Volleyball: No. 17 TCU takes down No. 23 BYU on the road

The Horned Frogs overcame a sweep at the hands of Utah, bouncing back with a five-set win over the Cougars.

The TCU volleyball team took a road trip out west this past week for a pair of Big 12 Conference matches. The most notable matchup came on Sunday, when the No. 17 ranked Horned Frogs rallied together for a five-set victory against No. 23 BYU to hand the Cougars their 11th home loss in the last decade. It was a crucial bounce-back win for the Horned Frogs, who conceded a three-set sweep to the Utah Utes in a midweek match on Thursday. TCU (12-4, 4-2 Big 12) resumes conference play at Texas Tech on Wednesday evening. The Horned Frogs will then return home for a Big 12 contest against Cincinnati on Saturday.

Thursday: Utah 3, No. 17 TCU 0

The Horned Frogs began their road journey in Salt Lake City, where TCU hung tough but fell short in a 22-25, 22-25, 22-25 loss to the Utes. The Horned Frogs were aced eight times and totaled just 34 kills with a .167 hitting percentage. Lily Nicholson notched a double-double to lead the Horned Frogs, dishing out 26 assists while adding 11 digs on the defensive end. Jalyn Gibson posted nine kills and Sarah Sylvester blocked five total shots on the front line.

Sunday: No. 17 TCU 3, No. 23 BYU 2

TCU concluded its western road trip with a visit to Provo on Sunday, when the Horned Frogs showed tremendous grit in their 18-25, 25-23, 27-25, 17-25, 18-16 victory over the Cougars. It was the third ranked win of the season for the Horned Frogs, who received a match-best 25 kills from star outside hitter Melanie Parra. Lily Nicholson sent out 49 assists with 11 digs to secure her eighth double-double of the season and her fourth over the last four matches. Freshman defender Alice Volpe stepped up on the back line, notching a team-best 15 digs and finishing with double-digit digs for the third time in the last four matches.

Jalyn Gibson collected 12 kills and eight digs for the Horned Frogs, who received an offensive boost from middle blocker Sarah Sylvester and setter Lily Nicholson. Sylvester and Nicholson combined for nine kills on 15 attempts for a .600 hitting percentage. Freshman hitter Evan Hendrix contributed as well, earning four kills on six attempts while digging six balls. Sylvester posted eight total blocks for the second time in four matches.