Wednesday, September 2
Fort Worth, Texas
6:30 PM
TCU
2-1,0-0Big 12
3
vs
2
SMU
3-1,0-0ACC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SMU | 25 | 22 | 16 | 28 | 12 | 2 |
| TCU | 16 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 15 | 3 |
Volleyball Wins Crosstown Rivalry with No. 8 SMU in Five-Set Thriller
9/3/2026 1:26:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
FORT WORTH – Battling for five sets in its home opener, No. 18 TCU volleyball defended its home court and picked up its first ranked win of the season, knocking off No. 8 SMU in a thriller on Wednesday night inside Schollmaier Arena.
The Horned Frogs (2-1, 0-0 Big 12) rallied after dropping the opening set to win, 3-2. Playing in front of over 2,000 fans on its brand new Taraflex court, TCU picked up its first victory over the Mustangs since 2018. It also marks the 15th ranked win under head coach Jason Williams, including the fourth time he's led his squad to win over a top 10 team.
Becca Kelley led the way for the Frogs with 20 kills on a .311 clip. The senior finished one shy of tying her career high set last season (21 vs. Kansas) and was joined by two of her teammates in double figures. Evan Hendrix tallied 17 kills while hitting .351, extending her streak to 25 straight matches with double-digit kills, and Jalyn Gibson added 10 kills and nine digs. It marked Gibson's first match in double figures since returning from her ACL injury. Setters Rosemary Archer and Reese Wilburn dished out 40 and 13 assists, respectively, feeding the team to a .294 hitting percentage.
While the offense shined, TCU made its biggest impact at the net. The Frogs racked up 19.5 blocks compared to just five from SMU and held the Mustangs to a .204 hitting percentage. Freshman Kinsley Young was dominant, racking up a career-high nine blocks to go along with six kills on a .400 clip. De'Andrea McMillian added seven blocks, and Reese Robins finished with five. Libero Alice Volpe anchored the back row with a match-high 20 digs.
SMU came out firing in the first set and never looked back. The Mustangs scored the first four points of the night before opening up an eight-point advantage at 15-7. Kelley did her best to keep the Frogs within striking distance, totaling six kills in the set alone, but SMU hit .409 and cruised to a 25-16 win.
Once again, TCU found itself down early in the second. SMU jumped out to a 5-0 lead and even stretched it to six points at 7-1, but the Frogs slowly chipped away as the set moved on. Trailing 19-16, a kill from Robins, an ace from Young and a massive triple block from Robins, McMillian and Kelley tied things back up, sending Schollmaier into a frenzy. SMU used both timeouts quickly to try and stall the momentum, but it wasn't enough to slow down TCU. Tied at 21, Kelley and Hendrix sparked a 3-0 run, and the Frogs scored four of the final five points to take the set, 25-22, and even the match.
With the momentum on its side, TCU took control in the third. The Frogs turned a 1-1 tie into a 9-3 lead and kept their foot on the gas, eventually stretching their advantage to as many as 12 at 18-6. Hendrix tallied five kills in the set, while TCU's block frustrated the Mustangs' attack, holding SMU to a .026 clip. There was never a doubt as the Frogs rolled to a 25-16 victory and took a 2-1 lead in the match.
SMU refused to go quietly in the fourth. The set featured 13 ties and six lead changes as neither team could create much separation. The Mustangs opened up a three-point lead at 20-17, but TCU answered with three straight, capped off by an Archer ace and a kill from Hendrix. From there, the two sides traded blows. The Frogs fended off three set points to stay alive, but SMU finally broke through with the final two points, taking the fourth set, 28-26, and forcing a decisive fifth set.
With bragging rights for the metroplex on the line, both teams traded sideouts until back-to-back errors gave the Frogs a two-point cushion at 10-8. SMU regrouped with a timeout and tied the match back up at 11, before Kelley delivered her 20th kill of the night to put TCU back in front. Hendrix and Young followed with a stuff block to give the Frogs their two-point lead back.
SMU answered, cutting the lead back to one, but Hendrix slammed down her 17th kill to set up match point. With the arena on its feet, Young teamed up with Archer for one final rejection at the net, sending fans into a frenzy and sealing the top 10 victory.
TCU looks to stay hot when it hits the road for two more top 15 matchups this weekend. The Frogs take on No. 6 Louisville on Friday, Sept. 4, at 3 p.m. CT before traveling to face No. 14 Purdue on Sunday, Sept. 6, at noon.
