TCU Volleyball: Day 2 in Aggieland - Frogs Take Down Utah State in Dominating Fashion

Playing in the Texas A&M Invitational, the Frogs swept Utah State 3-0 in the second round.

TCU bounced back on Day 2 of the Texas A&M Invitational, taking down a 2022 NCAA Tournament team in Utah State after just three sets. The Aggies, one of the favorites to win the Mountain West Conference, started slow and just couldn't catch back up to the Frogs. 

TCU Volleyball celebrates after defeating Utah State in the Texas A&M Invitational / TCU Athletics

Playing for the second time in twenty-four hours, the Frogs showed no lack of energy as they were able to jump out to an 11-4 lead early in the first set. This was largely due to several attack errors forced by TCU up front. This exceptional blocking carried throughout the rest of the first set, as the Frogs took it 25-15. 

TCU continued their momentum in the second set, forcing a Utah State timeout as the lead grew to 14-9. The Aggies made some changes coming out of the timeout as they quickly flipped a switch and went on a 6-0 run, making it 14-15. This forced TCU to take a timeout of their own. Utah State maintained control and made it 16-19 before the Horned Frogs got red-hot and promptly went on a 9-0 run, with the last three points of the set all being Melanie Parra kills that looked as if they had a rocket attached to them. This gave the Frogs a 2-0 set lead as they looked to go for the sweep. 

TCU's Second Set Winning Point:

The third set was another close one, filled with back-and-forth runs yet again. Both teams took timeouts as the lead would change hands throughout the early going of the set. A Parra ace forced another timeout from the Aggies as TCU took the lead 17-16. However, Utah State once again found momentum out of the timeout, using a Shelby Capllonch block to move one point away from a third-set victory, 22-24. 

Coach Jason Williams then called for a timeout and told his team that they had "work for situations like this," and that they needed to capitalize. And capitalize they would, as they scored three points with their backs against the wall, making it 25-24. Utah State then scored a point of their own, but Parra responded, having her career-high 19th kill of the match as TCU scored the two final points to sweep the Aggies 3-0.

TCU's Third Set Winning Match Point:

In a dominant team performance, the Frogs were highlighted by the play up front of Parra and Jayln Gibson, with Riley Buckley also having another double-double, pouring in 26 assists and 16 digs. TCU will play for the third consecutive day Saturday as they take on the hosting Texas A&M Aggies in the last game of the tournament. The game will start at 4:00 p.m. and be broadcast on the SEC Network +. 

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