TCU volleyball swept Kansas (25-20, 25-19, 25-16) Saturday for their first win over the Jayhawks in head coach Jill Kramer’s career.
Although the Horned Frogs were clear underdogs after losing handily to the Jayhawks in their first matchup this season (3-1), TCU looked ready to go from the start, holding the Jayhawks to a hitting percentage of .094 in the first set.
“I could tell that our team was ready to go when they came in today,” said Kramer. “They were alert from the time they walked into the gym.”
A service ace by setter Tori Dilfer to put the Frogs up 19-16 all but sealed the victory, and the Frogs won the first set, 25-20.
Dilfer finished with four aces to go with 32 assists.
“Tori did a very good job of distributing the offense,” said Kramer.
The second set was no different for TCU, as they started the set on a 4-0 run. While they were continuing to play well defensively, the Horned Frogs started to dominate on the offensive side as well, led by middle blocker Katie Clark.
TCU would follow small runs by Kansas with bigger runs of their own. Finishing the set on a 7-3 run, the Horned Frogs won the second set 25-19 to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
Kramer attributed the offensive success to finally having her intended starting seven healthy.
Clark poured in six kills in the second set alone. The first-year would finish with 11 kills to go with a .421 hitting percentage in the match.
The Jayhawks could not handle the firepower of outside hitter élan McCall in the third set, and the Frogs led by as much as six at one point as they cruised to a 25-16 victory.
McCall recorded eight kills and a .636 hitting clip in the third set, propelling TCU to a 25-16 win and their first-ever sweep of Kansas.
McCall finished with 16 kills and 16 digs, good for her third-straight double-double. This was her fourth match back after missing six-straight matches with an injury.
“When I was out, it was hard to watch, you know, because I just always want to be out there with my team,” said McCall. “I think everyone’s just happy that I’m back out there and can light a fire in everyone.”
Though she had not been very effective on offense, outside hitter Anna Walsh had still made her presence known with three blocks on the day.
“We were observant on what the other side was doing,” said McCall. “We knew who was in and where we needed to be defensively.”
The Frogs will finish the regular season Wednesday, Nov. 21, against Kansas State at home.
“We really want our seniors to go out with a bang,” said Kramer. “It gives us one more chance this season to play some great volleyball together and get better.”
