Volleyball: Melanie Parra eclipses 1,000 career kills as No. 18 TCU beats Cincinnati and Texas Tech

The Horned Frogs collected a pair of Big 12 Conference wins over the last few days.

TCU outside hitter Melanie Parra achieved a career milestone on Saturday, reaching 1,000 kills as the No. 18 ranked Horned Frogs took down Cincinnati in Big 12 Conference action at Schollmaier Arena. Currently in her second season with TCU, Parra entered the 2024 campaign as the Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year and has delivered on all accounts, racking up 354 kills, 152 digs and 31 service aces for the Horned Frogs this fall. With Parra spearheading the charge on the front line, TCU has soared into the top-25 rankings and now holds a 14-4 overall record and a 6-2 conference record. The Horned Frogs, who beat the Bearcats in four sets, began the week with a three-set sweep at Texas Tech on Wednesday.

Wednesday: No. 18 TCU 3, Texas Tech 0

The TCU offense shined against the Red Raiders, posting a .352 hitting percentage as the Horned Frogs rolled over Texas Tech for a 25-21, 25-20, 25-13 victory. TCU aced the Red Raiders seven times and blocked six shots in the win. The Horned Frogs closed out the match with an emphatic offensive showing in the third set, where TCU hit .433. Melanie Parra collected a double-double with a team-high 19 kills and 10 digs, while Jalyn Gibson added 11 kills and earned a team-high four aces. Cecily Bramschreiber and Alice Volpe teamed up for 23 digs to anchor the back-row defense for the Horned Frogs, who received 37 assists from setter Lily Nicholson. Sarah Sylvester notched four total blocks up front.

Saturday: No. 18 TCU 3, Cincinnati 1

The Horned Frogs held their Dig Pink match against the Bearcats, acing Cincinnati 10 times and posting a .362 hitting percentage en route to a 25-27, 25-19, 25-13, 25-16 victory. TCU overcame a slow start with decisive offensive showings over the second and third sets, where the Horned Frogs hit .516 and .419, respectively. TCU’s triple threat of Melanie Parra (22 kills), Jalyn Gibson (21 kills) and Becca Kelley (19 kills) stole the show on offense, while Lily Nicholson sent out 50 assists to facilitate the Horned Frog attack. Kelley’s 19 kills were a season best, while Nicholson’s 50 assists were tied for the third-most in a match this fall. Gibson and Nicholson each added 13 digs on defense to finish with double-doubles.