TCU
LSU
Preview: NCAA First Round Vs. No. 11 LSU
5/2/2024 2:30:00 PM | Women's Beach Volleyball
No. 5 TCU begins NCAA tournament as the No. 6 Seed
GULF SHORES, Ala. – The No. 5-ranked TCU beach volleyball team (29-7) starts the quest for a National Championship. The single elimination tournament begins on Friday as the Horned Frogs go head-to-head with 11th-seeded LSU Tigers (25-11) in the first round at 4 p.m. on ESPNU. Should the Frogs advance, they play the winner of 14th-seeded Georgia State and No. 3 Stanford on Saturday in the second round on ESPN2.
FOLLOW ALONG
Watch on the ESPN Family of Networks and follow along on X for live updates! Additionally, all individual courts will be broadcasted on ESPN+.
ESPN Broadcast
FROG FOCUS
TCU is making its fourth straight appearance in the NCAA Championship. The appearance comes on the heels of the program's second conference championship title. The Horned Frogs gave a perfect 4-0 showing at the Conference USA Championships to earn the automatic bid to the NCAA Championship.
The new pairing of Olivia Clines and Anete Namike took home the title of Pair of the Tournament. Hailey Hamlett, Anhelina Khmil, Sutton MacTavish and Ana Vergara were named to the conference's All-Tournament team.
Individually, Hamlett, Khmil and MacTavish earned AVCA All-American honors. Hamlett and Khmil were awarded First Team, while MacTavish earned Second Team recognition.
The dynamic No. 1 duo of Hamlett and Khmil was also awarded AVCA Top-Flight honors. The 2023 AVCA Pairs National Champions have a 22-3 record together, the best of any pair from TCU this season.
Three Frogs reached career milestones this season. Vergara and Hamett both notched their 75th career wins on April 6. MacTavish garnered her 100th career win at the CUSA Championship against Tulane (April 26).
Last season, the Frogs went 2-1 in Gulf Shores, making it to their first Final Four appearance in the NCAA Tournament. TCU lost against USC 3-2 in the semifinals.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
No. 11 LSU travels to Gulf Shores as the 11th seed in the tournament. The Tigers are coming off a 1-2 performance at the CSSA Championship last weekend. The team saw one win over then-No. 17 GCU (4-1) but fell to both No. 4 FSU (0-3) and South Carolina (2-3).
The No. 11 LSU Tigers are a familiar foe to the Horned Frogs. On Feb. 24, the Frogs downed the then-No.6 ranked Tigers 3-2 at the Third Coast College Classic. In all-time matchups, TCU trails the Tigers 9-7.
