Killer Frogs

TCU Volleyball Wins Thriller Over UCLA

Melanie Parra was unstoppable on Friday, racking up 33 kills in a big win for No. 25 TCU.

Zion Trammell

TCU's Alice Volpe celebrates a point with her teammates in the win over UCLA on September 13, 2024.
TCU's Alice Volpe celebrates a point with her teammates in the win over UCLA on September 13, 2024. / X: @TCUvolleyball

In the final match in the Fight in the Fort, TCU took down UCLA in four sets (25-19, 23-25, 28-26, 25-21). The Horned Frogs swept their first homestand of the season, previously taking down Texas A&M Commerce and Prairie View A&M.

It was a tightly contested match throughout. Both teams traded points in the first set and found themselves locked at 12. TCU went to Melanie Parra early and often as the senior picked up a flurry of kills in the early going. The Frogs popped off a 8-1 run highlighted by stellar play from Sarah Sylvester. Known for her defense, Sylvester provided a bit of offense with a pair of kills. The Bruins brought it within six, but Parra closed the deal with three straight kills.

UCLA did a much better job in the middle of set two as they built a 18-16 lead. The Frogs struggled in their sets and the attack errors helped the Bruins grow their lead. A TCU attack error and a service ace knotted the match up at one. However, this kill from Parra in set two was one of the more impressive shots you'll see.

Set Three was a thriller with both teams playing their best thus far. Jalyn Gibson settled in as she picked up a few kills early. But once again, the offense ran through Parra as she picked up 12 kills to give her 29 through three sets. TCU trailed 23-21 but a service error from UCLA gave the Frogs some life. That was followed by a huge block from Becca Kelley. TCU finished the third set on a 3-0 run.

Kelley was terrific in set four as she continued to find her spots to land a kill. She contributed three of the last four points to seal the victory. When she gets into a groove, this TCU team becomes that much more dangerous.

Parra was on an absolute tear on Friday. The reigning National Player of the Week overwhelmed the Bruins' defense with her high velocity shots. She finished with 33 kills, one shy of her career best. She has recorded 20 or more kills in five of the six matches played this season. Kelley and Gibson each finished with 10 kills. Lily Nicholson also had a terrific game with 51 assists and on the defensive end, Cecily Bramschreiber had 16 digs with the freshman Alice Volpe digging out 14 shots.

It was another terrific non-conference win for the 25th ranked team in the country. It's their second win against a Big 10 opponent this season. They improve to 5-2 and will gear up with a matchup against UT Arlington at home. The match will be on Tuesday at 6:30 on ESPN+.

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Zion Trammell

ZION TRAMMELL

Zion Trammell is from Northern California and pursuing a major in sports broadcasting and a minor in journalism. He obtained a certificate of achievement in sports broadcasting before transferring to TCU and has experience with play-by-play and color commentary. Zion also enjoys creating sports content on TikTok.

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