TCU Matches Best-Ever Big 12 Win Total with Victory at West Virginia

Wednesday, November 16

Morgantown, W. Va

5 PM

TCU

14-10,9-4Big 12

West Virginia

7-20,0-14Big 12

TCU

West Virginia

TCU Matches Best-Ever Big 12 Win Total with Victory at West Virginia

11/17/2022 1:19:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

Horned Frogs guaranteed themselves first winning record overall and in Big 12 play since 2015

MORGANTOWN – TCU took another step toward solidifying its postseason plans on Wednesday, outlasting West Virginia in five sets, 25-19, 19-25, 25-19, 21-25, 15-13 in a Big 12 affair inside WVU Coliseum.

The Horned Frogs (14-10, 9-5 Big 12) guaranteed themselves a winning record both overall and in Big 12 play for the first time since 2015 with the result.

TCU matched its highest-ever single-season win total in Big 12 play (nine) with two matches remaining in the regular season. The Horned Frogs are now in position to finish the season high as third in the Big 12 standings. TCU secured a top-five conference finish – also its first since 2015 – with the win.

TCU has now won three straight matches and six-of-seven overall.

The Horned Frogs' fast finish to the regular season, though. nearly cascaded into Appalachia.

Nothing came easy in TCU's first trip to Morgantown in more than two years.

West Virginia concluded the match with the edge in kills (51-44), assists (48-41) and digs (66-63). The Mountaineers (7-20, 0-14 Big 12) used a 10-3 run late in set five to assume a 12-9 lead.

Yet once more, the resiliency and grit that have helped define TCU's resurgent 2022 campaign pulled the Horned Frogs through.

TCU stymied the Mountaineers bid for their first conference with five straight points to serve for the match.

A service error – one of 15 for WVU – kicked off the spurt. Head coach Jason Williams then turned to two freshmen off the bench in a pair of shrewd substitutions. With the Horned Frogs holding possession, Williams called upon Riley Weigelt to serve. Another WVU error propelled TCU back within a point. Needing a spark at the net – TCU was limited to seven blocks through the first four sets – Sarah Sylvester checked in at middle blocker. Sylvester, from Livonia, Michigan, promptly registered back-to-back blocks to punctuate the run.

WVU staved off match point via a kill but Williams whistled for time to draw up a decisive play. After handling the WVU serve, Julia Adams lasered home a kill between rows from the left pin off an assist from Callie Williams.

Williams tallied a match-high 40 assists along with 12 digs. The performance signified her 10^th straight double-double and 12^th of the fall. TCU has been victorious in all-but-two of its contests throughout Williams' double-double escapade.

Sixteen of Williams' assists went to Audrey Nalls, who led all players with 16 kills. Nalls notched 12 of her kills over the final three frames. She has now led TCU in kills in 15 of its last 17 outings.

Adams' game-winner was her seventh kill. Jalyn Gibson, Zoe Hall and Mykayla Myers chipped in six kills apiece.

Sabrina Sustala joined Williams in double figures in digs with a team-high 18.

Both Sustala and Williams each landed three service aces to help TCU register a season-best 11. Adams and McKenzie Nichols chipped in two aces apiece.

Serving loomed large in dictating set one. TCU finished with a 4-1 advantage in aces while inducing WVU into eight combined service and reception errors. The Horned Frogs limited the Mountaineers to a .103 hitting clip.

Two Horned Frog aces and a trio of WVU errors propelled TCU to an 8-5 head start. TCU then snapped a 12-12 gridlock with an 8-2 run to wrest control of the set from the Mountaineers and stretch the lead to 20-15. Nichols' first ace of the evening and TCU's fourth in the frame polished off the run. Hall maintained TCU's five-point edge at 22-17 with her first kill of the match. TCU scored three of the final points in the set off two more WVU errors and a kill by Myers.

A trio of 3-0 runs staked TCU to a 12-9 head start in set two. WVU again rallied to knot the scoreboard at 12-all. The teams alternated the ensuing four points. WVU then used a 10-2 run to separate from the Horned Frogs at 21-16.

Set three spun a different story. The Horned Frogs never trailed and led by as many as 10 points. TCU sprinkled 11 kills and five service aces across the frame.

Consecutive kills by Myers following an ace from Williams gave TCU a 5-2 lead. TCU soon doubled up the Horned Frogs three times – 8-4, 10-5 and 14-7. Three kills and aces each fueled the sequence. Williams followed up with consecutive aces to give TCU its largest lead of the night at 17-7. TCU matched its 10-point edge via a kill and a block by Hall on consecutive plays to push the score to 24-14. WVU fought back to score five straight points but Hall wrapped things up in short order with a kill from the middle.

The Horned Frogs doubled up WVU at 10-5 once more to start set four. TCU led as late as 16-13. WVU countered with an 8-3 scoring surge that TCU was unable to recover from.

The Horned Frogs opened set five with a 6-2 lead prior to staging their match-ending rally.

TCU stifled WVU to a .117 hitting percentage for the match. The Horned Frogs held the Mountaineers to a sub-.100 clip and under 50 percent on side out opportunities in sets three and five.

The Horned Frogs attained their first season sweep of WVU since 2019.

TCU now returns to Fort Worth one final time in the regular season for its home finale vs. Kansas State at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Schollmaier Arena. The Horned Frogs will host their Senior Day celebration following the match. TCU is set to honor six graduating players: Afedo Manyang, Mykayla Myers, Audrey Nalls, McKenzie Nichols, Sabrina Sustala and Callie Williams.