TCU
Utah*
Utah Stymies Frogs in 3-0 Loss
11/2/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 2, 2008
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - A hard-fought battle in the first set went the way of Utah and the TCU Horned Frogs could never recover as they fell 3-0 (18-25, 17-25, 15-25) Sunday afternoon. Lauren Otto led the Frogs with seven kills, while Kourtney Edwards paced TCU with five blocks.TCU found itself in an early 7-3 hole in the first set, but inspired play by the Frogs at the net helped them dig out. Lauren Otto spurred a 4-0 run by the Frogs as they tied the set at seven. Kourtney Edwards teamed up with Nirelle Hampton and Otto to stuff two Ute attacks at the net and Otto completed the comeback with a kill. A blocking error by the Utes gave TCU its first lead of the set, 9-8.
The see-saw affair continued and a 5-1 run by the Frogs eventually opened up a 16-13 lead. Christy Hudson pitched in a kill around three Ute errors and a block by Otto at the net. But that was all the Frogs would get as the Utes blocking attack came alive. They closed out the first set on an 11-5 run to win the first set 25-18.
Utah came out fired up in the second set as it raced to a 13-3 lead, with TCU's only points coming on Ute errors. The Frogs could never find a rhythm as Utah claimed the commanding 2-0 match lead with a 25-17 win. After falling behind 16-5, the Frogs finally got in a rhythm and outscored Utah 11-9 the rest of the way.
The third set went much the same way as the second as Utah again stormed out to an early lead. This time it was the Frogs giving away points as the Utes took an 8-3 lead on five hitting errors by the Frogs.
Following a timeout, the Frogs attempted to climb back into the set. A 4-1 run highlighted by kills from Devon Kirk and Edwards made it a 14-9 Utah lead. The run wouldn't be enough to get the Frogs back in the set as Utah was firing on all cylinders and claimed a 25-15 win in the third set.
The Frogs (17-8 overall, 6-6 MWC) return to the court Thursday night for the final two home matches of the 2008 season. Thursday versus Wyoming will be Senior Night at the University Rec Center. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. Saturday will mark the final home match of the season as the Frogs play host to Top-20 Colorado State at 1 p.m.
