Junior JuliAnne Chisholm led the Wildcats' offensive attack with eight kills, while Kelsey Chipman hit a team-leading .267 on the evening with five kills.
Baylor's Elizabeth Graham led the match with 12 kills while hitting a match-leading .455.
With the loss, the Wildcats dropped to 8-12 overall and 2-8 in Big 12 play.
The Wildcats had their opportunities. Late in the final set, down 2-1 and tied at 24-all, K-State pushed the match into extra points with a kill by senior middle blocker Kelsey Chipman.
The Wildcats would continue to trade points with the Bears, eventually falling to Baylor 30-28 on two consecutive scores by Baylor after the Wildcats managed a 28-27 lead.
But it was the composure that K-State showed during the final points of the match that K-State head coach Suzie Fritz said she was pleased to see.
"We were composed late in that set," Fritz said. "Which I think shows some growth and maturity for this team.
"That's a heated battle right there, and we were scrapping. Late in [set] four we were bettering the situation a lot more."
It was the situation such as late in the fourth set that Fritz was pleased with. Her team, which has struggled with growing pains throughout the season, displayed some signs of growth in Ahearn Saturday evening as they battled with a seasoned Baylor squad.
"I was very pleased with the way we started off," Fritz said after the match. "I felt like we were very composed and really felt like we were in control of that first game, which has been lacking through a good portion of this season; so I was very encouraged by the way we started that match."
That fast start came behind a .345 hitting percentage as K-State built its momentum off a 6-0 run late in the set. The run gave the Wildcats a 22-17 lead and propelled them to the 25-18 victory and 1-0 lead in the set.
That momentum carried straight into the second set as well as the Wildcats led for the majority of the first-half of set-two. Yet after tying the set at 13 points apiece, the Bears strung together a devastating 14-3 run to close out the second set and tie the match at one set apiece.
It was momentum that the Wildcats struggled with for the following three sets. It never saw a lead in the third set, and missed an opportunity to push the match into a deciding fifth set.
"I definitely think we did (miss an opportunity). Especially at the end of that last (set)." Sophomore Abby Fay said.
The Wildcats will look to rebound next week when they travel to Columbia, Mo., Wednesday to face Missouri. K-State defeated Missouri in its first meeting in Manhattan in four sets.
