Beach Volleyball: TCU cruises through Horned Frog Challenge & FIU Surf N Turf Invitational

The newly #1 nationally ranked TCU Beach Volleyball team remained undefeated as they hosted Southern Miss and #4 LSU in Fort Worth in their 2023 home opener. The Frogs did not drop a set against Southern Miss, going 6-0 across all matchups and 40-47 of all sets played. Each pairing won decisively against Southern Miss, including a few new pairings of Maria Gonzalez and Josie Sek and Sutton MacTavish and Ana Vergara.

Up next was another face off with top 5 LSU, where TCU cleaned up and while it was not a sweep, the 4-1 victory demonstrated the dominance of the Frogs against other competitive teams. Although some matches went three sets, TCU went 3-0 in matches that carried to the third set, proving the Frogs tenacity in the face of adversarial circumstances. Daniela Alvarez and Tania Moreno clinched the victory for TCU—where the pairing remained unbeaten when facing ranked opponents. Their performance this week earned the duo back-to-back Pair of the Week honors from the governing body.

This past weekend, TCU headed to Miami to participate in the FIU Surf ‘n Turf Invitational with a stacked slate of opponents including #2 USC, and 14^th and 15^th ranked Florida International and Florida Atlantic. Once again, the Frogs cleaned up, winning each matchup, including a close call with tournament host, FIU.

TCU kicked off the tournament against #2 USC, a team riding a 46 match win streak and nipping at the Frogs’ heels in the standings. Until Friday, TCU had never beaten USC, but walked away with a 4-1 win including dynamic duo Alvarez and Moreno crushing the #1 position matchup and extending their ranked opponent win streak to 5 matches. Rochelle Scott and Haley Brockett clinched the match in a thrilling three-set victory after dropping the first and rallying in the third, 15-10.

After dismantling USC, TCU faced tournament host FIU where Scott and Brockett maintained momentum and took the first points in a straight set victory—their seventh win as partners. Although TCU dropped two points to an opponent for the first time this season, the team fought hard and clinched their match with a straight set win and set the Frogs up to sweep with an easier slate of opponents in day 2 of the invitational.

To wrap up the FIU Invitational, TCU dominated the second day, winning 20 of 21 sets played and sweeping both #15 Florida Atlantic and Jacksonville. Only one matchup went to a third set on the second day, with Rochelle Scott and Haley Brockett making short work in the final frame and bringing the Frogs one matchup away from the sweep of FAU. With the sweeps this weekend, TCU notched its 11^th and 12^th of the season and third over ranked opponents—tying their program record from 2022. In addition, six Frogs had undefeated weekends, illustrating the dominance the program is showcasing right now.

This weekend, TCU heads back home to host The Fight in the Fort against three ranked opponents (#14 FIU, #11 Cal, #7 GCU) and Texas. With a sweep of any of the ranked opponents this weekend, Beach Volleyball will set a new record for themselves and appear to be stronger than ever heading into the second third of the beach volleyball season.