m. Saturday in McLane Stadium.

The post Baylor remains determined after heartbreak in Atlanta first appeared on The Baylor Lariat.

There is an inherent separation between student athletes and students, but Baylor men’s tennis has found a way to connect the two worlds.

“It’s just really cool to bridge that relational gap between athletics and the Baylor student body because sometimes there’s not a lot of opportunity for us to interact with Baylor athletes,” said Terra Bella, California, senior Brenna Galloway, who is VP of Philanthropy and Service for Zeta Tau Alpha. “It was just really cool to help them and get more attendance at their games and boost the morale of the guys and the people there.”

For the past five years, Baylor men’s tennis has connected to students through an idea that was initially created by former volunteer assistant coach Nich Ochran. This idea was to engage with organizations across campus through philanthropic challenges.

“You’ll have a designated match that you’ll go to as a sorority, fraternity or campus organization, and then whoever gets the most attendance at those games gets the money donated towards philanthropy,” Galloway said. “Last year, we were fortunate enough to win that participation credit. They donated $1,500 back towards our philanthropy, which is Breast Cancer Awareness, Education and Research. It was just really cool to see Baylor Athletics want to invest in something that’s not just Baylor Athletics.”

Before these challenges begin, the Bears also visit several of the organizations and plays with the winner before a match. This way, the team is not only giving to a charitable cause but enriching interpersonal connections between players and students.

“My guys being predominantly international with how much the demands are on these student-athletes, they are very focused on what they’re doing, and they’re somewhat in their own bubble world relative to a general student,” head coach Michael Woodson said. “I think any opportunity that we can have to get them integrated in with the main student population I think is wonderful.”

The effects also extend to match days with attendance providing a boost of morale to players and giving them a competitive advantage over their opponents.

“It’s a massive advantage, and it just makes it that much more fun,” Woodson said. “It’s why the guys love playing at home, getting their crowd, their people. They’re competitors, but they’re also entertainers and love the opportunity to show off their skills and their tools to new people.”

Through and through, these philanthropic challenges have deepened the relationship between the Bears and the student body. Now looking to the future, Baylor men’s tennis hopes to expand and grow the challenges as well as continue other avenues of connection such as Baylor Giving Day and the Pro Bear Bash.

“We’re going to try to, this year, expand to other organizations, club, intramural teams, you know, different, all student organizations, and try to incentivize them to get more involved with us and find ways that we can benefit like causes,” Woodson said.

The Bears begin their fall campaign with the ITA All-American Championships on Sept. 19 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center.

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You don’t need a packed football stadium or a sold-out basketball arena to be competitive at Baylor. Sometimes all you need is a circular net, a yellow ball and three friends ready to compete.

For Baylor’s club Spikeball team, or roundnet team, a casual beach and backyard game has turned into a competitive one filled with dives and rallies. Whether they are battling it out or just playing for fun, this team has built a community within a simple game.

Baylor club Spikeball is just one of the 36 club sports options at Baylor. It was created in 2015 but grew in popularity during COVID-19.

“It really grew and exploded during COVID because it was one of the only clubs still active during the pandemic,” said Temecula, California, senior and Baylor club Spikeball President Jawaan Rasmussen. “Every Wednesday on Fountain Mall there were tons and tons of nets because that was one element of community that people got during COVID.”

The surge in participation helped the team become the 2022 College Roundnet national champions.

Now the club has around 116 players with 16 competitive players and around 100 casual players. The club offers two teams for people with differing interests.

“There are two clubs,” Rasmussen said. “You have the casual club and the competitive club. The casual club meets from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Fountain Mall, which is tons of fun. The competitive stuff also happens from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. but on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Edgefield.”

But aside from the actual sport, the club offers more than just a game. It offers a sense of community for students who might be missing out on the sports they used to play.

“When I came here, I was missing the sports and team aspect, and I didn’t have a team anymore, so I didn’t know what to do,” Chicago senior Haleigh Manske said. “The team brought back a piece of my life that I was really missing.”

The club also gives students a chance to build meaningful friendships through competition.

“It’s definitely a close-knit community because the competitive club is smaller,” Santa Barbara, California, senior Micah Allin said. “You really get to know people super well and just form good relationships with them.”

On the competitive side, the team participates in several tournaments and has found success showcasing its skills against other colleges on a national stage.

“People love competing,” Rasmussen said. “We have lots of tournaments, and this past summer we won nationals, so we’re definitely among the more competitive club sports.”

While winning tournaments and competing at the highest level remain at the heart of this club, the club’s success is not measured solely based on what goes on around the net.

Whether students come to Fountain Mall for competition or to have fun, Baylor club Spikeball has created a place where both can coexist.

“There’s no skill level required,” Rasmussen said. “We’re here to have fun, and just build community, and share God with one another through playing.”

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A small black tent with an air rowing machine and a couple of students sitting behind a table is a common sight for Baylor students walking through Fountain Mall.

Some choose to look down at their phone, while some put in an AirPod to avoid an extra interaction while walking between classes.

“It’s hard to recruit people, and it’s even harder to get them to keep showing up,” Stewart said.

For those that choose to walk up to that tent, the interaction could lead to a defining aspect of their college experience.

“It played a very important role in deciding where I attended grad school,” said Denton graduate student and head coach Max Stewart. “It was one of the big reasons I wanted to stay at Baylor and continue helping with the team.”

Stewart initially considered Baylor to run on the track and field team. While realizing he did not quite stack up to the times of Baylor’s nationally-recognized runners, Stewart found rowing as a good substitute for his running cardio.

He was hooked immediately. He competed with Baylor Crew throughout undergrad and eventually worked his way to being the club’s head coach while working toward his master’s degree.

Despite the rowers that return each semester praise rowing, it is a grind. One of the primary reasons that people are reluctant to join is the early wake up call for practice.

“Practices are 5 to 7 a.m., five days a week,” Stewart said. “We’re in our distance season, our 5K season. So, [it’s] getting your lungs used to being uncomfortable and really stretching our legs for longer races and getting comfortable for long durations of rowing.”

That grind is what creates the strong connections between Baylor Crew’s members. Their commitment also elevates the competitive spirit.

“You generally form bonds with the people there because you are up so early and because of the work you put in,” Bryden said. “We will suffer together, but we will win together. And that’s what we really want as a competitive team.”

Those relationships do not only hold weight on the water. They leave notable impacts on the rowers’ lives.

“I was going through a rough time,” Newport Beach, California, senior Colin Bryden said. “I just moved out to Texas … I had family stuff going on and everybody was so supportive. They were all kind. It wasn’t fake.”

Baylor Crew also competes with a chip on its shoulder. The club vies to compete at a high level despite working with fewer resources than some of the teams it faces off against.

