Horned Frogs Hope to Make Trip to Boston Triumphant
9/8/2004 12:00:00 AM
Sept. 8, 2004
FORT WORTH, Texas - After a whirlwind week - one could say a "hurricane" week - the Horned Frogs hope to follow their original schedule once again. According to plan, the team will travel to Boston on Thursday to prepare for a torrential downpour of non-conference matches. The Frogs will face off against Ivy Leaguers and other New England and East Coast teams, and hope to add at four to their vacant win column.
In order to accomplish that task, TCU will have to get used to winning on the road. Historically, the Frogs have had a rougher time gathering victories than they did when they host. Heading into this season mentally tougher than in years past, the Purple and White look to overcome their jetlag to compete convincingly on the road.
Boston College will be the setting for the first game; already, the Eagles are 4-2 heading into this weekend after a win Wednesday night over Northeastern. Thanks to a tournament in Orono, Maine, the Eagles went 2-2 in addition to their five game win over Rhode Island earlier in the week. They swept Fairfield (a future TCU opponent in the Fort Worth Plaza Invitational over Thanksgiving weekend) and Maine, while they dropped the matches to Eastern Illinois and Portland State in four games apiece. Two sophomores (Allison Anderson and Dorota Niemczewska) pose all-around threat to the Frogs; both collected their share of double-doubles in the opening week for the Eagles.
Second up will be Harvard; the New England Challenge represents the first competition of the season for the Crimson. Senior outside hitter Nilly Schweitzer is the team's top returner; a year ago, she led the Crimson with 320 kills, 3.48 per game. She was also tied for second on the team with 28 aces over the course of the season and is the team's top returning passer, with 2.79 digs per game, third most. Kim Gould, the team's senior setter, averaged 11.64 assists per game, 1,048 over the season.
On Saturday, the Frogs start the day off with Saint Peter's, the only other out-of-town team in the tourney. Harvard hosts the match-up. The Peahens of Jersey City, N.J., ended its 2003 season at 10-21. The Peahens, who began the year at 1-19 in August and September, posted 9 wins in 11 matches in October and November. Included in the strong finish was a 7-2 MAAC regular season record. Saint Peter's had five freshmen (four starters) among its top seven players.
Northeastern poses the final threat of the weekend for the Frogs. The Huskies are the only team TCU has faced before, a 2003 match-up that ended 3-1 in the Huskies' favor. Northeastern is 2-3, following Wednesday night's loss to Boston College. The Huskies dropped a pair to Long Beach State and UC-Irvine over the weekend, but followed the losses with 3-1 wins over George Washington and William and Mary. Freshman setter Bree Peterson was named the America East Rookie of the Week, having tallied 46 assists and a team-high 22 digs in her first collegiate start against No. 23 Long Beach State Wednesday. Sophomore Whitney Turner led the Huskies with kills in all four matches and presently holds a 4.69 kill per game statistic.
Other than Northeastern, all teams will match up against the Horned Frogs for the first time ever.
