TCU Volleyball Season Recap

The Frogs advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season.

TCU Volleyball recently finished up the 2024 season that saw the Frogs finish in the top five of a loaded Big 12 conference and reach the second round of the NCAA tournament. Led by Big 12 Player of the Year and First Team All-American Outside Hitter Melanie Parra, TCU took a major step forward, winning five more games than they did in 2023. The Frogs were stout at home going 14-1 in Schollmaier Arena and finished with a solid conference record of 13-5 and an overall record of 22-8.

Regular Season

The Frogs kicked off their 2024 campaign with a trip to Lincoln, Nebraska for the Ameritas Players Challenge where they faced off against Oklahoma and Nebraska. TCU first took down the Sooners in four sets thanks to a 20-kill, seven-ace performance from Parra and a 40-assist, 12-dig performance from Lily Nicholson. The number two-ranked Cornhuskers handed the Frogs their first loss of the season in the next game in four sets. The Big 12/Big Ten Challenge in Waco, Texas was next on the schedule where TCU first matched up with number six-ranked Wisconsin and lost in five sets. Despite the loss, Parra led all players in kills and digs with 21 and 17 respectively and Nicholson led all players in assists with 49. The Frogs rebounded with their first top-25 win of the season in five sets over number 18-ranked Minnesota. Nicholson had a great game with 56 assists and 21 digs while Parra provided 30 kills and Jalyn Gibson had 23 digs.

The Frogs returned to Fort Worth for their next game against Texas A&M Commerce who they defeated in straight sets (25-15, 25-21, 25-19). TCU picked up another comfortable, straight-set win against Prairie View A&M by a score of 25-17, 25-11, 25-16. UCLA traveled to Fort Worth for the next game and TCU picked up a win against the Bruins in four sets by a score of 25-19, 23-25, 28-26, 25-21. Nicholson had 51 assists, Parra had 33 kills and Cecily Bramschreiber had 16 digs, all leading all players in the game against UCLA.

TCU hosted the Horned Frog Invitational to close out the non-conference schedule and opened the tournament against UT Arlington on Country Music Day at Schollmaier Arena. The Frogs defeated the Mavericks in straight sets with a score of 25-11, 25-17, 25-12. Denver University was the next opponent for TCU and the Frogs took care of business in three sets by a score of 25-17, 25-20, 25-16. The Frogs extended the winning streak to seven games with a four-set win over Rice by a score of 21-25, 25-16, 25-22, 25-19. Parra, Nicholson and Bramschreiber were key in the victory with 24 kills, 50 assists and 22 digs respectively.

TCU started conference play with a home matchup with number 14-ranked Arizona State and the Frogs lost in straight sets. The Frogs bounced back quickly with a three-set win over a solid Arizona team by a score of 25-15, 25-19, 25-16. Parra had a great game with 17 kills, four aces and ten digs for TCU. TCU then traveled to Houston and gutted out a five-set win over the Cougars by a score of 25-21, 25-19, 21-25, 19-25, 15-7. Nicholson providing 47 assists in the contest helped stave off the Houston comeback. The Frogs picked up a huge, four-set win at home against number 14-ranked Baylor by a score of 25-23, 22-25, 25-16, 25-20. Parra had 25 kills and two aces, Nicholson had 45 assists and Gibson and Alice Volpe both had 17 digs against the Bears.

The Frogs picked up a second conference loss at the hands of Utah on the road in Salt Lake City in three sets in their next game. TCU did not come up empty-handed on the Utah road trip, picking up a big road win over number 23-ranked BYU in their next game by a score of 18-25, 25-23, 27-25, 17-25, 18-16. Parra and Gibson had double-digit kills with 26 and 12 respectively with Nicholson picking up 50 assists. The last game on the three-game road trip was Texas Tech with the Frogs taking down the Red Raiders in three sets with a score of 25-21, 25-20, 25-13. TCU returned to Fort Worth and secured a third straight win with a four-set victory over Cincinnati by a score of 25-27, 25-19, 25-13, 25-16. Nicholson had an impressive performance against the Bearcats with 50 assists in just four sets. The Frogs dropped a heartbreaker in five sets to Baylor in Waco despite a 24-kill, two-assist game from Parra and a 46-assist, 15-dig game from Nicholson. TCU worked out any frustration from the Baylor game in a comfortable, straight-set win over a middling Colorado team by a score of 25-18, 25-20, 25-15. Volpe had a very good game against the Buffs with 20 digs and two aces, both of which were the most of all players in the game. The Frogs avoided a collapse in their next game against Iowa State, beating the Cyclones in five sets after winning the first two sets. Gibson, Parra, and Evan Hendrix all had double-digit kills with 26, 13, and 13 respectively against Iowa State. The Frogs extended the winning streak to three with a straight sets win over UCF by a score of 25-21, 26-24, 25-19.

A trip to Lawrence, Kansas for a game against number 12-ranked Kansas resulted in a loss in four sets. The Kansas road trip did not get any better for the Frogs as they lost in three sets to Kansas State in their next game. The Frogs stopped the bleeding with a five-set win over Houston in Fort Worth in the next game with a final score of 25-27, 24-26, 25-18, 25-14, 18-16. Parra with 24 kills and seven aces and Gibson with 24 digs were both key to the comeback for TCU. Senior Night for TCU saw Texas Tech travel to Fort Worth where the Frogs picked up another straight-set win over the Red Raiders by a score of 25-14, 26-24, 25-11. The Frogs next traveled to Morgantown and took down the Mountaineers in straight sets by a score of 25-22, 25-22, 25-16. Parra and Becca Kelley both reached double-digit kills with 17 and 11 respectively. TCU closed out the regular season with a four-set victory over Cincinnati by a score of 28-26, 25-18, 21-25, 25-20. Parra had 24 kills, 13 digs and six aces, Sarah Sylvester had 11 blocks, Stephanie Young had 27 assists, and both Gibson and Volpe had 16 digs to lead the Frogs to a win.

Post Season

The Frogs earned their third straight bid to the NCAA tournament, this time as a five-seed in the Eugene Regional. TCU was matched up with Hawaii in the first round and for the third straight season, the Frogs advanced to the second round of the tournament. The Horned Frogs dispatched the Rainbow Warriors in three sets by a score of 25-17, 25-18, 25-22. Parra led all players with 24 kills and Nicholson and Young both had strong games with 20 and 17 assists respectively. The Frogs were next matched up with number 14 ranked Oregon and unfortunately lost in four sets, ending their 2024 season. Parra was outstanding in her last game as a Frog with 18 kills, three aces, one block, two assists, and ten digs. Young also had a great final game with 19 assists, which was the most on the team.

Head Coach Jason Williams has TCU Volleyball in a great situation, consistently earning tournament bids and winning tournament games. The Frogs were consistently ranked in the top 25 in 2024 and picked up three wins over ranked opponents. Look for TCU to reload this offseason and be right back in the mix, toward the top of the Big 12 in 2024.