“We’re competing against teams with paid coaches, million dollars a year in funding, paid boatman to come fix their boat house and maintain it,” Bryden said. “We have to do all that ourselves. So when we put our boats on the trailer ourselves, we drive it out to the race ourselves, we unload everything ourselves.”

The success of the club depends on the dedication of its returning rowers. As some of them move into leadership or coaching positions, they are tasked with leading a team filled with new members.

“90, 95% of people on our team had never rowed before,” Stewart said. “We’re constantly teaching them and it’s all like, ‘Hey, we’re all figuring this out together … You just stick it out for a few weeks, you know, you’re going to learn a ton.”

The club also struggles to keep a consistent number between seasons. Some are not able to keep up with Baylor Crew’s rigorous practice schedule with their classes, and it sometimes boils down to their desire to compete.

“It varies so much semester to semester,” Stewart said. “The fall of my junior year, we had 73 people on our roster … We’re now sitting at around 25 to 30.”

The club is still accepting to both those that want to compete and those who are still on the fence about whether they want to commit. It does not cut anyone who is interested in rowing.

“The people who want to be competitive and the people who want to row, we will absolutely have a boat for you,” Bryden said. “If you don’t know if you want to be competitive, if you don’t know if you want to row and you’re figuring it out, we have a boat for you, too.”

Baylor Crew is set to compete in three or four events in the fall, but the spring is their primary semester with the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association (SIRA) National Regatta.

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Excitement filled the air in Waco heading into the weekend. Football season kicked off against Auburn in the Aflac Kickoff Game and volleyball looked to continue its hot start against No. 17 Florida at the Ferrell Center. The weekend did not go quite as planned for the Bears.

Football loses a heartbreaker at the goal line

Baylor looked to start the season on the winning end of a dogfight against Auburn in Atlanta. Head coach Dave Aranda decided to go for two to win the game with nine seconds remaining, but senior tight end Matthew Klopfenstein fell inches short of the goal line to seal the 17-16 win for the Tigers.

Saturday was the first opportunity for head coach Dave Aranda and company to finally shed some light on the bombardment of offseason questions. The defense made the biggest statement against the Tigers. The unit forced three interceptions against Byrum Brown as well as generating five sacks and 11 tackles for loss against the high-paced Auburn offense.

The offense still has some unanswered questions heading into the home opener. Junior quarterback DJ Lagway had some electrifying moments, including his 28-yard dart to fifth-year wide receiver Gavin Freeman on fourth-and-10 during the final drive. Lagway also had some early miscues with a fumble and interception in the first two drives, but he did not seem to reach his true potential with a sprained ankle that hobbled him the whole game. Freeman shined in his Baylor debut with 12 receptions for a career-high 154 yards and a touchdown.

Saving Private Redding

News broke less than two hours before Baylor football’s season opener that senior safety Jacob Redding tore his ACL and is out for the entirety of the 2026 season. Redding broke out as a junior with a team-leading three interceptions, including a pick-six against Kansas State last year.

The blow to the secondary forced fifth-year safety Devin Turner and senior safety Micah Gifford to pick up the slack, and that is exactly what they did on Saturday.

Turner recorded nine tackles against Auburn, tied for the team best with fifth-year linebacker Travion Barnes. Gifford caught his second career interception, picking off Brown to start the fourth quarter.

Volleyball falls in top-20 clash

No. 20 Baylor volleyball came into the weekend with a 4-0 record, only the fourth time the Bears have done that under head coach Ryan McGuyre.

They were fired up for their first major test of the season, facing off against Florida. It was all Gators from the start. Baylor struggled to clean it up on the attack, finishing the match with a season-low .046 hitting percentage, committing 20 attack errors to 24 kills.

The Bears also struggled from the service line. They recorded eight service errors as they grew more frustrated as Florida ran away with the match. The Gators swept Baylor in three sets by a score of 25-13, 25-23 and 25-19.

The Bears have another test as they head to Lincoln, Nebraska, to compete against No. 1 Nebraska, Georgia Tech and New Mexico.

While it turned out to be a rough weekend for Baylor Athletics, it’s a new week, and isn’t that what we all need sometimes? Football returns home to take on Prairie View A&M on Saturday and soccer hosts Marquette at 7 p.m. Thursday at Betty Lou Mays Field.

Onto the next.

— Jeffrey Cohen

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No. 20 Baylor volleyball had its first major test of the season against No. 17 Florida. The Bears looked to ride their undefeated start to their first top-20 win of the season.

LTVN’s Brooke Cranford has more from the Ferrell Center.

The Gators (3-1) had different plans, sweeping Baylor (4-1) in three sets 25-13, 25-23, and 25-19.

The Bears are now 21-9 against ranked opponents at the Ferrell Center since 2019.

Decorated head coach Ryan McGuyre looked to improve his impressive home record but had a tall task against Florida, who already have multiple games against ranked opponents under their belt.

On the heels of a three-set sweep against North Texas, Baylor fans expected a competitive match against the visiting Gators but ran into a buzzsaw. The Gators made up for their 14 service errors, boasting a .281 hitting percentage to the Bears’ .046. The high pressure didn’t help a Baylor team that struggled with errant play.

Sophomore outside hitter Bailey Warren saw an uptick in playing time with six kills on 19 total attacks, including multiple kills and a solo block to keep the Bears close in the second set.

“It was really refreshing and really supportive as well,” Warren said. “It’s having a support system and I just love playing … I’m very grateful to be able to do it.”

She made her season debut on Thursday against North Texas, recording a trio of kills on nine attacks.

While the main storyline was the 20 errors that left Baylor flustered, McGuyre recognized another poor stat that hindered the Bears.

“I think we want to serve 93% from the service line,” McGuyre said. “So that part was pretty bad … Baylor’s brand of serving wasn’t very strong there.”

The Bears had eight service errors in the match, which is especially fatal when serves that make it over aren’t putting the pressure on.

Florida’s high leverage experience proved too much for the Bears in set one. The Gators took advantage of Baylor’s sloppy play across the board, leaving no doubt and taking the set 25-13.

The Bears came out with resilience in the second set, with great performances from Warren and senior setter Harley Greek. However, the Gators remained solid behind some solid libero play from sophomore Lily Hayes, who logged 18 digs across the three sets.

“Harley came in, we started doing better offensively with some of those things there,” McGuyre said. “[We] still struggled from the service line that second set. We know there’s a fight within us, but there’s also got to be execution in it.”

The Gators jumped out to another early lead in the third set against a frustrated Bears team, whose attempts at gaining momentum were quickly hushed by decisive Gator kills. The hole was dug too deep for a late rally from the Baylor, losing the decisive set 25-19.

A test against a high-caliber team like Florida is hopefully a refining fire for the Bears before conference play.

“Florida is definitely probably the best team we’ve seen this season yet,” Greek said. “So it’s good for us to just see great, talented volleyball. They’re also playing their best volleyball right now, which is exactly what we want when we go into matches. We want the best version of every team to both test us and then see what we’re really capable of.”

