Aug. 26, 2011

Box Score

FORT WORTH, Texas - The TCU volleyball team got the season started on the right foot in front of a rowdy crowd at the University Rec Center Friday night with a 3-1 (25-22, 25-23, 18-25, 25-22) win over Texas Tech. 1,706 fans packed the gym, making it the second-largest crowd in school history.

Freshman Stephanie Holland led the Horned Frog attack with 14 kills on 29 swings. Kristen Hester pitched in with 11 kills and added two blocks and two digs to her stat line. Megan Munce collected her 14th career double-double with 34 assists and 11 digs. She served up two aces to give her 100 for her career.

Sloane Sunstrum led all servers with three aces, while contributing seven kills and 13 digs. Jordan Raines pumped in eight kills and tallied 14 digs. Yvonne Igodan led the Frogs with six blocks (two solo, four assist) and picked up five kills. Sarah Joeckel led all defensive players with 21 digs, the first 20-dig match of her career.

Hester dominated the front court for the Frogs in the first set as the Frogs took the early lead in the match. She blasted five kills to help the Frogs to a 25-22 win. With the set tied at five, a service error by the Red Raiders gave TCU a lead it wouldn't relinquish. Raines and Igodan teamed up on a pair of blocks and Sunstrum dropped in a kill to help the Frogs build an 11-7 lead.

TCU would cling to that lead, but Texas Tech eventually pulled back within one, 19-18. Sunstrum had an answer for the Red Raiders rally as she blasted a cross court kill to put the Frogs back in control. Hester and Munce turned away a Tech attack to give the Frogs a 23-21 lead and an ace from Sunstrum gave TCU set point. Hester's fifth kill of the set locked up the win.

A much tighter affair followed in the second set as the teams battled through 15 ties and six lead changes. Neither team took control until the Frogs broke a 12-12 tie with a kill from Sunstrum. TCU pushed the lead to three, 16-13, on a kill from Hester and an ace from Sunstrum.

The Red Raiders fought back to eventually take a 20-19 lead. The set worked its way to 22-all before back-to-back hitting errors by Texas Tech gave the Frogs a 24-22 lead. Raines finished off the win with a kill to put TCU in control up 2-0 in the match.

In the third set, Texas Tech took the early control and never looked back as it won 25-18 to cut the match to 2-1. A 5-0 run by the Red Raiders early in the game set the tone for the third set. The Frogs battled back to 13-12 on a Munce ace, but a kill from Amanda Dowdy ended the threat and spurred another 5-0 run. The big push from Texas Tech put it on the path to victory as TCU would never get closer than three points the rest of the set.

In the fourth set, the Horned Frogs had to rally from an early 9-7 hole, but a 4-0 run behind the serving of Raines got the Frogs back on track. Holland started the rally with a kill and a solo block from Igodan tied the set at nine. Holland put the Frogs up two, 11-9, with her second kill of the set.

The Red Raiders kept the set close, pushing the score to 14-all, but a service error by Texas Tech put the Frogs in front where they would stay. Sunstrum served up an ace and blasted a kill to force a timeout with the Frogs leading 17-14. The Red Raiders would creep back within one, 18-17, but a Munce kill stunted the rally. A blast from Holland gave the Frogs set point at 24-20 and she finished off the 25-22 Frog win with her fourth kill of the set.

The Horned Frogs (1-0) return to the court Saturday afternoon for a 1 p.m. match against Grambling State. They will conclude play in the TCU Invitational Saturday night at 7 p.m. against UConn.

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