TCU
Memphis
TCU Tallies 20th Win and a First-Round Tournament Bye
11/12/2004 12:00:00 AM
Nov. 12, 2004
FORT WORTH, Texas - The TCU Horned Frogs defeated the Memphis Tigers for the third straight time tonight in their second consecutive marathon match of five games and nearly two and a half hours (25-30, 30-22, 31-29, 23-30, 15-12). Four Frogs hit in double-figures with sophomores Anna Vaughn and Emily Allen each averaging over .400 percent.
Freshman Loren Barry had a double-double with 56 assists and 10 digs, along with two kills and block assist. Senior Dominika Szabo led the match with 20 kills, along with 11 digs, while Ellen Rehme contributed 17 kills and eight digs, Allen hit 14 kills and dug nine balls while blocking four, and Vaughn hit 13 kills. Junior Erin Estep contributed a .375 average and five blocks while freshman Talaya Whitfield added a match leading 20 digs.
A bevy of distractions threatened to infiltrate the Frogs' game: from a non-functioning sound system to controversial officiating, to angry and vocal fans, TCU had its work cut out. At a pace an octave more frenetic than usual, the Purple and White battled out a match whose importance wore heavily upon the Frogs' shoulders. Caught in a three-way tie for third with Marquette and Memphis, each with an 8-3 C-USA mark, TCU needed the win over Memphis to secure a first-round bye in the Conference USA tournament. This crucial match established the 2004 as one of the top four teams of C-USA.
TCU fell in the first game 30-25. The Horned Frogs never fell in the first round, hitting .182 to the Tigers' .326. The Tigers pulled ahead at to 10-5 following a reversed call and although senior Ellen Rehme's solo block at 19-15 spurred the Frogs to a 6-3 run, a late call took the gas out of the rally.
Memphis kept hot on the tail of TCU in the second stanza, staying level or within one through point 18, but when sophomore Emily Allen slammed home a kill off the Memphis overpass, TCU stood as the victors, 30-22. Much of the offensive production in the second game (the Frogs improved their hitting .324 to the Tigers' .156) came from tips just over the block, as senior Dominika Szabo uncovered halfway through the game.
The third game passed just as fiercely, and this time Memphis held the slightest lead. Freshman Talaya Whitfield landed two aces in a row at 23-24 and 23-25, but that cushion melted away just as quickly as it came. As the stalemate moved to 27-all, Szabo zipped a shot up the line, Memphis blew a deep attack, and the Tigers' head coach Carrie Yerty called a timeout. Memphis creeped back to tie again at 29-29. After a TCU timeout, Szabo shot a kill up the middle and the Tigers could not return freshman Loren Barry's serve. TCU won the third round 31-29.
Memphis took the early edge in the fourth game and never quite gave up control, winning it 30-23. TCU took the tiebreaker lead in the fifth game, however, beating Memphis to eight, 8-5. Sophomore Emily Allen hammered home the final kill for TCU, finishing her night with a .400 average (14-2-30) and winning the game 15-12.
With the win, TCU builds its record to 20-8 and 9-3 in C-USA for its second consecutive 20-win season. Memphis slides to 24-9 and 8-4 in C-USA and falls out of the three-way tie of Marquette, TCU, and Memphis for third place in the league.
"This was our hardest fought match of the year, matching high-powered offense against high-powered offense," TCU Head Coach Prentice Lewis said. "We look forward to seeing them again in the conference tournament.
"The last three years have been a great progression for TCU volleyball: before we were content to make the conference tournament and now tonight we have ensured a bye in the first round. It's good to see that all our kids, assistant coaches, and professional staff have put in so much hard work and now they are getting rewarded."
TCU has one more team to face before the Conference USA tournament in Louisville. The Frogs travel to take on Saint Louis Saturday night at 7 p.m. The Billikens swept Houston in three games tonight, raising their record to 14-15 overall and 6-6 in C-USA play.
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