Baylor opens the Ameritas Challenge Tournament against Georgia Tech at 4 p.m. Thursday at Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln, Nebraska.

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Baylor left Atlanta with a 17-16 loss and a game-losing two-point conversion that was short by inches.

Still, the Bears (0-1) showed up in a different form than they did around a year ago when Auburn (1-0) left McLane Stadium with a 38-24 win.

Both sides of the ball had great plays and some mistakes tonight, but the one that will stick with Baylor fans is the final snap at the goal line. Head coach Dave Aranda went for two instead of an extra point to send the game to overtime, and tight end Matthew Klopfenstein, junior quarterback DJ Lagway’s target, was tackled just short of the goal line, resulting in a tight defeat.

On the other side of the ball, Baylor’s newly minted defense under defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman had a masterclass that Baylor’s 2025 team could have taken some notes from. The Bears ended the game with three interceptions and 11 Tackles for loss against Auburn. Aranda said that it looked like the defense Baylor has been creating since last spring.

“I think it all starts up front for us; it was good to see the active linebackers and safeties.” Aranda said, “There was a few missed tackles on their sideline that I wish we would have taken back, but outside of that I thought it was clean for the first game.”

Klanderman’s defense was the shining hope in the game. For the most part, Baylor’s defense kept the game within one score against an SEC team that consistently outpaced the Bears a year ago.

Another key reason this year was not a repeat of last year is Lagway. The new quarterback injured his ankle on the opening drive and still finished with 333 yards, completing 27 out of 54 total passes despite his taped-up ankle. Lagway’s ankle not only slowed the offense down, but it also took the run game off the table for Baylor.

“It’s an ankle sprain as far as I know right now,” said Aranda. “We have both packages of DJ runs and really a lot of running in the game. Him being hurt really cut that down.”

The team believed they would win throughout the game despite trailing the entire way. That mentality led Aranda to make some gutsy decisions from the sidelines, including not kicking the extra point and pushing into overtime.

“Everyone believed we [were] going to win; I did, and we fought to try and get that win.” said Aranda. “Guys were playing through pain, discomfort, and all that. It’s one of the reasons for going for it. You know, we had a bunch of guys getting band-aided up, and we had a chance to kind of close it out.”

Belief in a win and winning are two different things. Baylor still opened things up with a rough first quarter and a rough last minute of the game. In total, Baylor put up 436 yards but only 16 points. Aranda didn’t blame the final play for Baylor’s loss; he blamed the lacking first quarter.

“Mistakes, that’s why we lost,” Aranda said. “Early in the game, there’s too many opportunities that we had to finish drives, to put points on the board, and we didn’t do it. I take the credit for that; I should have done a better job in coaching that.”

Saturday’s game was not a total loss for Baylor. Fans discovered that the defense can hold its own against high-level teams and that Lagway can operate effectively through injury. The team thought they would beat Auburn on Saturday, and while they didn’t get the result they wanted in Atlanta, they are a different team than they were when Auburn left Waco last September.

While the Bears left Mercedes-Benz Stadium disappointed, the season looks positive moving forward.

The Bears are 0-1 going into their next game against Prairie View A&M at 7 p.m. Saturday at McLane Stadium.

The post Sports Take: Baylor shows more upside in heartbreaker than last year’s opener first appeared on The Baylor Lariat.

It was a one-point game with nine seconds remaining.

The only thing separating Baylor and an upset win over Auburn was two yards. A year of being on the losing end to the Tigers could be reversed within six feet.

Junior quarterback DJ Lagway led the Bears downfield before throwing a touchdown to fifth-year wide receiver Gavin Freeman to set them up for a chance to emerge victorious.

After a timeout from both sides, 55,068 spectators rose to their feet for the deciding 2-point attempt. Baylor was set up with Lagway alone in the backfield and three bunched to the right side of the offensive line.

“We always got the belief in us,” senior safety Micah Gifford said. “I’m 100% positive that they’re going to go in and do their job.”

Lagway immediately rolled to his right, finding senior tight end Matthew Klopfenstein backpedaling near the goal line. Klopfenstein caught the pass, but Auburn’s Eric Winters stopped him inches short of the game-winning conversion.

“There was no hesitation with that,” head coach Dave Aranda said. “You’re watching it, and you see it, and I’m thinking it’s a touchdown or it’s points. And for it not to be just sucks.”

The goal line stop secured the 17-16 win for Auburn (1-0) over Baylor (0-1) in a sloppy Aflac Kickoff Game.

The highly anticipated matchup saw mistakes from both teams. The game saw five combined takeaways as well as three turnovers on downs and a pair of missed field goals.

“Mistakes, that’s why we lost,” Aranda said.

The first two offensive drives saw the same fate. Lagway managed through his progressions quickly, getting the ball out of his hands without facing much pressure from the Tigers. The Bears covered 55 yards in 10 plays in the first drive and 33 yards in nine plays on the second.

Both series ended in disaster for Baylor with Lagway fumbling near the sideline in the opening possession and throwing an interception right after in Auburn territory.

“Early in the game, there’s too many opportunities that we had to close or to finish drives, to put points on the board, and we didn’t do it,” Aranda said.

Lagway looked comfortable in the pocket, tallying 150 passing yards at the first break, four yards short of his career best in a quarter.

Baylor’s defensive line kept its side close in the first quarter. The unit held the Tigers’ offense to 52 total yards while making a trio of tackles for loss.

The offense started to slow down in the second quarter. The Bears started out with back-to-back punts and got one first down. The secondary swung the momentum Baylor’s way as the game closed in on halftime.

Fifth-year cornerback Reggie Bush II intercepted a deep ball from Auburn quarterback Byrum Brown inside the Bears’ own 5-yard line. The Bears could not capitalize on the takeaway, punting to the Tigers, who found the end zone first to go up 10-0.

Lagway continued to look comfortable in the pocket despite barely being able to walk with a brace on his right ankle. He led Baylor down the field, going 4-for-7 on pass attempts.

“We have both packages of DJ runs and then a lot of running in the game,” Aranda said. “Prior to hurting himself, there were two called runs and there was a fair amount of runs in this game that were called.”

Baylor was set on Auburn’s 14-yard line after a defensive pass interference in the end zone with a minute and a half remaining. Lagway found fifth-year wide receiver Louis Brown IV down the right sideline for the Bears’ first touchdown of the season.

The Tigers tried to outpace Baylor at the end of the half, driving deep into the Bears’ side. Brown threw his second interception of the game to junior cornerback Devon Jordan at the Baylor 11-yard line to go into the locker rooms with a 10-7 Auburn lead.

“It all starts up front for us,” Aranda said. “A lot of pressure up front, a lot of tackles for losses and sacks, multiple sacks today … Some of the pressure forced throws that were eventually picked off.”

