TCU
Denver
TCU outlasts Denver in exciting fashion
9/8/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 8, 2007
FORT WORTH, Texas (Sept. 8, 2007) - The TCU Horned Frogs won the Molten/LaQuinta Invitational with an exciting 3-2 (28-30, 33-31, 27-30, 30-28, 15-12) victory over Denver Saturday night. The win is the eighth straight for TCU who moves to 10-1 on the season. Kourtney Edwards' MVP performance saw her tally a career-high 24 kills in the match.
"I am so proud to have a team that represents me and everything I stand for," said Head Coach Prentice Lewis. "I am competitive and relentless and that's what they were tonight. To them, everything is important and every point is important. It makes you feel good when see that in your team."
Every game in the match was close as each one was decided by three points or less. Game one set the tone for the match as the teams battled to the end. Eventually Denver eked out the 30-28 victory to take the early advantage. Kresson Vreeman sealed the victory with a kill down the middle.
TCU was able to even the match in the second game, but had to withstand a furious rally by the Pioneers. The Frogs had as much as a 10-point lead at 21-11. Edwards was a force to be reckoned with in the set as she racked up six kills and hit for a .667 percentage. Back-to-back aces from Loren Barry also helped the Frogs jump to the big lead.
The Pioneers rally was a big one as they eventually worked the set to a game-point at 30-29, but a loud block from Devon Kirk and Christy Hudson knotted things at 30. The score tied again at 31 before two consecutive Pioneer errors gave TCU the 33-31 win.
The Frogs couldn't keep the momentum as Denver stormed out to a big lead and never relinquished it as they took a 2-1 match lead with a 30-27 win. The Frogs hit .262 with 15 kills in the set up six reception errors proved costly and they couldn't recover.
Needing the game four victory to push the match the distance, the Frogs turned the tables on the Pioneers and got out to the early advantage. Kirk and Otto were huge behind the service line, rolling points and extending the Frog lead.
Denver had a late rally in them, pulling within one, 27-26, but a Smith blast on the outside gave the Frogs a two-point cushion. The freshman came up big with back-to-back kills from Christy Hudson and Irene Hester to close out the set and secure the 30-28 game four win.
An exciting finish was in store for the Horned Frog faithful as the set went back-and-forth all the way to the end. With the set knotted at 12, the Frogs closed out the match on a 3-0 run. A kill from Edwards broke the tie and a Hampton/Edwards denial gave the Frogs match point. Edwards finished what she started with a loud kill down the middle.
TCU improves to 10-1 on the season, matching its best start in school history. The Frogs will open up league play on Wednesday night on the road at Colorado State. Match time is slated for 8 p.m.
