It seemed as though GPS managed to stay with undefeated and nationally ranked Baylor throughout most of Wednesday's Division II-AA East/Middle Region volleyball match at Baylor.
That's until looking at the final set scores and seeing the Bruisers were outscored by a total of 26 points.
The Lady Red Raiders won their 12th consecutive match to start the season by defeating the Bruisers 25-17, 25-17, 25-15.
Even though GPS owned just three leads the entire match - all one-point leads, all early in the third set, the last at 3-2 - the Bruisers never seemed out of any set for the majority of it. Then came the latter stages.
"I'm never confident until the end," said Baylor coach Sarah Lail, whose team recently moved into the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 rankings at No. 24. "I've seen so many volleyball matches where momentum shifts and a team gets on a roll. Crazy things can happen."
GPS (9-6, 2-4) came back from a seven-point deficit in the first set and got within 15-13, prompting a Baylor timeout. The second set was tied five times, the last at 15, and again the Bruisers were within 15-13 in the third.
From each of those stages in the match, Baylor outscored GPS by a total of 30-8.
"We just try to focus on the next point," Lail said. "We try not to get ahead of ourselves. We want to focus on each point, but we are hopeful of getting two or three points to their one."
Baylor (3-0 DII-AA East/Middle) closed out the match by scoring the last five points. The next-to-last two were on aces by Denver Rogers.
"It's all mental," GPS coach Alfie Dodd said. "We need a little bit of floor leadership, right there at the end especially, when they have those runs of two and three points. Somebody's got to step up and want the ball, expecially when it comes to passing and serve-receiving."
In addition to serving three aces, Rogers also led the Lady Raiders with 11 kills. Ally Craig was next with eight kills, and she joined Sarah Sumida and Laura Kate May with 11 digs each. Sumida also totaled 34 assists.
Lilly Berger, who tore an ACL early last year, led GPS with 10 kills. Dodd said the physical gifts are still there. She just has to trust them mentally.
"We rely on her a lot," Dodd said. "Once she gets mentally tougher, she's going to be hard to stop."
Presslee Brooksbank was the Bruisers' digs leader with 18, and Emma Moore was the assists leader with 22.
Contact Kelley Smiddie at ksmiddie@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6653. Follow him on Twitter @KelleySmiddie.