Auburn struggled to get on the board to start the second half. Kicker Alex McPherson missed a 36-yard field goal to the left to cap off the Tigers’ first drive of the half. They punted on the next drive and failed to convert on a fake punt attempt to go into the fourth.

On the first play of the fourth quarterback, Brown fired a pass down the middle into double coverage. Gifford intercepted Brown to give Baylor the ball right back.

The Bears’ offense was back in business at midfield. The energy continued to shift in their favor. Baylor drove down the field due to an offside penalty against Auburn on fourth down and another fourth down conversion from senior running back Dawson Pendergrass inside the red zone.

Baylor had to settle for a 22-yard field goal from sophomore kicker Rhett Armstrong.

Auburn answered with a 10-play, 75-yard drive to jump back in front 17-10 capped off by a Brown rushing touchdown.

The Bears did not fold with less than four minutes left. They were down to a fourth–and–10 situation in their own side of the field. Lagway lasered a pass up the middle for Freeman, who made a lunging catch for a 28-yard gain and kept his team alive.

Lagway connected with Porter to put the ball on the Auburn 5-yard line and set up a passing touchdown to Freeman before the failed 2-point conversion to seal the Bears’ fate.

Freeman finished the game with 12 catches for a career-best 154 yards.

“It’s just, you know, just playing football,” Freeman said. “Anything I can do catch-wise, run-wise, block-wise for the team, my teammates, anything I can do, it’s all good to me.”

The defense shined in its first game under defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman. The unit forced three takeaways while also generating 11 tackles for loss and five sacks. Allowing 17 points against the Tigers proved to be a notable improvement from last year’s squad that gave up 38 points.

“It felt great to really just be able to put it all together on the field,” Gifford said. “We’ve been putting in so much work, just been in the lab with [Klanderman]. Everyone on the defense, we were just putting in our all.”

Baylor returns to Waco for the home opener against Prairie View A&M at 7 p.m. Saturday at McLane Stadium.

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Senior safety Jacob Redding will miss all of the 2026 season with a torn ACL, according to Grayson Grundhoefer of Sicem365.

Redding was initially listed as Baylor’s starting strong safety in the team’s depth chart that was released on Wednesday. Fifth-year safety Devin Turner will move into that starting spot with Redding out for the season. Fifth-year Michael Allen, as well as junior Tyler Turner and senior Micah Gifford, could see more playing time as they will step up in the safety room.

The development came less than two hours before the Bears are set to face off against Auburn in the Aflac Kickoff Game, which kicks off at 2:30 p.m.

Redding broke onto the scene for the Bears as a junior in 2025, leading the team with three interceptions, including a notable interception in Baylor’s overtime win over SMU in week two and a pick-six against Kansas State last year. He also recorded 53 tackles, which ranked third on the team.

He was expected to assume a leadership role on the team, becoming one of 10 players on the team to be voted for receiving a single-digit jersey number.

“My goal is to do whatever the team needs, my room needs, whatever the defense needs to win football games,” Redding said.

Now being sidelined for the year, he will look to help develop the rest of the safeties who will step up in his absence.

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No. 20 Baylor volleyball has become one of the most consistent programs in the country since head coach Ryan McGuyre took over before the 2015 season.

LTVN’s Rylie Painter has more from the Ferrell Center.

The Bears have made it to 10 consecutive NCAA Tournaments under McGuyre but have not had as many starts like the beginning to the 2026 season.

Baylor (4-0) became undefeated through its first four matches for the fourth time under McGuyre with a three-set sweep against visiting North Texas (3-1).

The Bears have only started this hot in 2024, 2019 and 2018 and include a trip to the national semifinals in 2019.

Baylor looked sharp, keeping composure when the Mean Green fought back at multiple points during the match. Sophomore outside hitter Ksenia Rakhmanchik showed up and found the ball whenever the Bears needed a point to outpace North Texas, also coming off a tournament MVP in the Wahine Volleyball Classic.

“She wants to improve every day,” McGuyre said. “She wants the ball every day. She’s like me, never satisfied … she’s got strong confidence.”

Rakhmanchik led the team on multiple runs largely thanks to the pressure created from her serves. She led the team with a trio of aces along with 12 kills.

The Bears started evening by jumping out to an 11-5 lead and continued to hold onto their lead across the whole set. They finished the set on a 4-0 run, winning 25-20

Baylor carried the momentum into an 8-1 lead to start the second set. The Bears put it all together against North Texas, who had multiple blocks in the set but struggled across the board otherwise. A .370 hitting percentage in set two powered Baylor past the Mean Green in a commanding 25-13 win.

North Texas retaliated with its sharpest play in set three, getting out to its first two-point lead at 11-9 and then another at 24-22. Baylor’s electric play over the last eight points and costly serving errors from the Mean Green earn the Bears the deciding set, 28-26.

Rakhmanchik, sophomore libero Madison and junior opposite hitter Grace Carroll shined in Baylor’s first match under the gold-topped Ferrell Center. The Bears were the dominant force throughout the match, boasting a .252 hitting percentage compared to the Mean Green’s .138.

“I know that there’s a couple of wrinkles and kinks that we need to work through,” Carroll said. “But overall, I think that we’re in a great spot. Just training really, really hard every day in practice, I think that we’re doing super, super well.“

Baylor proved why they are a force on their home court, extending its home winning streak to seven matches, going back to Oct. 15, 2025 against Kansas State. The Bears are expecting a packed house in their next match against Florida.

“I’m so excited to play this game at home,” Carroll said. “Being a Saturday match, hopefully ten times the amount of people show up. I’m really excited to continue to advertise our games … like we say all the time, fill the Ferrell.”

The Bears will have a great chance to “fill the Ferrell” with a marquee matchup against No. 17 Florida at 1 p.m. Saturday.

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After a defensive first thirty minutes, which saw No. 22 Baylor’s defense get put on its heels as the offense struggled, junior defender Sydney Miller made her run to the LSU penalty box down the left side.

She placed a cross right to freshman forward Grace White’s head, lobbing it over the Tigers’ goalkeeper to give No. 22 Baylor a 1-0 lead in the 34th minute.

The Bears (5-1-0) continued to dominate on defense against the LSU (1-5-1) attack as they shut out the Tigers in a 2-0 win.

The Bears looked to pick up their third-straight win of the season after beating Pepperdine 3-1 on Sunday.

The Bears and Tigers opened the game in a defensive battle as both teams struggled to put points on the board.

LSU was only able to generate three shots in the first 30 minutes, while Baylor didn’t record their first shot until the 27^th minute of the game.

Fifth-year goalkeeper Azul Alvarez played a big role for Baylor out of the gate, blocking two of LSU’s shots to keep the game even.

The Bears caught a break on offense after a foul from LSU forward Berglind Hylnsdottir gave them a free kick. Sophomore midfielder Olivia Hess lined up for the kick and sent a great ball into the box, but Baylor missed an opportunity to go ahead in the 33rd minute.

