TCU Advances to NCAA Second Round With 3-1 Win

Lincoln, Neb. – The TCU Horned Frogs used strong finishes to advance to the second round of the 2016 NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament with a 3-1 win (25-17, 25-23, 22-25, 25-20) over Wichita State on Friday at the Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln, Neb.

TCU won the final seven rallies of an eight-point victory in set one, then won the final two rallies of a two-point victory in set two. Wichita State won set three before TCU used an 8-3 run to turn a one-point lead into a six-point advantage in the second half of set four, which the Horned Frogs won 25-20.

With the win, TCU improved to 15-12 on the season and advanced to Saturday’s second-round match, where the Horned Frogs will take on either No. 1 Nebraska or New Hampshire at 7 p.m. TCU earned its second NCAA Tournament win in program history while handing head coach Jill Kramer her 100th career win. Wichita State saw its season end with a 24-8 record.

Ashley Smith paced the Horned Frogs with a double-double of 17 kills and 18 digs, while Natalie Gower and Ashleigh Martin added 11 kills apiece. TCU hit .217 in the match and defensively, Jillian Bergeson finished with a career-high 31 digs.

For Wichita State, Tabitha Brown had a match-high 18 kills to lead three Shockers in double-figure kills. Jody Larson added 11 kills and tallied 21 digs to finish with a double-double, while Abbie Lehman had 10 kills and nine blocks. Dani Mostrom had 29 digs for Wichita State, which had four more blocks than TCU but six fewer kills.

Set One: The opening set featured four ties and one lead change through the first 12 rallies, before TCU used a 5-1 run to build an 11-7 advantage. The Horned Frogs led by five at the media timeout, 15-10, and maintained a five-point advantage until four straight Shocker points trimmed the lead to 17-16 and forced the Horned Frogs to call a timeout. The teams then traded sideouts before TCU won the final seven rallies of the set to claim a 25-17 victory. The Horned Frogs hit .333 in the opening set and did not commit an error. Wichita State had two more kills than TCU in set one, but the Shockers committed seven attack errors, including three TCU blocks.

Set Two: After winning the final seven rallies of set one, TCU scored the first three points of set two en route to jumping out to a 5-1 lead. Wichita State fought back to within one at 7-6, and the Shockers pulled even at 12-12 following three straight points. Wichita State then used a 5-1 run to take an 18-16 lead. Trailing for the first time in the set, TCU called a timeout and responded with four straight points to regain the lead at 20-18. The set was tied for the fifth time at 21-all and for the sixth time at 23-all before TCU won the final two rallies to take the set, 25-23. The Horned Frogs totaled 18 kills in the second set, while blocks were even at two apiece and Wichita State out-hit TCU, .250 to .245.

Set Three: The third set featured a series of runs. Wichita State came out strong out following the break, using an 8-1 run to take an 11-6 lead in set three. TCU then answered with its own 8-1 run to build a 19-17 advantage. Wichita State came right back to win four straight points and regain the lead, 21-19. The Shockers stretched the lead to 24-21 and won the set on a kill from Larson. Both defenses excelled in set three, as Wichita State hit .180 and TCU was held to an .070 attack percentage. The Shockers recorded seven blocks in the set and each defense totaled 33 digs.

Set Four: TCU won four of the first five rallies in set four and never trailed. Wichita State kept it close until the Horned Frogs used an 8-3 run to turn a tight one-point, 11-10 lead into a six-point advantage at 19-13. TCU led by as many as seven down the stretch and claimed the 25-20 victory by winning the final two rallies, both on Wichita State attack errors. TCU produced five more kills than the Shockers in set four, while hitting .055 higher.

 

TCU Post-Match Notes

• TCU improved to 15-12 on the season with the win. The Horned Frogs will face either No. 1 Nebraska or New Hampshire in Saturday’s 7 p.m. second-round match.
• Making its third NCAA Tournament appearance, the Horned Frogs improved to 2-2 in postseason play. TCU advanced to the second round for only the second time in program history and for the first time since 2009.
• Head Coach Jill Kramer, a TCU alumnus, earned her 100th career victory and her first NCAA Tournament win as the Horned Frogs’ head coach.
• TCU won the first two sets and improved to 7-0 this season when winning the first two sets.
• The Horned Frogs were out-blocked, 12-8, marking their first win this season when recording fewer blocks than the opponent. TCU is now 1-6 this season when getting out-blocked.
• TCU had more kills than its opponent for just the ninth time this season, improving to 9-0 when it totals more kills than its opponent.
• The Horned Frogs’ 62 kills were its most in a four-set match this season.
• TCU did not commit its first attack error until the 53rd rally of the match (7-3 in the second set).
• Senior Jillian Bergeson produced a career-high 31 digs. The 31 digs increased her season total to 396, moving her into ninth place on the TCU single-season digs list.
• Senior outside hitter Ashley Smith produced her eighth double-double of the season and the 32nd of her career with 17 kills and 18 digs.
• Smith’s 17 kills were a season high and her 18 digs were two shy of her season and career high.
• Senior middle blocker Natalie Gower had five blocks into the match. She has 132 blocks this season and has moved into fifth place on the TCU single-season block list.

Wichita State Post-Match Notes

• Wichita State ended its season with a 24-8 record. The Shockers’ loss to TCU snapped their season-best nine-game win streak.
• Making its 10th NCAA Tournament appearance – and third straight – Wichita State fell to 7-10 all-time in the postseason, including a 6-4 mark in first-round matches.
• Wichita State played a first-round match in Lincoln for the fifth time and is now 3-2 in first-round matches in Lincoln.
• Although it was held to .188 hitting in the match, Wichita State posted a .283 attack percentage on the season, the second-best mark in school history.
• Junior setter Emily Hiebert finished with 38 assists and 18 digs to post her 17th double-double of the season and the 42nd of her career. The 42 career double-doubles tie for seventh place in Wichita State history. Hiebert was two kills shy of a triple-double.
• Hiebert’s 18 digs were a season high.
• Senior outside hitter Jody Larson produced her 17th double-double of the season in her final match, finishing with 11 kills and 21 digs.
• Senior libero Dani Mostrom has 29 digs in her final match, the most ever by a Shocker in the NCAA Tournament.
• Mostrom ended her career with 1,991 career digs, the second-highest total in Wichita State history.
• Junior middle blocker Abbie Lehman has 24 solo blocks on the year, 27 is tied for 10th in WSU history