Strong Effort Comes Up Short Against No. 6 Texas

Wednesday, October 2

Fort Worth, Texas

8 p.m.

TCU

5-8 (0-3)

Texas

9-2 (3-0)

Texas

TCU

Strong Effort Comes Up Short Against No. 6 Texas

10/2/2019 11:20:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

TCU fell 3-0 to Texas in front of sixth largest crowd in program history – 2,171 fans

FORT WORTH -- TCU volleyball showed tremendous fight for every point but came up short against No. 6 Texas, 3-0, Wednesday night inside The Rickel at the University Rec Center.

"Tonight, is the hardest I've seen our team compete for a long time," head coach Jill Kramer said. "The lineup was different and we had some different things going on. I thought there were a lot of positives from it. We competed at a really high level. I thought it was some of the best defense we've played in a long time. If we can flip a few things and get a few points back, we'll be in a better spot. Still need to shore up a lot of things, but I thought we looked much better tonight."

TCU NOTABLES:

TCU recorded the sixth highest attendance in program history, with 2,171 in attendance inside The Rickel.
It was the 10th consecutive sellout this season and 20^th straight match overall.
Freshman Audrey Nalls finished with 13 kills on a season-best .391 hitting percentage in the loss. Nalls is now averaging 3.2 kills per set in Big 12 play.
She also led the team in digs, finishing with eight. She is averaging 2.4 digs/set in Big 12 play after averaging just over two per set in non-conference.
Redshirt junior outside hitter Ashley Waggle had another strong performance offensively, finishing with nine kills. She has now recorded 19 kills in her last two matches (9.5 per match) after averaging 3.2 kills per match in her previous 39.
She entered conference play with a career-high of nine kills, a mark she met or surpassed in each of her last two matches (10 vs. K-State and 9 vs. Texas).
Freshman setter McKenzie Nichols set a season-best with 32 assists tonight, her first 30+ assist match as a Horned Frog.
Sophomore élan McCall delivered her first point of the season from the back row, securing TCU's lone ace of the evening.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
Set 1 (UT, 25-19): Texas jumped out to a 9-6 lead off some strong attacking play. TCU did well to battle through the Longhorn blocks and keep points alive, but the UT attack allowed Texas to claim the early lead. TCU kept the set tight, never allowing Texas to score more than two consecutive points from that point on, but the Longhorns took the opening set by six points. Nalls and Waggle led the team with four kills each.

Set 2 (UT, 25-20): A 3-0 Texas run gave the Longhorns a 13-7 advantage early but the Frogs bounced back with a three-point spree of their own to make it a 17-14 score line. Once again, TCU showed tremendous effort, tracking down loose balls to force Texas into more attacks, drawing within two, once again, at 22-20. Eventually, Texas took the set by five. Nalls was a menace throughout the set, finishing with a team-best five kills on .667 hitting along with 4 digs. Freshman Julia Adams made a great adjustment to her attacking, putting up three kills on .400 hitting. As a team, TCU finished with a .360 team hitting percentage but couldn't scrounge the set.

Set 3 (UT, 25-21): The final set was a back and forth affair, with TCU claiming an early 9-8 lead, only to see Texas storm back for a 13-11 advantage. TCU tied the score at 15-15 and drew within one point later on, 20-19. But it wasn't to be and Texas won the set by four points, its largest lead of the whole set. Nalls delivered another strong performance, turning in four kills and a block.

UP NEXT:
TCU heads back on the road in search of its first win of conference play on the plains of Lubbock, Texas. The Horned Frogs will battle Texas Tech on Sunday, October 6 at 1 p.m.

For more information on TCU Volleyball visit GoFrogs.com and follow @TCUVolleyball on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.