Both teams kept the offensive attack up after White’s goal, combining for three shots in 10 minutes as they headed into halftime.

Both squads came out of the half right where they left off, with the offenses picking up the pace.

Senior midfielder Aryanna Jimison led the charge for the Bears, putting up two shots in the early stages of the second half but was unable to connect.

The Tigers responded with two shots of their own along with a pair of corner kicks, but once again Alvarez was in position to keep the Bears up one.

Baylor found itself in a great spot after LSU struggled to get back on defense on a breakaway, leaving senior forward Lauren Omholt one-on-one with the goalie. She slid a shot right past the goalie to extend the Bears’ lead. However, officials reviewed the play and overturned it to offside, leaving Baylor’s advantage at one.

The Tigers got their chance to make the score even when a yellow card was given to Miller, along with a free kick at the top of the box. LSU’s Alexia Hansen sent the ball close to the opposing goal, but Baylor’s defense held firm and kept its lead.

The Bears expanded their lead to two in the 78^th minute after a cross to senior forward Kate Runyon bounced off her to senior forward Theresa McCullogh, who put it into the bottom corner of the net.

Baylor’s defense held for the rest of the second half as it went on to win 2-0, securing their third straight win and season sweep of the SEC.

The Bears will look to pick up their fourth straight win as they return to Waco to face Marquette at 7 p.m. Thursday at Betty Lou Mays Field.

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Baylor track and field legend Michael Johnson talked to the Bears on Aug. 21. Heading into their season opener against Auburn, Johnson gave them a glimpse at some of the make-or-break moments he faced in his illustrious career.

“He talked about prior to his race, they would go into a call room,” head coach Dave Aranda said. “It would be a room just like there, and there would be him and the other runners. And he said, in that room, that races were won or lost there.”

The battle was not only on the track or a stopwatch. It was a fight between competitors and in his own mind.

“There’d be certain guys that would cause a scene and try to get you kind of off your game,” Aranda said. “There’d be other guys that would try to look at other guys in their eye and kind of get all caught up in that. And then for him, it was like, ‘My eyes are focused on, I’m running my race.’”

Baylor now faces a pivotal moment in its preparation against the Tigers, only a few days before the two sides meet in the Aflac Kickoff Game.

“There are very much elements of that as we get into the Thursday, Friday and Saturday morning,” Aranda said. “We’re in our call room, so to speak, and we’ve got to be able to prepare ourselves.”

It is new territory for the Bears, playing at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the first time since the venue opened in 2017. While getting the game plan set is their top priority, they are preparing mentally for one of college football’s premiere arenas.

“Don’t wait until game time to see the lights and see the big stadium,” fifth-year wide receiver Louis Brown IV said. “You should have thought about that before, leading up to [the game].”

Mercedes-Benz Stadium is physically a bigger stage for Baylor, boasting a 71,000-seat capacity compared to McLane Stadium’s 45,000. The Bears expect to play in front of a packed house in one of the more anticipated matchups in week one.

“The noise is probably going to be louder than what they’re used to in the spring or in the fall,” Aranda said. “It’s going to be keeping all that out and focused on their process and what they’ve got to do.”

Baylor is set to face an improved Tigers squad that survived by its defense. The unit ranked 30th nationally in yards allowed per game and 12th in rushing yards allowed.

Guiding the defense is junior linebacker Xavier Atkins. He was named All-SEC First Team last season, leading the Tigers with 84 tackles, 17 tackles for loss and nine sacks. Atkins recorded five tackles in a quarterback hit against Baylor in his Auburn debut.

“They’ve got a really good defensive line and one of the best linebackers I think we’ll see all year,” Aranda said. “Some guys returning, some guys that are new … so, a fair amount of challenges ahead.”

The Tigers’ secondary also brought back a veteran presence. Senior safety Champ Anthony looks to command downfield while senior cornerbacks Rayshawn Pleasant and Andre Jordan Jr. will man the outside.

“They play a lot of man,” Brown IV said. “[We have to] play with our eyes up, be physical, and when I’m in a one-on-one battle, when I want contested catches.”

The Bears’ defense looks to right the wrongs from last year’s opener. The group allowed former Auburn quarterback Jackson Arnold to rush for 137 yards and two touchdowns. It is now senior quarterback Byrum Brown at the helm of a new-look offense, rushing for over 1,000 yards and 14 touchdowns for South Florida the year prior.

“[It’s] having good rush lanes, having good eyes, just all the things that go into containing the QB,” junior linebacker Kyland Reed said. “It’s inevitable that he’s going to get out, but being able to limit that and keep that at bay, that’s the goal.”

Baylor will also be lined up against a familiar face for the first time. Junior running back Bryson Washington will serve as a backup to senior running back Jeremiah Cobb after transferring from the Bears in January.

“Anytime that you’re going against a former teammate, you want the best for them outside of that event that you’re both in,” Aranda said. “But in this game, we’re going to have to be able to stop him, and he’s tough to stop … He’s a tough runner, falls forward, all those things. So, we know what he’s going to bring.”

Baylor faces off against Auburn at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The game will be broadcast on ABC.

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Confidence and experience are the backbone of champions and Baylor cross country believes it has both in spades.

“With experience, you have a lot more consistency,” head coach David Barnett said. “There’s a big gap between your best race and your second best race. I’m definitely excited to see the upperclassmen step in and put it out there. I think the underclassmen will definitely follow their lead.”

One of the biggest changes for the Bears is the mentality they are bringing into this year.

“Last year, sometimes we weren’t as confident in what we can do,” senior Mackenize Browne said. “This year, I feel like we came back from the summer training with a great mindset, wanting to get at it and wanting to have better goals.”

The change in confidence has shown in the team’s practices leading into the season. The Bears have grown to support each other improve every day.

“Working together last year, it was uneasy,” Browne said. “This year, we grew to use each other to help each other get better. In the workouts, they just show because the workouts have been way better, the teamwork has been amazing.”

The Bears have 18 upperclassmen in total between the men and women’s teams coming into this season.

The men’s team has its No. 1 in junior Jack Sterrett and No. 2 runner in senior Straton Miller returning. Baylor believes it has the potential to go above and beyond this season with the experience gained from 2025.

“Jack’s probably our top guy, but we have a couple other guys that are in a similar situation,” Barnett said. “A couple years ago, we had a couple guys that were all-region. I think this year we have a couple seniors that are in a position they can do the same type of thing.”

Baylor looks to making noise nationally if its leaders consistently finish at the top.

“If you can get a couple guys that are all-region, all of a sudden you have a really good opportunity to have a good team,” Barnett said.

