After a disappointing start to the conference portion of the season, the volleyball team travels to Waco, Texas, for a match against the Baylor Bears at 1 p.m. Saturday.

On Wednesday night, the Wildcats (6-5, 0-1) opened up Big 12 Conference play with a four-set loss to Oklahoma (8-2, 1-0). Head coach Susie Fritz said she felt the team never really got comfortable during the loss.

"[The Sooners] are really a tenacious defensive team; they keep you off balance and play with great spontaneity, so it's hard to really feel comfortable," Fritz said. "I didn't feel like we ever got in any kind of rhythm or were ever at any point in the match comfortable last night."

That lack of rhythm sets the stage for a key matchup against the Bears, who on Wednesday lost to the Texas Longhorns in their season opener in a game between unbeaten teams. Baylor is ranked No. 24 in the College Sports TV and American Volleyball Coaches Association poll. Fritz had high praise for the Bears, who return many key players on this year's roster.

"They're very good," she said. "They've got everybody back. They've got two very capable outside hitters and their setter is a very nice player. Anna Breyfogle is an all-conference type of player in the middle. I think they've got very good balance and can pose a lot of challenges."

In 2008, the Wildcats fared well against Baylor. They won in Manhattan 3-1, followed it up with a 3-2 victory in Waco and won the fifth set 21-19 after losing the first two sets of the match. Senior middle blocker Kelsey Chipman remembered that game when asked about recent highlights against the Bears.

"It was a really intense game," Chipman said. "That game sticks out most in my mind from last year. They're a really great team and they just keep on fighting. They've been together a very long time. It's going to be a big challenge for us."

She said the Wildcats are less experienced in terms of playing together, which could cause problems as they play their first conference road match.

"They're really in sync with each other," Chipman said. "They've been together for a long time and we're a new team. We're trying to figure each other out still. It's a hard place to play because they're a very good team and we still have to come out and do some big things to beat them."

The Wildcats have not started the conference season with two losses since the 2006 season, when they went 0-9 in their first nine conference matches. After Saturday's match, the Wildcats return home to face the Texas Tech Red Raiders in Ahearn Field House.