Parra Named Big 12 Player of the Year; Four Frogs Named to All-Big 12 Teams
12/3/2024 2:00:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Senior headlines 2024 Conference Volleyball Awards
FORT WORTH – Following one of TCU volleyball's best seasons in program history, the Big 12 released its all-conference awards, headlined by outside hitter Melanie Parra, who was named the Big 12 Player of the Year on Tuesday as voted on by the league's head coaches.
Four Horned Frogs received All-Big 12 honors, tied for the most in school history (four in 2015 and 2018). Melanie Parra and Jalyn Gibson earned a spot on the First Team, while Alice Volpe and Becca Kelley landed on the Rookie Team. The four honorees were critical in TCU's success this season, helping the Frogs earn their first-ever national ranking in the AVCA coaches poll, first 20-win season since 2011 and the most wins in conference play ever.
Parra is the first Horned Frog to secure Big 12 Player of the Year honors and was also a unanimous selection to the All-Big 12 First Team for the second straight season after rewriting the record books at TCU. In her senior campaign, she eclipsed the 500 kill mark, becoming just the 24th player in Big 12 history in the rally scoring era to accomplish the feat. With 531 total kills and 620.5 points on the season, Parra led all Power 4 players and broke the TCU single season program record in the rally scoring era in both offensive categories.
In 2024, the Sinaloa, Mexico, native garnered six Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week awards, tied for the most in a single season in conference history, and was the first-ever back-to-back AVCA/GameChanger Player of the Week in women's D1 volleyball history. Averaging 5.06 kills per set and 5.91 points per set, Parra ranked among the nation's best attackers.
After earning Second Team All-Big 12 honors a year ago and a spot on the preseason team before the 2024 campaign, Gibson received a First Team nod, joining Parra. The junior built on her success from last season, ranking seventh and ninth in the Big 12 in total points (432.0) and kills per set (3.46), respectively. In 28 matches, Gibson tallied a career-best 367 kills on a .269 clip, recording double-digit kills in 22 contests. A versatile six-rotation outside, she led the team with 310 digs and finished the regular season with 12 double-doubles.
A true freshman, Volpe garnered All-Big 12 Rookie Team honors after appearing in all 28 of TCU's matches this season and starting each of the last 13 at libero. The Cypress, Texas, native tallied 282 digs on the season, the most by a TCU freshman since 2017 (Dani Dennison, 517), and was one of the best passers on the team. Volpe finished with double-digit digs in 15 contests for the Frogs, including a career-high 20 in a sweep over Colorado on Oct. 30.
Kelley, a redshirt freshman, made an instant impact for the Frogs in her first season in purple, earning All-Big 12 Rookie Team honors. The Rockwall, Texas, product played in 93 sets over all 28 matches. She racked up 207 kills on the year (2.23 per set) and added 47 blocks. Kelley recorded double-digit kills in 11 matches, including a career-high 19 against Cincinnati on Oct. 19.
Volpe and Kelley are the first Horned Frogs to garner All-Rookie honors since Julia Adams in 2019.
No. 20 TCU takes on Hawaii on Thursday, Dec. 5, at 6 p.m. CT in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon.
For all the latest TCU volleyball news, follow the Frogs on Twitter at @TCUVolleyball, on Instagram at @tcuvolleyball and on Facebook at TCU Volleyball.
Four Horned Frogs received All-Big 12 honors, tied for the most in school history (four in 2015 and 2018). Melanie Parra and Jalyn Gibson earned a spot on the First Team, while Alice Volpe and Becca Kelley landed on the Rookie Team. The four honorees were critical in TCU's success this season, helping the Frogs earn their first-ever national ranking in the AVCA coaches poll, first 20-win season since 2011 and the most wins in conference play ever.
Parra is the first Horned Frog to secure Big 12 Player of the Year honors and was also a unanimous selection to the All-Big 12 First Team for the second straight season after rewriting the record books at TCU. In her senior campaign, she eclipsed the 500 kill mark, becoming just the 24th player in Big 12 history in the rally scoring era to accomplish the feat. With 531 total kills and 620.5 points on the season, Parra led all Power 4 players and broke the TCU single season program record in the rally scoring era in both offensive categories.
In 2024, the Sinaloa, Mexico, native garnered six Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week awards, tied for the most in a single season in conference history, and was the first-ever back-to-back AVCA/GameChanger Player of the Week in women's D1 volleyball history. Averaging 5.06 kills per set and 5.91 points per set, Parra ranked among the nation's best attackers.
After earning Second Team All-Big 12 honors a year ago and a spot on the preseason team before the 2024 campaign, Gibson received a First Team nod, joining Parra. The junior built on her success from last season, ranking seventh and ninth in the Big 12 in total points (432.0) and kills per set (3.46), respectively. In 28 matches, Gibson tallied a career-best 367 kills on a .269 clip, recording double-digit kills in 22 contests. A versatile six-rotation outside, she led the team with 310 digs and finished the regular season with 12 double-doubles.
A true freshman, Volpe garnered All-Big 12 Rookie Team honors after appearing in all 28 of TCU's matches this season and starting each of the last 13 at libero. The Cypress, Texas, native tallied 282 digs on the season, the most by a TCU freshman since 2017 (Dani Dennison, 517), and was one of the best passers on the team. Volpe finished with double-digit digs in 15 contests for the Frogs, including a career-high 20 in a sweep over Colorado on Oct. 30.
Kelley, a redshirt freshman, made an instant impact for the Frogs in her first season in purple, earning All-Big 12 Rookie Team honors. The Rockwall, Texas, product played in 93 sets over all 28 matches. She racked up 207 kills on the year (2.23 per set) and added 47 blocks. Kelley recorded double-digit kills in 11 matches, including a career-high 19 against Cincinnati on Oct. 19.
Volpe and Kelley are the first Horned Frogs to garner All-Rookie honors since Julia Adams in 2019.
No. 20 TCU takes on Hawaii on Thursday, Dec. 5, at 6 p.m. CT in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon.
For all the latest TCU volleyball news, follow the Frogs on Twitter at @TCUVolleyball, on Instagram at @tcuvolleyball and on Facebook at TCU Volleyball.
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