The women’s side sees the return of two-time South Central All-Region honoree junior Ruth Kimeli, who finished in the top 10 twice at the Arturio Barrios Invitational in College Station and at the NCAA South Central Region. Browne also makes her comeback after she went through a season ending heart surgery last year. Senior Eastern Kentucky transfer Khadijah Ennasri brings two individual wins at the Asbury and EKU invitationals in 2025.

With all of the depth and talent across the board, the women’s team looks to be one of the strongest in Barnett’s tenure with the Bears.

“On paper, it’s definitely the best,” Barnett said. “Top three as far as track time is concerned. Anytime you have national qualifiers coming back, that’s a big deal.”

Baylor takes its confidence and experience into their 2026 campaign on Friday at the Aggie Opener at the Watts Cross Country Course in College Station.

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The 2025 season for the Baylor women’s golf team proved to be yet another successful season in the Jay Goble era.

The Bears finished third in the NCAA Waco Regional, earning them their sixth consecutive trip to the NCAA championship. The Bears went on to finish 25^th at the NCAA championship, marking the end of another great season.

Now entering the 2026 season, the Bears will look to continue this success and improve on what they did last year.

The Bears are once again led by head coach Jay Goble. Now in his 15^th season with the program, Goble has built the Bears into one of the nation’s best. He has led them to their first conference championship, first NCAA regional title, first No. 1 national ranking and the only three top 10 NCAA championship finishes in history.

But while Goble gets this team ready to compete in tournaments all over the country, his main focus is building a sense of chemistry between him and his young roster.

“All of them have had lots of success around the world playing golf, so I think the bigger thing for us is we need to get to know each other as a group,” Goble said. “We need to understand and try to learn what makes each other tick and what I and my assistant can do to help them improve.”

Creating that chemistry looks like a tough task as the Baylor bring in four freshmen this fall and one in the spring, making up half of the Bears’ roster. Freshmen Abigail May and Sofie Nooij will be some of the new faces competing.

“A typical recruiting class for me is one or two, and to have five is a little bit insane,” Goble said. “But I know how talented they are, and I know how much high-level tournament golf experience they have, so I feel confident that at some point we’re going to be really awesome.”

While the roster may have half freshman, the Bears roster will still feature familiar faces from a year ago.

Senior Yurang Li and junior Malena Castro will be key returners for this Baylor team. They will become veteran presences for the newcomers.

“I think that if they can lead by example in what they do in practice and what they do when they’re playing on the golf course, then they could be really good leaders,” Goble said.

The Bears are also in the process of bringing back Bridget Boczar. She is currently working on getting her fifth year of eligibility, hoping to add another veteran player to a talented and young roster.

“I can tell you that if we can add Bridget to the lineup, then we are going to be really tough to beat,” Goble said. “She’s a veteran player. She’s playing the best golf of her life right now, and I think more importantly she’s just an absolute workhorse.”

As the Bears head into the start of the season looking strong on paper, Goble is focused more on the improvement of his players than immediate tournament wins.

“If we come out and win next week in Charleston, that would be great,” Goble said. “But also, I would love to see this group grow as players over the year and play their best golf in April and May.”

The Bears will open their new season on Sept. 7 at the Charleston Intercollegiate in Charleston, South Carolina.

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Name, image and likeness have been the three most prevalent words surrounding college sports over the past five years.

NIL has taken many forms and shapes as schools and athletic departments across the country have tried to navigate it, including the landmark House v. NCAA settlement that allowed the athletic departments to directly share revenue with student-athletes.

In its most basic form, NIL is meant to allow athletes to make money off brand deals and third parties that they participate in. In his first year as Peach Bowl, Inc., CEO, David Epps changed the NIL landscape by providing Auburn players around $6 million in compensation around their appearance in the Aflac Kickoff game against Baylor.

“We and Auburn looked at an opportunity to move the game from Auburn to Atlanta, putting it on a bigger stage,” Epps said. “[It] gave us a chance to start to do true NIL and work with student-athletes.”

The game was originally scheduled at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama, as the second part of a home-and-home series between the Bears and Tigers. Epps explained that Auburn gets the focus of the money distributed because it agreed to move its home game to Atlanta.

The Tigers have been involved in multiple media appearances, ticket sales promotions, billboards around Atlanta and other online appearances.

“It was a big process when you’re looking at potentially a couple of a dozen players, and you’re looking at how do you properly utilize those guys,” Epps said. “You basically look at a traditional marketing mix of how you might promote a game … and when you can tap into a student-athlete, it helps lend some authenticity to what you’re doing.”

Baylor gets the benefit of more exposure in one of college football’s most utilized markets. Atlanta has hosted the 2018 and 2025 College Football Playoff National Championships and the College Football Hall of Fame along with the annual Peach Bowl.

“It gave Baylor a chance to come into the Southeast, in the Atlanta area, which is always good for exposure and elevation of the brand,” Epps said. “Baylor has a ton of fans and alumni in Atlanta, so I think it’s a nice opportunity for Baylor to reach out to this community.”

Atlanta is home to around 1,200 Baylor alumni, making the city one of the largest out-of-state hubs of former Bears.

Baylor also gets to play in one of the most viewed TV broadcast slots in college football. The SEC on ABC game at 2:30 p.m. CT averaged 7.8 million viewers per week last season.

“You get to play in a high-profile neutral site matchup that brings a lot of eyeballs to that middle Saturday afternoon ABC time slot,” Epps said.

Peach Bowl, Inc., is not only giving to the players; it is also supporting charitable causes. The Aflac Kickoff Game includes its “Kickoff for a Cause” initiative, where proceeds will go to childhood cancer awareness and treatment near the beginning of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

The game will feature Heisman Trophy winners Robert Griffin III and Cam Newton to represent their alma maters as honorary captains. The pair of legendary quarterbacks will have multiple children who are battling cancer by their side.

“One of the other things we do is we bring some former or current patients who have gone through a struggle with childhood cancer,” Epps said. “When RGIII comes out from the Baylor side, he’s going to have a couple of kids with him, and the same thing on Cam’s side.”

The Aflac Kickoff game presents a premier matchup on the field with notable storylines to make it one of the best products in week one. Both sides have seen drastic changes to their rosters and coaching staffs, and Baylor looks to avenge its 38-24 loss to Auburn in last season’s opener.

Neither team looks to ease into the matchup. They want to make a splash on primetime to start their seasons.

“A lot of years, coaches and teams ease into week one, and you can afford to not be at your best,” Epps said. “With a matchup like this, what coaches tell us is that it focuses their entire offseason. It makes sure that they understand, ‘Hey, when we come out of the gate, we got to be firing on all cylinders.”

The Bears have incorporated the unfamiliar territory into their preparation. Head coach Dave Aranda has helped his players prepare for every aspect of their game day schedule.

“It is important to recognize that it’s going to look different,” Aranda said. “The stadium is going to look different, the environment will look different, but our prep is going to stay the same.”

