TCU Volleyball Fends off Late Comeback from Iowa State

In their first five-set match at home, the Horned Frogs fought off a furious comeback from the Cyclones.

Nov. 1, 2024-No. 18 TCU Volleyball's Melanie Parra (23) and Sarah Sylvester (4) celebrate a point in the second set against Iowa State in Schollmaier Arena. / X: @TCUvolleyball

It wasn't the prettiest night for TCU as they defeated Iowa State for the first time since 2022. The Cyclones have dominated this series, leading 20-4. What looked to be an easy path to victory turned out to be a hard-fought match for the Frogs. TCU prevailed, winning in five sets (25-20, 25-20, 22-25, 19-25, and 15-11).

TCU started off on fire as they jumped out to a 15-9 lead forcing the Cyclones to burn both timeouts. Jalyn Gibson helped extend the lead as she picked up a pair of kills. She was responsible for four of the last five points to give the Frogs the 1-0 advantage.

It was a special night for the junior outside hitter as she set a new career-high 26 kills. Over half of her swings went for kills. Gibson was also terrific on the defensive end as she finished with 17 digs and a pair of blocks.

Friday's match also saw the emergence of Taylor Hendrix. She finished with 13 kills and 12 digs and looked comfortable wherever she was on the floor. In set two, she picked up a pair of kills to stretch the lead and a 4-0 sealed the second set.

However, a sudden shift of momentum towards Iowa State helped propel them to a comeback. Melanie Parra was a little off her game as she had 13 kills on a .074 hitting percentage. Hendrix tried to keep the team afloat, but the ship was sinking quickly, and the Frogs desperately needed an answer. Behind several late set runs, Iowa State tied things up at two apiece.

In the decisive final set, TCU relied on its stars in Gibson and Parra. Parra found her swing and knocked down two kills to help give the Frogs a 5-2 lead. The offense was much improved in the final set and a huge challenge won by Jason Williams helped keep TCU in the lead. In a very fitting way, Gibson finished off the match with a kill.

It says a lot about a team where you may not have your best stuff offensively and still find a way to win. Historically speaking, the Cyclones have dominated this matchup but there is something different with this year's TCU team. It also marked win number 50 for Coach Williams. It's the fastest a coach has gotten 50 wins in program history.

TCU improves to 16-5 overall and 8-3 in conference play. They vaulted Utah and Baylor to move up to third in the Big 12 standings. Their next match will come next Thursday at home against UCF at 6:30 on ESPN+.

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