Sports
Volleyball Wins Five-Set Thriller Over No. 5 Penn State
PITTSBURGH – Playing in front of over 5,000 fans and on a national TV audience, No. 24 TCU volleyball overcame adversity to win an emotional five-set battle over the defending national champions, No. 5 Penn State, on Monday evening at PPG Paints Arena.
The Horned Frogs (1-1, 0-0 Big 12) were firing on all cylinders, taking the first two sets in dominant fashion. Just as they were looking to make a statement and sweep the Nittany Lions (2-2, 0-0 Big Ten), senior captain Jalyn Gibson went down with an injury and was helped off the court.
Penn State was able to find its footing and even the match, forcing a fifth set, but TCU rallied behind Gibson and gritted out the second-highest ranked win in school history and first over a top-5 team since 2016 (vs. No. 8 North Carolina). It also marked the best win of the Jason Williams Era at TCU, as the Frogs’ head coach picked up his first career win over a top-5 opponent.
“That was a really, really high resilient win for us,” said Williams. “It’s tough to lose a captain and a big piece of our team during the third set there […] but I’m really proud of the team and how they figured out some things and we were able to pull it out there in the end.”
Sophomores Evan Hendrix and Becca Kelley led the TCU attack. Hendrix finished with 14 kills, and Kelley totaled 13. Senior Sarah Sylvester added a career-high nine kills on just 14 swings for a .571 clip to go along with five blocks. She was one of three Frogs to total at least five blocks, joined by Alexis Roberson (6) and Lauren Murphy (5).
The real difference in the match was in the serve and pass game, where TCU tallied 11 aces to Penn State’s four. Six Frogs recorded an ace, including Gibson, who finished with three, and freshman Samara Coleman, who recorded the first of her young career.
TCU set the tone early, going on a 6-0 run that featured back-to-back aces from Alice Volpe to take a 9-3 lead and force a Penn State timeout. The Frogs continued to pour it on, leading by as many as 12 at 21-9 in the first set over the reigning champs. Penn State didn’t go away quietly, but TCU finished off the first set 25-19.
The Frogs’ offense really caught fire in the second set, hitting .385 as a team. Both teams battled back and forth through the first 10 points before Roberson slammed down a kill to spark a 6-0 run through the media timeout. From there, there was no looking back as TCU closed out the set on an 8-2 run for a dominant 25-15 set victory over fifth-ranked Penn State.
With all the momentum on their side, the Frogs jumped out to an 8-5 lead in the third set before Gibson left the match with an injury. TCU battled to close things out for its captain, remaining tied with the Nittany Lions through 20-20, but a late 5-0 run gave Penn State the third set.
Working through different lineups, TCU searched for rhythm in the fourth set and found it down the stretch. Unfortunately, the Penn State lead was too large as it forced a decisive fifth set.
Looking to avoid the reverse sweep and finish what they started, the Frogs came out on a 3-0 run to start the fifth set. TCU continued to score in bursts, forcing the Penn State attackers to hit errantly and into blocks. The Frogs never trailed in the set as TCU clinched the top-5 victory on a service error, 15-12.
TCU looks to continue the momentum this week when the Frogs return home to Schollmaier Arena for their home opener against No. 19 UCLA on Friday, September 5, and Saturday, September 6.
The Horned Frogs (1-1, 0-0 Big 12) were firing on all cylinders, taking the first two sets in dominant fashion. Just as they were looking to make a statement and sweep the Nittany Lions (2-2, 0-0 Big Ten), senior captain Jalyn Gibson went down with an injury and was helped off the court.
Penn State was able to find its footing and even the match, forcing a fifth set, but TCU rallied behind Gibson and gritted out the second-highest ranked win in school history and first over a top-5 team since 2016 (vs. No. 8 North Carolina). It also marked the best win of the Jason Williams Era at TCU, as the Frogs’ head coach picked up his first career win over a top-5 opponent.
“That was a really, really high resilient win for us,” said Williams. “It’s tough to lose a captain and a big piece of our team during the third set there […] but I’m really proud of the team and how they figured out some things and we were able to pull it out there in the end.”
Sophomores Evan Hendrix and Becca Kelley led the TCU attack. Hendrix finished with 14 kills, and Kelley totaled 13. Senior Sarah Sylvester added a career-high nine kills on just 14 swings for a .571 clip to go along with five blocks. She was one of three Frogs to total at least five blocks, joined by Alexis Roberson (6) and Lauren Murphy (5).
The real difference in the match was in the serve and pass game, where TCU tallied 11 aces to Penn State’s four. Six Frogs recorded an ace, including Gibson, who finished with three, and freshman Samara Coleman, who recorded the first of her young career.
TCU set the tone early, going on a 6-0 run that featured back-to-back aces from Alice Volpe to take a 9-3 lead and force a Penn State timeout. The Frogs continued to pour it on, leading by as many as 12 at 21-9 in the first set over the reigning champs. Penn State didn’t go away quietly, but TCU finished off the first set 25-19.
The Frogs’ offense really caught fire in the second set, hitting .385 as a team. Both teams battled back and forth through the first 10 points before Roberson slammed down a kill to spark a 6-0 run through the media timeout. From there, there was no looking back as TCU closed out the set on an 8-2 run for a dominant 25-15 set victory over fifth-ranked Penn State.
With all the momentum on their side, the Frogs jumped out to an 8-5 lead in the third set before Gibson left the match with an injury. TCU battled to close things out for its captain, remaining tied with the Nittany Lions through 20-20, but a late 5-0 run gave Penn State the third set.
Working through different lineups, TCU searched for rhythm in the fourth set and found it down the stretch. Unfortunately, the Penn State lead was too large as it forced a decisive fifth set.
Looking to avoid the reverse sweep and finish what they started, the Frogs came out on a 3-0 run to start the fifth set. TCU continued to score in bursts, forcing the Penn State attackers to hit errantly and into blocks. The Frogs never trailed in the set as TCU clinched the top-5 victory on a service error, 15-12.
TCU looks to continue the momentum this week when the Frogs return home to Schollmaier Arena for their home opener against No. 19 UCLA on Friday, September 5, and Saturday, September 6.
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