HONOLULU - In a match where each set was decided by two points, the No. 25 Cal volleyball team fell to Baylor on Friday night, 25-23, 26-24, 25-23 on the first night of the Wahine Volleyball Classic.

The Bears (1-2) were in position to win each set but couldn't close it out. They cut a 24-20 deficit to 24-23 in the first set before falling. In the second set, Cal led 24-23 after a service ace by freshman Nikki Gombar, but Baylor (4-0) was able to come back for the victory. The Bears cut a 24-21 deficit to 24-23 in the third set but fell.

"That's probably the most disappointing thing, that we weren't able to close out a couple of those sets," Cal coach Rich Feller said. "We could not do it. We wanted a couple of people to step up, and that didn't happen."

Setter Joan Caloiaro led the Bears with nine opportune kills, 22 assists and five digs. Adrienne Gehan, who entered the night leading the Pac-12 in kills per game after the first week of the season, had seven kills and five digs.

"(Caloiaro) was our bright spot offensively," Feller said. "She has a little moxy."

Opposite Correy Johnson made her season-debut after missing the first two matches of the season with a stress reaction in her leg. She entered the match to begin the third set and finished with five kills on seven attempts.

The Bears got off to a strong start in both the second and third set, staking themselves to a 5-1 lead each time. But Baylor, which has advanced to two of the past three NCAA Tournaments, battled back to turn each set into a back-and-forth affair the rest of the way.

"Technically, there wasn't that much we needed to do different," Feller said. "Granted, we have a lot of youngsters out there. But we need to have a little more cohesiveness."

Cal continues play in the Wahine Volleyball Classic on Saturday night with a match against Bay Area counterpart USF. First serve is 8 p.m. PT.