For all the latest TCU volleyball news, follow the Frogs on X at @TCUVolleyball, on Instagram at @tcuvolleyball and on Facebook at TCU Volleyball.
The Horned Frogs (2-1, 0-0 Big 12) rallied after dropping the opening set to win, 3-2. Playing in front of over 2,000 fans on its brand new Taraflex court, TCU picked up its first victory over the Mustangs since 2018. It also marks the 15th ranked win under head coach Jason Williams, including the fourth time he's led his squad to win over a top 10 team.
Becca Kelley led the way for the Frogs with 20 kills on a .311 clip. The senior finished one shy of tying her career high set last season (21 vs. Kansas) and was joined by two of her teammates in double figures. Evan Hendrix tallied 17 kills while hitting .351, extending her streak to 25 straight matches with double-digit kills, and Jalyn Gibson added 10 kills and nine digs. It marked Gibson's first match in double figures since returning from her ACL injury. Setters Rosemary Archer and Reese Wilburn dished out 40 and 13 assists, respectively, feeding the team to a .294 hitting percentage.
While the offense shined, TCU made its biggest impact at the net. The Frogs racked up 19.5 blocks compared to just five from SMU and held the Mustangs to a .204 hitting percentage. Freshman Kinsley Young was dominant, racking up a career-high nine blocks to go along with six kills on a .400 clip. De'Andrea McMillian added seven blocks, and Reese Robins finished with five. Libero Alice Volpe anchored the back row with a match-high 20 digs.
SMU came out firing in the first set and never looked back. The Mustangs scored the first four points of the night before opening up an eight-point advantage at 15-7. Kelley did her best to keep the Frogs within striking distance, totaling six kills in the set alone, but SMU hit .409 and cruised to a 25-16 win.
Once again, TCU found itself down early in the second. SMU jumped out to a 5-0 lead and even stretched it to six points at 7-1, but the Frogs slowly chipped away as the set moved on. Trailing 19-16, a kill from Robins, an ace from Young and a massive triple block from Robins, McMillian and Kelley tied things back up, sending Schollmaier into a frenzy. SMU used both timeouts quickly to try and stall the momentum, but it wasn't enough to slow down TCU. Tied at 21, Kelley and Hendrix sparked a 3-0 run, and the Frogs scored four of the final five points to take the set, 25-22, and even the match.
With the momentum on its side, TCU took control in the third. The Frogs turned a 1-1 tie into a 9-3 lead and kept their foot on the gas, eventually stretching their advantage to as many as 12 at 18-6. Hendrix tallied five kills in the set, while TCU's block frustrated the Mustangs' attack, holding SMU to a .026 clip. There was never a doubt as the Frogs rolled to a 25-16 victory and took a 2-1 lead in the match.
SMU refused to go quietly in the fourth. The set featured 13 ties and six lead changes as neither team could create much separation. The Mustangs opened up a three-point lead at 20-17, but TCU answered with three straight, capped off by an Archer ace and a kill from Hendrix. From there, the two sides traded blows. The Frogs fended off three set points to stay alive, but SMU finally broke through with the final two points, taking the fourth set, 28-26, and forcing a decisive fifth set.
With bragging rights for the metroplex on the line, both teams traded sideouts until back-to-back errors gave the Frogs a two-point cushion at 10-8. SMU regrouped with a timeout and tied the match back up at 11, before Kelley delivered her 20th kill of the night to put TCU back in front. Hendrix and Young followed with a stuff block to give the Frogs their two-point lead back.
SMU answered, cutting the lead back to one, but Hendrix slammed down her 17th kill to set up match point. With the arena on its feet, Young teamed up with Archer for one final rejection at the net, sending fans into a frenzy and sealing the top 10 victory.
TCU looks to stay hot when it hits the road for two more top 15 matchups this weekend. The Frogs take on No. 6 Louisville on Friday, Sept. 4, at 3 p.m. CT before traveling to face No. 14 Purdue on Sunday, Sept. 6, at noon.
For all the latest TCU volleyball news, follow the Frogs on X at @TCUVolleyball, on Instagram at @tcuvolleyball and on Facebook at TCU Volleyball.
Players Mentioned
S
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OPP/MB
/ Women's Volleyball
DS/L
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's VolleyballTeam Stats
SMU
TCU
Kills
62
62
Errors
28
20
Attempts
167
143
Hitting %
.204
.294
Points
73.0
84.5
Assists
58
57
Aces
6
3
Blocks
5
19.5
Game Leaders
Kills
20
Aces
1
Blocks
4
Kills
17
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
6
Aces
1
Blocks
9
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