Volleyball: TCU splits conference series against UCF

TCU volleyball continued Big 12 Conference action against UCF this past week, splitting two road matches with the Knights and moving to 13-10 overall this season. The Horned Frogs, who also moved to 6-6 in the conference, conceded a 3-1 loss on Thursday before bouncing back with a 3-1 win on Friday to share the two-game conference series. TCU managed to win one match against UCF despite playing without two starters including setter Riley Buckley and outside hitter Melanie Parra, who have missed action due to recent injuries.

Thursday: UCF 3, TCU 1

A first-set win wasn’t enough for the Horned Frogs on Thursday, with UCF rallying off three straight set victories to hand TCU a 25-19, 22-25, 19-25, 16-25 loss. Audrey Nalls shined in the absence of Melanie Parra, leading the Horned Frog offense with 23 kills while adding 12 digs on defense for a double-double. Nalls recorded an outstanding .478 hitting percentage for the TCU offense, which struggled overall with a .153 hitting percentage against the Knights. Freshman setter Lily Nicholson dished out 38 assists in her third consecutive start, while Cecily Bramschreiber and Jalyn Gibson each finished with 12 digs for the TCU defense. UCF pressured the Horned Frogs behind the service line, forcing seven receiving errors.

Friday: TCU 3, UCF 1

Jalyn Gibson was the star of the show on Friday, when the Horned Frogs scored a 25-12, 25-22, 27-29, 25-18 win to avoid the conference sweep against the Knights. Gibson tallied a career-best 23 kills while recording a .405 hitting percentage to lead the TCU offense. Cecily Bramschreiber anchored the Horned Frog defense with 22 digs and freshman Lily Nicholson continued to serve passes around the court, finishing the win with 45 assists. Audrey Nalls added 12 kills and Taylor Raiola scored 10 kills to aid the Horned Frog offense, which turned in an improved performance from Thursday with a .278 hitting percentage. In addition to recording 10 service aces, TCU finished with only one receiving error in the win. The Horned Frogs also won without committing a single ball handling or blocking error.