Volleyball: No. 18 TCU falls at No. 12 Kansas in four sets

The Horned Frogs will look to bounce back against Kansas State on Friday.

The No. 18 ranked TCU volleyball team saw its three-game winning streak snapped on Wednedsay evening, when the Horned Frogs fell in four sets against the No. 12 ranked Kansas Jayhawks in Big 12 Conference action. TCU (17-6, 9-4 Big 12) struggled on the offensive side, posting a season-worst .134 hitting percentage for the match and an .095 hittitng percentage in the fourth and final set. Kansas honed in on TCU star hitter Melanie Parra, who had a double-double with 16 kills and 13 digs, but committed 13 errors and finished with an .046 hitting rate for the match. The Horned Frogs will look to bounce back against Kansas State on Friday and stay near the top of the conference standings.

Wednesday: No. 12 Kansas 3, No. 18 TCU 1

The Jayhawks took the first two sets and finished strong in the fourth set to hand the Horned Frogs a 20-25, 21-25, 25-15, 17-25 loss. With Kansas locked in on Parra, Jalyn Gibson emerged with a strong outing for the TCU side, notching a team-high 19 kills and a .263 hitting rate while earning 18 digs for the double-double. Gibson’s 18 digs are tied for the second most she’s had in a match this season. Sophomore setter Lily Nicholson posted a double-double with 43 assists and 12 digs, while freshman hitter Evan Hendrix added 10 kills while leading TCU with a season-high and career-high 19 digs on the defensive end.

Sarah Sylvester continued to spearhead the front-row defense for the Horned Frogs, blocking seven total shots while Parra added four total blocks. Gibson aced the Jayhawks three times to lead TCU from behind the service line, while freshman libero Alice Volpe dished out 14 digs and four assists to aid the Horned Frogs in the back row. The Jayhawk defense was tough to crack, as five Kansas players finished with 15 or more digs.