TCU beach volleyball take home three wins at the Battle of the Bay and only one loss in a tight contest against No. 2 Stanford.
Over the course of a rigid two days through pouring rain and 30-mph winds, the team matched up with Stanford, Oregon, Saint Mary’s and UC Davis in Stanford, Calif.
No. 5 TCU split the first day with one win and one loss and managed a clean sweep on the second day with two wins.
The big-game match-up against No. 2 Stanford was the first meeting of the weekend where the Horned Frogs fell in a tight battle 2-3. Head coach Hector Gutierrez said that he hopes for the pairs to be more aggressive nearing the end of sets and not concern themselves with making mistakes.
“We didn’t take enough risks at the end of the games against Stanford,” Gutierrez said.
Turning the cards around, the team triumphed over Oregon just a few hours later with a 5-0 sweep to end the night.
This momentum continued into day 2.
Gutierrez highlights a not-so-surprising standout duo of Alex Parkhurst and Sutton MacTavish, securing 3 match wins against Saint Mary’s, UC Davis and Stanford. Their game in the first match-up against Stanford was just their second win of the season and first against a ranked opponent.
MAKE IT TWO ‼️
Sutton & Alex score point 2⃣
? 2 | ? 0#GoFrogs??️? x #OneTeam pic.twitter.com/KW1nNcGKYI
— TCU Beach Volleyball (@TCUBeachVB) March 2, 2024
As always, Hailey Hamlett and Anhelina Khmil dominated the scene against the No. 1 team with four match wins against their opponents, defending their AVCA Pairs Title.
New duos also hit the sand, showcasing TCU’s ability to adapt and succeed.
Against Oregon, Tara Patton and Brooke Sheely clinched the first point against Oregon in their first appearance and win as a pair in the No. 2 spot. Keagan Polk and Hallie Corinne Frist sealed a straight-set victory in their first match alongside each other against UC Davis.
Even when ending the weekend on a high note, teammate Alex Parkhurst reminds herself the season has only just begun.
“It’s the beginning of the season and we don’t know what can happen,” said Parkhurst. “We’ve only had a few games and we still have a lot to prove.”
Nonetheless, Gutierrez said the team unsurprisingly showed up and showed out in Stanford, Calif. Though this weekend showed a lot of what the team can do in all elements, Gutierrez says that this is just the tip of the iceberg for the girls.
“We saw that we can compete against anyone,” said Gutierrez. “And, we needed to see that early on.”
