TCU Comeback Falls Short at Kansas

Friday, November 19

Lawrence, KS

6:30 PM

TCU

8-15,2-11Big 12

Kansas

13-11,5-8Big 12

TCU

Kansas

TCU Comeback Falls Short at Kansas

11/19/2021 10:21:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Box Score

The Horned Frogs served nine aces in the five-set loss.

LAWRENCE, Kan. – TCU Volleyball couldn't complete the reverse sweep on Friday night, falling to Kansas, 3-2 (22-25, 24-26, 25-20, 25-22, 9-15) inside Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena. Senior Dani Dennison played one of her best matches this season, racking up 27 digs, four aces and eight assists in the loss.

"Our team fought hard tonight," Head Coach Jill Kramer said. "Our offense was the most balanced it's been all season. Hats off to Kansas for playing pretty error free in the 5th set. That was the difference in closing the match out. We are looking forward to battling again tomorrow night."

TCU NOTABLES:

Senior Dani Dennison led the team with 27 digs, a new season high and just one shy of tying her career high.
She improves her career total to 1,559 – the most in program history.
This was Dennison's program-record 79^th career double-digit dig match and 17^th career 20+ dig performance.
Dennison has now set the program record for the most matches played: 133
She tied her career high with four aces while tying her season high in assists, with eight.
TCU hit 69 kills as a team tonight – tied for the most in a match this season and the most TCU has ever hit in the 20 all-time meetings against Kansas.
The Horned Frogs served nine aces – the most ever against KU and the most in a Big 12 match since the 2019 season (11/2/19 vs. K-State).
Junior Julia Adams recorded a season high 19 kills. It was her 15^th 10+ kill performance of the season and 37^th of her career.
Those 19 kills improve Adams' season total to 251 – a new career high for a single season.
McKenzie Nichols recorded her team-best 24^th double-double and ninth of the season: 47 assists, 11 digs.
Audrey Nalls recorded her fifth-career double-double: 13 kills, 13 digs.
Zoe Hall made six blocks along with a career-high 11 kills. She has now recorded 5.0+ blocks in each of her last three appearances (1.21 blocks/set).
Mykayla Myers hit 12 kills on .346 hitting. It was her 12^th career 10+ kill performance and her 20^th career match hitting over .300.
Ashley Wehrstein recorded 10 digs for her first double-digit dig match of the season.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
Set 1 (KU, 25-22): TCU made its mark on the service line right away. Wehrstein and Nalls each delivered two aces in the first 14 points to help TCU jump in front, 11-4. Kansas stepped up its blocking game later in the set, clawing its way back to a tie, 15-15. Both sides traded points to 20-20 before Kansas went on a 5-2 run, winning the opener by three points. Adams showed off her power, making four kills on some formidable swings. The TCU middle blockers, Hall and Myers, combined for seven kills on .386 hitting, headlined by four kills from six swings by Hall.

Set 2 (KU, 26-24): Dennison rattled off three aces in a row to erase a 9-6 deficit and tie the set, 9-9. Hall had her fingerprints all over the offense, putting TCU in front, 13-10, before Kansas crawled back into the lead late, 24-21. Kills from Nalls and Adams along with a block from Hall and Nichols helped TCU defend three set points and tie the score for the 10^th time, 24-24, but KU scored the next two points to take a two-set advantage. Adams led the team with four more kills, along with three each from Nalls and Hall. TCU made five blocks in the set, led by three from Halla and three from Nalls.

Set 3 (TCU, 25-20): The Frogs jumped out in front early in the third set as well, going up 5-1 thanks to a pair of kills from Adams and a block from Hall and Nichols. As was the case in the first two sets, Kansas chipped away at the lead and eventually tied the score, 12-12. But this time, the Horned Frogs responded with a second scoring run, winning nine of the next 12 points to go in front, 21-15. TCU would nurse that lead until the end, winning the third set by five points. Alexcis Lusby provided the offense with a spark off the bench, making four kills on five swings to push TCU to victory. Adams led the attack once again, with six kills, while Dennison (6), Nichols (4) and Wehrstein (4) combined for all 14 digs.

Set 4 (TCU, 25-22): The aces may have dried up in the fourth set, but serving remained a strength for TCU, as KU was forced out of system throughout the set to the tune of .111 hitting. Adams deserves the credit for a hot start in the fourth set, making two kills and a block to push the Frogs in front, 3-0. TCU kept the Jayhawks at bay for most of the set, before a 5-2 TCU scoring run put the Frogs up 18-12. But once again, Kansas wouldn't go lightly, KU responded with an 8-2 run, tying the set, 20-20. TCU kept its nerve, staying in the fight and finding some timely kills from Nalls to take a 24-22 lead, when Nichols dumped the ball over the net for her sixth kill of the night to force a fifth set. Five Frogs recorded three kills in the set: Hall, Myers, Lusby, Adams and Nalls as Nichols spread the ball with great efficiency. Dennison was a brick wall on defense, making six more digs.

Set 5 (KU, 15-9): For the first time all night, Kansas was the team to get out of the gates quickly. KU took a 5-2 lead in the final set and managed to keep the Frogs at least two points away through the end. TCU made 16 digs in a set that was filled with long rallies, but Kansas managed to take 26 swings without committing an error, making four blocks to TCU's zero, winning the fifth set by six points.

UP NEXT:
The Horned Frogs (8-15, 2-11) has a second chance against the Jayhawks tomorrow night at 6:30 p.m. inside Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+.

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