While it is going to be a battle on the gridiron, Aranda and new Auburn head coach Alex Golesh have shown their support for each other in their meeting a few months prior to the game.

“I had a chance to sit down with him. So, I’m a big fan of his,” Aranda said. “Seems like a really good person underneath the coach. We were talking about it earlier that college football probably needs more guys like him.”

Baylor opens its season against the Tigers at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

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Baylor has had the season opener circled on its calendar, vying for retribution against an Auburn team that got the best of the Bears in 2025.

That game still does not sit right with some of Baylor’s returners, even a year past the previous matchup.

“I’ve watched [last year’s film] about 100 times,” senior punter Palmer Williams said. “I want to play better against them; I want to play good every game, but I’d really like to do well on Saturday.”

While both teams have a lot of new faces, there is still a sense of urgency around the practice facility about getting even with Auburn in Week 1.

Last year’s game is in the rearview, and the Bears can only control what’s in the windshield, which is preparing in every way possible.

“There’s not a lot of anxiety,” Williams said. “We’re doing a lot of visualization. We even got videos of the locker room to walk in in Atlanta. Everybody’s going through their process. I feel like when we get there on Saturday, this isn’t going to be the first time we play this game.”

Baylor does not want to find itself starstruck by the bright lights of Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The players are trying to strictly adhere to their routines from the moment they step into the building. Sticking to the team’s plans for gameday is vital for the Bears to perform.

While the physical preparation is certainly important, preparing the mind remains equally key before hitting the field.

“We want to be more mentally prepared than anybody,” junior linebacker Kyland Reed said. “Coach [Aranda] is taking extra steps to get us mentally prepared, so we’re going to be prepared.”

If Baylor has taken a step up over the offseason, it has a prime opportunity to prove it facing off against a familiar foe.

“It’s hard to say where we are [as a team] because we haven’t been on the field together,” Reed said. “You can say anything on paper, but you got to get on that field, you got to play, you got to line up.”

Auburn exposed the Baylor defense on the ground last year, mostly by quarterback Jackson Arnold, who rushed for 137 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Fifth-year quarterback Byrum Brown is also a dual threat for the Tigers this season and a problem for the Bears’ defense to solve.

“I think that having a game plan and sticking to it,” Reed said. “Having good rush lanes, having good eyes, just all the things that go into containing the QB. I think that it’s inevitable that he’s going to get out. But being able to limit that and kind of keep that at bay, I think that’s the goal.”

While many eyes are looking for the program to take a step forward, the excitement within the team lifts the players.

“We want to put the pressure on us,” fifth-year wide receiver Louis Brown IV said. “I feel like we are going to go out and win games … We’ve been working leading up to this time, so we’re ready for it.”

Baylor looks to prove its offseason strides against Auburn at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

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In the front of TCU football’s stadium reads the name “Amon G. Carter.”

Carter led the effort to move the Horned Frogs into a new venue in the late 1920s, leading to the stadium’s opening in 1930. The newspaperman and entrepreneur also united the Fort Worth Star and Telegram to create the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, which became one of the more dominant papers in Texas.

The Horned Frogs football honored Carter by naming the stadium after him in 1951.

That is almost a century of connection between TCU football and the Star-Telegram. That tenured relationship broke on August 26 when Star-Telegram Sports Editor Jim Barnes wrote that TCU rescinded the newspaper’s credentials to cover Horned Frogs athletics after the newspaper reported on an Aug. 13 locker–room altercation between safety Jacob Fields, who was dismissed from the program, and wide receiver Dozie Ezukanma.

The Star-Telegram published a series of articles, covering Fields’ dismissal and arrest, Ezukanma’s hospitalization and what led to the fight. Barnes also wrote that a TCU athletics spokesman said the credentials were being pulled because the coverage led to the Ezukanma receiving threats.

The Horned Frogs have received waves of backlash across the college football and sports media worlds over their decision to ban the Star-Telegram.

It seems that removing the Star-Telegram’s credentials has only made the situation worse for TCU. While negative press was imminent after the newspaper reported on the incident and wrote that Ezukanma was not taken to the hospital until almost two hours after the assault, the decision from the athletics department only added fuel to the fire.

It no longer became an issue with one player assaulting another. Rather, it became a debate on sports journalism and covering darker moments within a team. This ordeal has boiled over to how a university’s athletics department responds to honest, but uncomfortable, reporting.

Journalism as a whole is built on reporting the truth. Sports journalism is no exception. Sports writers and reporters have a duty to cover news accurately and ethically, even if that leads to negative press for a team or department that is involved.

The response from TCU should also discourage fans. Whether supporters of the Horned Frogs or those who are just college football enjoyers, they rely on truthful reporting from print, digital and broadcast journalism. This decision feels as though they are being stripped of a small piece of accurate reporting.

The Horned Frogs are also at an even bigger disadvantage with the consistent press. They dropped their season opener on Saturday to North Carolina 15-10. It seems like the assault, along with the fight between TCU athletics and the media, only creates more distractions as the team tries to work its way back into the win column.

TCU banning the Star-Telegram is a loss for all sides. The Horned Frogs receive even more negative attention and backlash, the newspaper has been punished for doing its job and the fans receive a small hit in their trust of sports reporting and its relationship to athletics departments.

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It is a new era for Baylor men’s golf.

Former head coach Mike McGraw left behind 11 seasons with the Bears when he retired in January, halfway through the 2025-26 season.

The legendary coach finished his 40-year career in high school and college golf and handed the reigns off to interim head coach Ryan Murphy for the remainder of last season.

This year’s six-man squad will be operating under new head coach Jean-Paul Hebert, who was brought on by athletic director Doug McNamee in May of this year. The Texas native brings over two decades of experience with multiple NCAA titles to his name.

“I know Jean-Paul is going to do a great job with this program,” McGraw said. “I sort of helped with the foundation, if you will, but he’s going to take it to new heights.”

Hebert is inheriting five returners to the program: fifth-year Jonas Appel, sophomore Patrick Babb, senior Alex Heard, junior Martin Kemp and senior Davis Ovard. Sophomore Tyler Sanford is set to compete in his first season with the Bears after signing in 2024. Hebert believes the veteran experience of the squad will help it compete.

“[I’m] mostly hands-off as a coach,” Hebert said. “I want as much of their own trust and development to come from within them. I coach them as individuals as well. We’re competing as a team, but it’s an individual game.”

Hebert and his team have a demanding 10-event regular season ahead of them that spans through the month of May.

“Big 12 is a very, very competitive golf conference, like it is with other sports,” Hebert said. “We have to continue to do things right and stand out in every way that we can.”

The Bears have been competing in the middle of the pack in the conference over the past decade, with 2024 being the only top-5 finish during their 25-year title drought. McNamee trusts that Hebert can flip the script in 2026.

