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Preview: vs. UCF - TCU Athletics
FORT WORTH – No. 18 TCU volleyball wraps up a three-match homestand this week against UCF on Thursday, Nov. 7, at 6:30 p.m. in Schollmaier Arena.
FORT WORTH – No. 18 TCU volleyball wraps up a three-match homestand this week against UCF on Thursday, Nov. 7, at 6:30 p.m. in Schollmaier Arena.
TCU NOTABLES
• Jason Williams secured his 50th career win last Friday against Iowa State to become the fastest coach in TCU volleyball history to achieve the milestone.
• TCU boasts an 11-1 record at home this season, including six sweeps. The Frogs have won each of their last five on their home court.
• Jalyn Gibson is coming off a career night against Iowa State. The junior went off for 26 kills on a .490 clip.
• Freshman Evan Hendrix and Alice Volpe had big weeks for the Frogs. Hendrix recorded a double-double with 13 kills and 12 digs in her first start against Iowa State, and Volpe registered 20 digs in the sweep of Colorado (all career highs).
• Melanie Parra recorded her 50th career match with double-digit kills against the Buffs last Wednesday, finishing with 16 kills on a career-high .577 clip.
• Parra is the first player in Division I women's volleyball history to win back-to-back AVCA/GameChanger Player of the Week honors (Sept. 10 & 17).
• Sarah Sylvester is one block shy of etching her name in the record books. The junior looks to crack the top 10 in career blocks at TCU.
• Ranked for the ninth straight week, TCU is holding strong at No. 18 in the AVCA/TARAFLEX Coaches' Poll.
• The Frogs boast the No. 13 RPI in the country coming into the week, the third highest mark of any Big 12 team.
SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS
UCF enters the week with an 8-11 record overall, including a 1-9 mark in Big 12 Conference play. The Knights have lost their last seven and are looking for their first victory since Oct. 2 vs. West Virginia. Alexia Kuehl leads the Knights with a .423 hitting percentage (third in the Big 12). The middle blocker has tallied the fourth-most kills on the team with 150 to go along with 46 blocks this season. Avah Armour leads the Knights with 174 kills in 2024, while the team averages 13.37 per set. Libero, Chloe Scheer has recorded 1,438 digs in her career, which ranks fifth all-time at UCF. She is averaging 4.33 digs per set this season.
SERIES HISTORY
Thursday's meeting between TCU and UCF will mark just the third ever meeting. The series is tied 1-1 after both teams split last season in Orlando.
FIFTY IN THE FORT
• With a gritty 3-2 win over Iowa State, head coach Jason Williams earned his 50th career victory.
• He became the fastest to 50 wins in TCU volleyball history, needing only 81 matches to accomplish the feat.
• Williams owns a 50-31 career record in three seasons at the helm of the program.
JAY'S GAME
• Jalyn Gibson went off for a career-high 26 kills, besting her mark set last season at UCF (10/27/23).
• What made Gibson's performance even more impressive was that she did so on a .490 clip, as over half of her swings went for kills (26 of 49).
• It marked the third 20-plus kill match of the season for the San Antonio native and the fourth of her career.
• The junior also registered her 750th career kill and 500th career dig during the contest.
SPARK PLUG
• A spark off the bench all season long, Evan Hendrix has come up huge for the Frogs this season.
• Against Iowa State, head coach Jason Williams gave the rookie a spot in the starting rotation, and she didn't disappoint.
• Hendrix recorded a double-double in the win over the Cyclones, tallying 13 kills and 12 digs (both career highs).
HOT HITTING
• TCU had hit .300+ in eight matches already this season, tied for the most since 2015 (also eight).
• The Frogs handed UTA its first loss of the season (Sept. 17), outhitting the Mavericks by a whopping .469 to .083 and recording the seventh-highest hitting percentage in a single match in program history (.532 vs. Grambling State).
• TCU also hit at a blistering .388 clip in its first Big 12 win over Arizona, marking its best hitting percentage against a conference opponent since 2012 (.442 vs. West Virginia).
• Jalyn Gibson and Melanie Parra lead the team with nine matches above .300.
HOME SWEET HOME
• TCU is 11-1 at home in Schollmaier Arena this season, including each of its last five.
• The Frogs are averaging 14.71 kills per set on a .303 clip on their home court, while holding opponents to a .177 mark thanks to 2.32 blocks per set at the net.
• Six of the 11 wins at home have been sweeps.
For all the latest TCU volleyball news, follow the Frogs on X at @TCUVolleyball, on Instagram at @tcuvolleyball and on Facebook at TCU Volleyball.
