Led by sophomore Jordyn Vaughn with 19 kills and four aces, Sam Houston took the Big 12 Conference's Baylor to five sets before falling 25-21 21-25 20-25 25-19 15-9 in both team's opening action at the Bears' volleyball invitational in Waco this weekend.

Brooke White added 11 kills and Michelle Griffith accounted for seven as the Bearkats totaled 51 kills in 153 attempts in the match. Griffith totaled 39 assists. Claire Kilpatrick led the defense with 22 digs. Shelly Fanning led Baylor with 17 kills. The Bears now stand 3-1 for the year while Sam Houston owns a 3-2 mark.

The first set was tied eight times with the Bearkats holding early leads at 3-2 and 4-3 and later going up by a two-point margin, 18-16. A block by Genung and White gave Sam Houston its last tie at 20-20. Baylor rallied to win four of the final five points to take the opening set 25-21.

Sam Houston started strong in the second set, going on a four-point run at 3-3 and never relinquishing the lead. The Bearkats built six-point leads twice, at 18-12 on a kill by Genung and 22-16 on a Griffith put-away. Baylor fought back to cut the margin to 22-19. But two kills by White and another by Genung in the final four points evened the match at one set apiece.

Another quick start gave Sam Houston a 4-2 lead in the third. But Baylor evened at 4-4 and the two teams traded side-outs six times before the Bears strung three points together for a 15-11 lead. The Kats roared back, taking an 18-17 lead on a kill by Amanda Gooch. An ace by Vaughn sparked a 7-2 run to finish the third set with Sam Houston taking it by a 25-20 margin.

Baylor never trailed in the fifth set after breaking a 3-3 tie with a 6-2 run. The Bears' largest lead was 22-15. Sam Houston cut the margin to five, 24-19 with a 4-2 run but the Bears forced a fifth set 25-19.

The Bearkats face Cal Poly at 12:30 p.m. and Coppin State at 4:30 p.m. Saturday.