TCU
Princeton
TCU Opens Tourney With 3-0 Win Over Princeton
9/10/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 10, 2010
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - The TCU volleyball team opened the Rutgers Invitational with a 3-0 win (25-18, 25-20, 25-21) over Princeton Friday afternoon. The Horned Frogs posted the fifth-best attack percentage in school history, hitting .466 (46-5-88) in the match. Jordan Raines, Sloane Sunstrum and Christy Hudson paced the Frogs with nine kills each.Irene Hester picked up seven kills on 12 swings and notched two digs in the win. Kristen Hester and Hannah Fort each tallied four kills, while Meghan Horio and Yvonne Igodan each knocked down two. Horio collected 34 assists to go along with five digs. Kay Lin Connolly led all defensive players with 12 digs. To go along with her nine kills, Raines tallied two digs and led the team with four blocks, including three solo.
TCU stormed out to an 8-3 lead in the first set as the Frogs were firing on all cylinders. Hudson and Raines along with Kristen Hester and Irene Hester all contributed to the early success with kills. Irene Hester served the Frogs to a six point lead, 14-8, helped along by a pair of solo blocks by Raines.
An ace from Hudson and a kill from Raines gave the Frogs an eight-point advantage and three kills from Irene Hester helped the Frogs close out the 25-18 set one victory.
A back-and-forth battle ensued in the early part of set two. Hudson, Fort and Kristen Hester came alive at the net, turning aside two Princeton attacks. The Tigers had a response to the Frogs' early pressure in Lydia Rudnick as she pounded out four kills to help Princeton take a 15-14 lead.
A miscue at the net by the Tigers tied the set at 15 and the Frogs went on a furious 8-4 run to open up a 23-18 lead. Fort, Raines, Igodan and Sunstrum all contributed to the rally that put the Frogs on track to a 25-20 victory and a 2-0 match lead. Horio put the stamp on the set win with a kill on an overpass.
The third set was another battle as the game saw 12 ties and five lead changes. Neither team got on much of a run until it was 13-all and the Tigers rolled off a 3-0 run to take a 16-13 lead.
Sunstrum served the Frogs back into the set, helped along by kills from Horio and Raines to tie the set at 17. A blast by Hudson put the Frogs in front 21-20 and TCU never looked back. Kristen Hester gave the Frogs set point then teamed with Hudson to seal the victory with the team's ninth block of the night.
TCU improves to 4-4 on the season. The Frogs will return to the court Saturday morning when they square off against George Mason. Match time is slated for 9 a.m. (CST).
