TCU
Baylor
Frogs Come Up Short at Baylor
11/11/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 11, 2008
WACO, Texas - The TCU Horned Frogs dropped a hard-fought battle at Baylor Tuesday night, 3-0 (18-25, 24-26, 22-25). The Frogs and the Bears were evenly matched for the most part, but the Frogs couldn't overcome the tough serving of Baylor. Kourtney Edwards hit a .562 with 10 kills, while Lauren Otto paced the Frogs defensively with 13 digs.The Frogs jumped out to the early 6-3 lead in the first set, but couldn't maintain the momentum. Kourtney Edwards started things for the Frogs with two kills and teamed with Christy Hudson on a block on the outside to help the Frogs build their lead. Along the way, Nirelle Hampton and Katelyn Blackwood dropped in aces.
But from there, the Bears took control of the set. They used a 10-2 run to open up a five point advantage at 13-8 and never looked back. A mini 3-0 run that began with a kill from Hudson pulled TCU back within four, 19-15, but they would get no closer as the Bears closed out the 25-18 first set victory.
Similar to the first set, the Horned Frogs jumped out on top early, but couldn't sustain their lead. Two kills from Edwards and two attacking errors by the Bears gave the Frogs the early 4-1 lead, but a 4-0 Baylor run erased the Frog lead. Hudson stopped the Bear run with a kill and from there the set settled into a back-and-forth rhythm.
Tied a nine, Baylor used a 6-2 run to open up a 15-12 lead, forcing a time out. The break calmed the Frogs down and they rallied with a 7-3 run of their own to tie the set at 18 and force a Baylor timeout. Irene Hester picked up three kills in the run, while Hampton, Otto and Edwards tallied a kill apiece.
From there a battle ensued. Each time Baylor rolled off a 2-0 run, the Frogs responded with a run of their own. Kills from Hampton and Otto got the set tied at 22 and then a two kills from Hudson tied the set at 24 as the Frogs staved off set point. A kill from Taylor Barnes in the middle gave the Bears their second set point and a Frog hitting error locked up the 26-24 set two victory for Baylor.
The third set proved to be the most competitive of the match as the Frogs carried the lead for the majority of the set only to succumb to the Bears' outside hitters. Down 11-10, the Frogs reeled off five straight points to take a four point lead, 15-11. Blackwood served up her second ace, while Hester and Kirk blasted kills all over the court.
TCU continued to hold its lead thanks to kills from Hudson, Hester and Otto, but facing a 19-16 deficit, the Bears offense responded with four straight kills to take the 20-19 lead. Edwards tied the set at 20 and Hampton gave the Frogs a 21-20 lead with her second ace of the match. However, it wasn't enough as Baylor closed out the match on a 5-1 run to steal the 25-22 victory.
Hudson and Hester finished the match with eight kills each, while Hampton tallied 33 assists to go along with five kills and five digs.
TCU (19-9) returns to conference play this weekend when it travels to Air Force for the final meeting with the Falcons. Match time is slated for 8 p.m. (CST).
