Thursday, September 2
Fort Worth, Texas
12 PM
TCU
vs
Nicholls
Preview: Cowtown Classic
9/1/2021 12:15:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
TCU Volleyball Prepares for First Home Non-Conference Tournament in Schollmaier Arena
FORT WORTH – TCU volleyball opens the 2021 home schedule this week with the Cowtown Classic. The Horned Frogs host the four-team tournament featuring Nicholls State, UTRGV and UMBC at Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena this Thursday and Friday (Sept. 2-3).
Match Information
| TCU vs. Nicholls State | Thursday, Sept. 2 | 12 p.m. | Live Stats | Tickets |
| TCU vs. UTRGV | Thursday, Sept. 2 | 7 p.m. | Live Stats | Tickets |
| TCU vs. UMBC | Friday, Sept. 3 | 7 p.m. | Live Stats | Tickets |
Frog Focus
- TCU is 18-7 all-time in home openers, including a current 15-match winning streak dating back to 2005.
- The Horned Frogs are a perfect 6-0 in home opening matches under Head Coach Jill Kramer.
- TCU won its first-ever home opener in Schollmaier Arena last fall, taking down Texas Tech in five sets, 3-2.
- Junior OH and preseason All- Big 12 team member Julia Adams enters the tournament 10 kills shy of 500 career kills.
- Redshirt sophomore Madilyn Cole leads TCU with eight blocks so far this season. Her 1.33 blocks/set ranked third in the Big 12 this season.
- Freshman DS/L Cecily Bramschreiber currently sits fifth in the Big 12 with 24 digs in six sets of action. She delivered 10 digs in her first collegiate match at No. 2 Wisconsin, the most digs by a Horned Frog in a debut match since Dani Dennison's first match in 2017.
- Bramschreiber followed that performance with 14 digs against No. 7 Minnesota.
Frog Strong Up the Middle
- The Horned Frogs' middle blockers are coming off a very strong weekend last week, when junior MyKayla Myers and Cole combined for 23 kills and 13 blocks against a pair of Top 10 opponents.
- Myers led TCU in kills in both matches, finishing with 17 kills on .343 hitting and five total blocks.
- Myers was TCU's best producer last season against non-power 5 opponents, leading all returners with 47 kills on .416 hitting and 10 blocks.
- Cole set a TCU program record last season, delivering the most blocks by a Horned Frog playing in their collegiate debut since TCU entered the Big 12 conference in 2012. It was the most blocks by a Horned Frog in their debut since AVCA All-American Christy Hudson also recorded 4.0 blocks in her debut in 2007.
- Cole finished the weekend with eight blocks in six sets of play (1.33 blocks/set), currently the third highest block rate in the Big 12.
Dig it Again Dan
- Senior Dani Dennison has been one of the most dependable players on the roster throughout her career.
- She has played in all 112 of TCU's matches over her college career.
- Dennison has reached 1,341 digs, the second most in program history and just 92 shy of tying the program record.
- She led TCU in digs last season, finishing with 287 in 21 matches
- Dennison is now the first Horned Frog in program history to lead the team in total digs over three seasons (2017, 2019 and 2020/21).
All Time Digs Leaders - TCU Program History
1. Calli Corley (2003-07) - 1,433
2. Dani Dennison (2017-present) - 1,341
3. Katelyn Blackwood (2006-09) - 1,334
4. Meghan Horio (2009-12) - 1,247
5. Sutton Sunstrum (2012-15) - 1,227
Scouting the Opponent: Nicholls
- Nicholls State enters the weekend with a 3-0 record after sweeping Texas Southern, Niagara and Southern last weekend at home.
- The Colonels are led by a senior middle blocker, Aaliyah Burras. Burras racked up 28 kills and nine blocks over the first weekend of play.
- On the outside, freshman Paige Guidry shined in her first weekend of collegiate action, posting 4.17 kills/set on .451 hitting. She has delivered 25 kills and just two errors on 51 attempts this season.
- TCU leads the all-time series, 1-0. The Frogs won the only previous meeting in 2015, 3-0.
Scouting the Opponent: UTRGV
- UTRGV is 2-0 after collecting victories over Alcorn State and New Orleans last weekend.
- Twelve of the Vaqueros 15 student-athletes are international with the majority coming from Brazil (6) along with Czech Republic (2), Turkey (2), Greece (1) and Mexico (1). The three American born players all come from Texas.
- UTRGV is led by its junior outside hitter, Sarah Cruz. Cruz, a native of the Czech Republic, has already tallied 26 kills in just seven sets of play.
- TCU leads the all-time series, 2-0, with the last meeting coming in 2008 – a 3-0 TCU sweep in Edinburg, Texas.
Scouting the Opponent: UMBC
- UMBC enters the tournament with a 0-4 record, dropping matches to Florida Gulf Coast, USF, Rutgers and Miami.
- The Retrievers made the NCAA Tournament last season, representing the America East Conference. They fell in the opening round to Pepperdine in three sets.
- Their offense is spearheaded by a pair of seniors, Paige Krenik and Grace Rigsbee. Both players are averaging over two kills/set entering play this week.
- This is the first meeting between the two schools.
For more information on TCU Volleyball visit GoFrogs.com and follow @TCUVolleyball on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
DS/L
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
DS/L
/ Women's Volleyball
DS/L
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
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