Riding a six-match winning streak, the TCU volleyball team is the hottest team in the Mountain West Conference.
The Horned Frogs are coming off a 3-1 (25-15, 25-20, 23-25, 25-11) win over Air Force on Oct. 31, which pushed TCU’s record to 21-5 overall and 10-2 in league play. The 10th conference win set a new school record for the Horned Frogs.
Senior Kourtney Edwards, who was named Co-Mountain West Player of the Week for the fourth time this season, established a school record for hitting percentage in a match at .867. Edwards also carried the defensive end with 4 blocks.
Junior Christy Hudson racked in 14 kills, while junior Irene Hester added 10. Sophomore Kristen Hester slammed in three of the 10 Horned Frog aces.
TCU will play in two key conference battles when BYU comes on Thursday night and Utah comes on Saturday.
The Cougars are fourth in the Mountain West (6-4) and are coming off of a 3-1 (18-25, 25-15, 25-23, 25-14) victory over the UNLV Rebels. Senior Kayla Walker’s double-double (13 kills, 10 digs) paced BYU.
BYU has the third toughest defense in the league, holding opponents to a .175 hitting percentage. Freshman Nicole Warner tops the team in blocks per set (1.29), and senior Morgan Lloyd-Sorensen records 3.17 digs per set.
Offensively, Walker leads the team and the Mountain West with 4.04 kills per set.
In the first meeting between TCU and BYU, the Horned Frogs picked up their first-ever win in Provo, Utah, and swept the Cougars (27-25, 25-23, 25-22). Edwards led with 12 kills, and TCU hit a .286 hitting percentage.
Utah sits in third place (8-2) in conference and boasts a 15-7 record overall. The Utes are fresh off a sweep (25-16, 25-19, 26-24) of UNLV. Junior Karolina Bartkowiak recorded her ninth double-double of the season (12 kills, 10 digs).
The Utes are fourth in the Mountain West in hitting percentage (.221) and are fifth in kills with 12.63 per set.
Bartkowiak is first on the team in kills (3 per set), and senior Chelsey Sandberg is third in the conference with 0.33 service aces per set.
On the defensive end, sophomore Danielle Killpack averages 1.15 blocks per set, and junior Keisha Fisher carries 3.90 digs per set.
In the last match-up, the Horned Frogs lost a hard-fought 3-1 (32-30, 25-27, 25-27, 18-25) match to Utah in Salt Lake City. Megan Munce had a double-double with 37 assists and 17 digs, and Christy Hudson piled in 14 kills.
Statistically, TCU boasts the best defense in the Mountain West, limiting opponents to a .153 hitting percentage. The Horned Frogs are also first in digs (16.02 per set) and service aces (1.64 per set).
Offensively, TCU is second in the conference in hitting percentage (.229) and is third with 13.07 kills per set.
