TCU Earns First Win of Jason Williams Era, 2022 Season with Triumph over Coastal Carolina

Friday, September 2

Fort Worth, Texas

7:30 PM

TCU

1-2,0-0Big 12

Coastal Carolina

3-2,0-0Sun Belt

Coastal Carolina

TCU

Photo by: Sharon Ellman

TCU Earns First Win of Jason Williams Era, 2022 Season with Triumph over Coastal Carolina

9/3/2022 12:01:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

Horned Frogs cap Fight in the Fort tournament with twin bill vs. Memphis and Texas A&M on Saturday

FORT WORTH – TCU head coach Jason Williams glanced around Schollmaier Arena on Friday, eventually breaking into a grin following the Horned Frogs' 3-1 win over Coastal Carolina in the "Fight in the Fort" nonconference tournament.

The head man was soon met with a series of greetings following his first victory at the helm of TCU volleyball.

First came a series of hugs and back slaps from assistant coaches and support staff members. The celebration then turned to the handshake line with his players, who blitzed the Chanticleers to the tune of a season-high 58 assists and 55 kills.

Confetti poppers soon awaited Williams following an extended walk to the locker room chock full of high fives.

"As a lord, I've won a lot," Williams joked in addressing the team. "But it is special. It's special that my first head coaching win overall is with this group right here."

The win and ensuing post-match bash were the symbolism for a new era of TCU volleyball. A total of 10 newcomers contributed to the triumph as did an equal number of returners and four first-year staffers.

The result reaffirmed the competitive culture Williams is instilling in Fort Worth.

Coastal Carolina claimed set one 25-21 on the strength of a 12-3 run. The Chanticleers in turn opened up a 6-2 edge in the second set, prompting TCU to motion for time.

But TCU soon turned the set – and the match – on its ear.

The Horned Frogs connected at a season-high .520 clip to claim the set 25-16 and even things at one set apiece. Seven players teamed up to tally 16 kills and assists apiece in set three to stake the Horned Frogs to a 25-17 victory and 2-1 match lead. TCU then put its foot down in the fourth-and-final frame. In a set that featured 11 ties and was knotted as late as 19-19, the Horned Frogs landed kills on five of their last six points to grab the set and the match at 25-23.

It's a win that is likely to age well for the Horned Frogs as the 2022 campaign progresses. Coastal Carolina was swept by Texas A&M, whom the Horned Frogs meet at 6 p.m. on Saturday, but has a history of sustained success. The Chanticleers (3-2) were picked to win the Sun Belt Conference east division and amassed a 63-16 overall record from 2019-2021.

The victory was made even more gratifying by the fact TCU played without two of its usual starters, Zoe Hall and Taylor Raiola, who were absent due to injury.

Team leaders and new faces alike rallied to fill the void.

Julia Adams racked up 17 kills to lead the Horned Frogs in the category for the third time in as many contests this fall. The 6-3 senior also connected at a season-best .368 hitting clip and picked up her 800^th career kill in set four.

She was one of three players to reach double figures for TCU. Cecily Bramschreiber continued her impressive transition from defensive specialist to outside hitter, as the 5-9 sophomore finished with 15 kills on a team-high 40 swings. Just as integral in pacing the Horned Frogs offensive onslaught was Audrey Nalls, who chipped in 13 of her own on .333 hitting.

The trio had the Chanticleers on skates in set two. They accounted for all-but-one of TCU's kills in the period. Adams found open court four times over the course of a 13-5 spurt following Williams' timeout that nudged TCU ahead 17-13. Bramschreiber and Adams bookended kills around a service ace from Callie Williams to swell the Horned Frogs' lead to 20-13. Nalls then put the hammer down with a kill and a service ace to put TCU ahead 24-16 before it grabbed the set.

Williams, who transferred to TCU in July from Baylor, was the catalyst all evening. She earned her second start of the season at setter and made the most of her extended run on the court. The graduate transfer amassed a TCU career-high 38 assists to pair with eight digs, five kills – four of which came via dump sets – on a perfect hitting percentage and three service aces.

Many of Williams' top highlights came at critical junctures in the match. Back-to-back dump kill from the Waco native coupled consecutive kills by Adams to stake TCU to a 17-13 advantage in set three. Another ace from Williams' increased the lead to 22-14. Her third dump kill of the frame soon positioned TCU for set point at 24-16.

A savvy coach's challenge in set four helped turn the tide in favor of TCU. The Horned Frogs and Chanticleers largely traded points to the tune of a 17-17 deadlock. MyKayla Myers (five kills, one block) looked to land a touch kill near the right pin to keep the scoreboard even at 18. The attack, though, was ruled out, immediately prompting Williams to flash the green challenge card.

Sure enough, the call was reversed in short order. TCU left nothing to chance from there. A thunderous block by Madi Cole gave the Horned Frogs a 20-19 lead. Following a 21-21 split, Nalls and Adams delivered consecutive kills to inch TCU closer to match point. Adams emphatically closed out the contest with kills on two of the final three plays.

The Horned Frogs led the match in every major statistical category, including kills, assists, digs (52-43), service aces (5-3) and hitting percentage (.297-.192).

TCU caps its annual "Fight in the Fort" with a Saturday twin bill. The Horned Frogs face Memphis (3-2) at 10 a.m. before returning to the court in the evening to meet the Aggies (3-2). This will be the first meeting on the volleyball court between TCU and Texas A&M.