TCU
Rice
Rice Hands TCU 3-1 Loss
11/28/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 28, 2008
HOUSTON, Texas - The TCU Horned Frogs suffered a tough 3-1 (15-25, 25-17, 15-25, 26-28) defeat at Rice Friday night. The Frogs were led by Christy Hudson's 15 kills. Katelyn Blackwood led four Frogs in double-digit digs with 21. Lauren Otto finished with her ninth double-double of the season with 11 kills and 14 digs. Nirelle Hampton also notched her ninth double-double with 41 assists and 13 digs.Where things went wrong in the first set, they went right for the Frogs in set two as they battled back to even the match at a game apiece. TCU hit a miniscule .051 in the first set with 11 kills and nine errors, while the Owls were on fire with 15 kills and a .382 attack percentage as they grabbed a 25-15 victory for the early match lead.
It was a role reversal in the second set as TCU pounded 13 kills and hit .316 and took advantage of eight hitting errors and three service errors by Rice. The defense was the key to the 25-17 set two victory as the Frogs tallied 23 digs, led by seven from Katelyn Blackwood and racked up four blocks.
TCU stormed out to an early 8-3 advantage, forcing a Rice timeout. Lauren Otto blasted two kills, while Christy Hudson collected two of her own and teamed with Kourtney Edwards and Devon Kirk for two big blocks on the outside.
The Frogs continued to build their lead with a 3-0 run that commenced on a Kirk kill in the middle. Leading 14-10, TCU opened up a 5-1 run thanks to kills from Edwards and Otto along with another Hudson/Kirk denial in the middle to build a 19-11 lead.
Rice had some fight as they pulled back within seven at 22-15, but Otto silenced the rally with two kills in the final five points to seal the 25-17 win.
A tight battle ensued in the third set as the teams jockeyed for control of the match. Rice took the early lead and held on as the Frogs would get within one, but could never get over the hump and tie the set.
Irene Hester made it a 9-8 contest in favor of Rice, but the Owls went on a 6-3 run to open up a four-point advantage. With the Owls leading 16-13, Rice went on a 5-0 run to put a dagger in any hopes of a comeback for TCU. Rice went on to take the 2-1 match lead with a 25-15 game three victory.
The fourth set proved to be the most competitive of the game as the Frogs tried to force a game five and the Owls tried to secure the victory. TCU had the early advantage, taking an 11-8 lead on a Blackwood ace, but the Owls began their comeback with a 2-0 run to get within one, 11-10.
The Frogs clung to the one-point lead as the teams traded points, working the score to 16-15. A kill from Karyn Morgan tied the set at 16, but the Frogs regained the advantage on a service error by the Owls. Leading 18-17, the Owls went on a 4-1 run to take a two-point lead, 21-19, forcing a Frog timeout.
Back-to-back errors by Rice tied the game at 21 and the Owls used their first timeout. The Owls used the break and turned it into a 3-1 run to give the set point. TCU staved off four match points, but couldn't get to set point themselves and dropped a hard-fought 28-26 decision.
TCU falls to 20-11 on the season. The Frogs will play their final match of the 2008 season Saturday night as they travel across town to face former Conference USA foe, Houston. Match time is slated for 7 p.m.
