Volleyball: TCU rallies for road win over Oklahoma

The TCU volleyball team traveled for a road match against Oklahoma on Wednesday before heading east to take on West Virginia on Sunday. Despite facing a two-set deficit against the Sooners, TCU rallied for a narrow third-set victory, which sparked a run of three consecutive set victories to secure a 3-2 reverse sweep of the Sooners. The Horned Frogs engaged in another five-set match against the Mountaineers on Sunday, with TCU losing its lead in the fifth set and suffering a 3-2 loss. The Horned Frogs (12-7, 5-3 Big 12) return home for a two-game series against ranked opponents in No. 7 Texas and No. 16 Kansas this week.

Wednesday: TCU 3, Oklahoma 2

A block and a kill from Audrey Nalls allowed the Horned Frogs to seal their 29-27 comeback over Oklahoma during the third set. TCU took advantage of the newfound momentum and took the fourth and fifth sets without outside hitter Melanie Parra, compiling a conference-best 22 blocks as a team to outlast the Sooners for a 22-25, 23-25, 29-27, 25-23, 15-13 win. Nalls finished with 13 kills and 12 digs for a double-double, while Jalyn Gibson followed with 11 kills and 12 digs for a double-double of her own. The 22 blocks for the Horned Frogs were the third-most in a single match in school history and the most for any Big 12 team in a match this season. Riley Buckley dished out 39 assists, while Sarah Sylvester totaled a team-high nine blocks. Brianna Green and Jalyn Gibson each added seven blocks.

Sunday: West Virginia 3, TCU 2

A season-high 22 kills from Audrey Nalls weren’t enough for the Horned Frogs to bring home a victory against the Mountaineers on Sunday. Despite four players reaching double figures in both kills and digs, TCU was unable to build on its 2-1 set lead, with West Virginia taking the fourth and fifth sets to hand the Horned Frogs a 30-28, 32-34, 25-16, 21-25, 11-15 loss. Nalls landed a double-double with 22 kills and 18 digs, while Taylor Raiola enjoyed her strongest performance of the season in Melanie Parra’s absence, totaling 17 kills and 21 digs for a double-double. Brianna Green recorded 14 kills and Julia Adams added 11 kills to move into sixth on TCU’s all-time kills leaderboard. Riley Buckley and Lily Nicholson shared setting duties in the West Virginia match, with Nicholson earning a season-high 36 assists while Buckley added 23 assists. Cecily Bramschreiber compiled a season-high 28 digs.