TCU’s women’s volleyball team lost their only set of the TCU Nike Invitational in a 3-1 (25-19, 20-25, 25-23, 25-22) victory over Army Saturday Night. The Horned Frogs went undefeated in the four team tournament after sweeping SMU and Texas A&M Corpus Christi.
Army silenced the crowd of 1,164 inside the TCU recreational center early, getting out to a 7-5 lead. However, the combination of sophomore Mattie Burleson and junior Yvonne Igodan at the net kept TCU in the set, and a Burleson kill gave the Frogs a 10-8 lead. After a kill by Army’s Megan Wilton to cut the lead to 13-15, the Horned Frogs scored five consecutive points and eventually won the set 25-19.
A TCU kill and Megan Munce ace gave TCU an quick 2-0 lead in the second set, but from that point on Army took control. Three consecutive kills by Wilton put the Black Knights up 7-4 and held on from there to win 25-20.
Neither side was able to get out to more than a two point lead in a competitive third set until the Frogs won four of five points to go up 16-12. The Black Knights called timeout and came back to take the next four and tie the set 16-16. After some miscommunication on the TCU side, back to back kills from outside hitters Sloane Sunstrum and Macy Capen put them up 24-22 as the Lady Frogs won the fourth set 25-23.
The Black Nights looked like they might push the game to a fifth set after taking an early 4-0 lead, but an attacking error by Jarka Margaux gave TCU a 10-9 advantage that they held on to until Army went on a four point run to make it 22-21. Igodan responded with four of her game-high 24 kills to give the Horned Frogs a 25-22 set win and fifth consecutive victory.
The Black Knights finished the tournament 1-2 and were the only team to take a set from TCU.
“This game was more of a battle,” Burleson said. "They stayed with us."
Burleson, the Big 12 leader in blocks per set, accounted for nearly half of team’s blocks and was a net force the whole night and throughout the tournament.
The Lady Frogs head to Tuscon, Ariz. next to play in the Wildcat Classic.