“A proven winner, [Hebert] is successful; Texas was obviously a huge success when he was there,” McNamee said. “Won at UNLV; that was important, being a head coach. He was a naturally gifted leader in that regard.”

Hebert and company will have the opportunity to prove themselves against decorated programs like Stanford and Cal at the Bombs Darts Birds Collegiate in Chandler, Arizona, on September 7-8.

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Baylor came into 2025 with hopes of contending for a Big 12 championship that quickly turned into disappointment after the Bears went 5-7.

This sent the Bears into rebuild mode over the offseason with new coaches, new players and a change in schemes.

While the new players and coaches might be the most eye-catching changes for this new season, a culture change is taking place behind the scenes for Baylor as it get ready for the season.

This culture shift started months before the start of the season when the Bears were still pushing through the grind of spring workouts. Head coach Dave Aranda credited the improvements in the team’s speed and strength leading into the season opener.

“There’s all these guys that were running 21 mph, like 60-some guys compared to 18 from last year,” Aranda said. “You look at all the power clean number from last year to this year, it’s almost tripled.”

This change of culture has not been limited to between the end zones. Aranda and his staff saw that a change needed to be made in the classroom.

“Look at all the transfers we got, and a lot of guys never being in just on-campus classes prior to coming to Baylor,” Aranda said. “In the spring, we had team GPA record.”

Junior quarterback DJ Lagway was one of the players that took strides academically once he came onto Baylor’s campus in the spring. He told USA Today Sports that he never set foot in a classroom while at Florida, making him feel like he was “in a bubble” in Gainesville. He felt more comfortable returning to in-person classes at Baylor without dealing with mobs of fans like he did at his former school.

Establishing a new culture in the locker room is vital to Aranda, who is bringing in 32 new players to his roster.

“I think the leadership, the culture, the mental prep, those have been our big three things,” Aranda said.

After building a culture that demands growth on and off the field, the goal now becomes putting it to the test when it is time to put on the pads.

“We want to master the preparations and put us in a great position,” Aranda said. “When the game starts, we play free and play fast.”

Aranda is certain his team’s culture will streamline game days for his players and help them perform each week.

“I think the confidence for the guys is going to come and knowing what their routine is and executing it under any type of stage,” Aranda said.

Baylor opens its season against Auburn at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The game will be broadcast on ABC.

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College football is back

The long wait for another season of college football is back. While eyes were on week zero across the country and across the pond in Dublin, the Bears are gearing up for their week one rematch against Auburn.

Baylor suffered the opening loss to the Tigers last year 38-24 under the shine of the returning gold chrome helmets. The Bears now look to avenge the defeat, heading eastbound and down to Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the Aflac Kickoff Game at 2:30 p.m. Saturday. The focus will lie on both quarterbacks in the upcoming matchup. South Florida transfer Byrum Brown followed his head coach Alex Golesh to the SEC. Florida transfer DJ Lagway is set to make his first start for his father’s alma mater, looking to turn his career around after two underwhelming seasons with the Gators.

Expectations for Baylor may not be as high as they were leading into 2025, but it is now time to be glued to your couch on Saturdays with full slates of college football each week until late January.

Soccer gets back on track

It has been a roller coaster when it comes to Baylor soccer and the top 25. The Bears began the season unranked, but wins over then-No. 10 Arkansas and Texas A&M helped them leap into the No. 6 spot a week later. Baylor then dropped its second home match of the season to Texas State, falling right back out of the rankings after reaching the highest spot in program history.

The Bears did not let the one loss get to them. They pulled off a comeback against Texas in Austin behind second-half goals from senior midfielder Aryanna Jimison and senior forward Theresa McCullough to return to the win column.

Baylor continued its strong week with a Sunday night matchup against Pepperdine. Both sides came out of the gates swinging with goals in the first five minutes of the match. It took two late-game goals to give Baylor back-to-back victories. The Bears look to continue their winning ways against LSU at 7 p.m. Thursday in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Volleyball hangs three in Hawaii

While it is consistently hitting over 100 degrees in Waco, No. 21 Baylor volleyball hit the sand and waves of Hawaii to begin its 2026 season.

The Bears began the week hanging 10 and hitting the waves before their weekend slate. They turned around and took care of business, taking all three matches, including a win over Hawaii and former Baylor assistant coach Joshua Walker.

This is only the beginning for the now-sophomore trio of Ksenia Rakhmanchik, Bailey Warren and Morgan Madison, who made waves throughout college volleyball as freshmen in 2025. The Bears play their home opener at 7 p.m. Thursday against North Texas at the Ferrell Center.

Syllabus week is over, but so is a slow sports schedule. Fall athletics is getting into full swing for Baylor and can keep you busy while you try to avoid studying for that class you weren’t sure you wanted to take.

Let’s have another good week.

—Jeffrey Cohen

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The weekend started with No. 21 Baylor volleyball hanging 10 and hitting the waves of Hawaii.

The Bears escaped the harsh Waco heat for an island paradise before opening the 2026 season.

Baylor (3-0) hung three wins at the Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Volleyball Classic to open the year undefeated, capping off the weekend with a 3-1 win over Georgia Southern (0-3).

The Bears swept San Diego in a match that saw three tightly contested sets to open their season. They took down the Toreros by a combined seven points with a final score of 26-23, 34-32, 25-23. Sophomore outside hitter Ksenia Rakhmanchik connected on the deciding kill in the third set.

Baylor faced off against Hawaii, who was being led by the Bears’ former associate head coach Joshua Walker, on Saturday night. The second match went back-and-forth with the hosts. Baylor went the distance with Hawaii, winning 25-17, 14-25, 25-22, 23-25, 15-9.

Finishing out the weekend against Georgia Southern on Sunday, the Bears got out to an early lead with four service aces, recording more than they did throughout the Hawaii match. Their dominance at the baseline propelled them to a 25-22 victory in the first set.

Baylor capitalized on its momentum as the Bears opened the second set with a 14-7 lead. The Eagles made a push in the middle of the set to close the gap to 15-13. Baylor remained firm, finishing the set on a 5-0 run and a service ace from senior middle blocker Victoria Davis to take the second set 25-16.

The Bears looked to end the night on a sweep, but the Eagles fought back. The set went down to a 24-21 Georgia Southern lead until they made two costly errors. Baylor had a chance to take advantage down by one, but sophomore middle blocker Alex Myers closed the set with a kill to give the Eagles a 25-23 third-set victory.

The Bears bounced back in the fourth set with a chance to close out the match. Both sides were neck-and-neck toward the end, but Baylor went on a 4-1 run that was bookended by a Rakhmanchik kill to finish the set 25-21 and secure the win 3-1.

Baylor closed out its opening tournament undefeated as both offense and defense shined, with Rakhmanchik extending her double-digit kills streak to 12 and Davis recording a career-high 10 blocks against Hawaii.

Baylor returns to Waco for its home opener against North Texas at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Ferrell Center.

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