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GoFrogs: Volleyball Sweeps Oklahoma to Finish Third Outright in Big 12 Conference

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Lifelong Frog

GoFrogs: Horned Frogs Sweep Oklahoma to Finish Third Outright in Big 12 Conference

NORMAN –
If there were any doubts remaining as to whether TCU belongs in the NCAA Division I volleyball postseason, they were hastily erased on Saturday in the Sooner State.

TCU earned its first sweep of the fall in its regular season finale, breezing past Oklahoma in straight sets, 25-22, 25-22, 25-21, inside the McCasland Field House.

The Horned Frogs (16-10, 11-5) finished third outright in the Big 12 standings for the first time in program history with the result.

TCU also closed the show in the regular season as winners of five straight – a program first in the Horned Frogs' 11 years of Big 12 membership – and eight-of-10 overall.

A pair of decisive scoring runs in the match's first two frames stymied the Sooners.

OU took a 15-10 lead into the media timeout of set one, only for TCU to counterpunch with a 9-0 surge – its longest scoring run of the season.

The second set saw OU again race to a sizeable lead, carrying a 15-9 edge into the midway point of the frame. TCU, though, again had an answer. The Horned Frogs promptly responded with six straight points to knot the scoreboard, then rip off a 6-2 run to assume a 21-17 advantage. TCU induced the Sooners into nine combined errors and a .154 hitting percentage – the lowest in a set by either team.

The Horned Frogs flipped on cruise control in set three. TCU connected a t a .471 hitting clip and converted on 72 percent of its side out scoring chances. The Horned Frogs never trailed outside of a 3-1 OU head start. The teams played to a 9-9 gridlock. TCU then scored 12 of the next 18 points to command what proved to be an insurmountable 22-16 lead.

TCU peppered 41 kills against a .309 hitting percentage – its second-highest in Big 12 play – and nine service aces across the three frames.

Audrey Nalls was responsible for five of TCU's service aces. She landed six of her match-high 12 kills and four aces in set one. Nalls accounted for five of the Horned Frogs nine points during its decisive run. The senior led all players with 18 points.

Julia Adams nearly joined Nalls in double figures, as she finished with nine kills on .429 hitting. Adams, who boasts 1,081 career kills, moved to eighth in the category on TCU's individual career records list.

She fueled a balanced scoring effort in set two. Five players finished the frame with multiple kills. Adams, Nalls and Callie Williams had three apiece while Jalyn Gibson and Zoe Hall each chipped in two.

Four players with five-or-more kills hit above .300 for the Horned Frogs. Gibson bombed in seven kills against 13 swings for a .308 clip. Both Hall and Williams notched five kills and .500 hitting percentages.

Williams narrowly missed out her 11th consecutive double-double. She led all players with 32 assists to pair with seven digs.

Fellow setter McKenzie Nichols matched Williams in digs.

TCU now awaits its postseason fate. The Horned Frogs will host a watch party on Sunday during the NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship selection show as they await a potential at-large bid into the Big Dance. Should TCU get the nod, it will mark the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2016 and fourth in the program's 27-year history.
 
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