Despite an injury to one of its best players, the No. 24 ranked TCU women’s volleyball team took down the defending national champions on Monday evening, outlasting No. 5 Penn State in five sets to finish 1-1 during the State Farm Volleyball Showcase in Pittsburgh. The Horned Frogs, who tipped off the showcase with a four-set defeat against No. 3 Pittsburgh, overcame third and fourth-set defeats to beat the Nittany Lions 25-19, 25-15, 20-25, 19-25, 15-12. TCU held Penn State to a .136 hitting percentage
and posted 11 service aces in the victory.
It was an emotional win for the Horned Frogs, who rallied to beat the Nittany Lions despite losing star outside hitter Jalyn Gibson to a knee injury during the match. With Gibson on the sideline, TCU received stellar efforts from multiple players including middle hitter Sarah Sylvester, who posted a career-best nine kills on a .571 hitting percentage while adding five blocks. Another anchor up front was middle hitter Alexis Roberson, who added six kills and a team-high six blocks to aid the TCU defense. Offensively, Evan Hendrix emerged as a top threat, leading the Horned Frogs with 17.5 points behind 14 kills, nine digs, two aces and three blocks.
Becca Kelley turned in 13 kills and Gibson collected 10 digs despite leaving the match with an injured knee. Sophomore libero Alice Volpe recorded a team-high 15 digs and Pepperdine transfer setter Rosemary Archer dished out a team-high 26 assists, while graduate transfer Ella Foti added 16 assists to aid the TCU offense. The win over Penn State is the first win over a top-5 opponent for head coach Jason Williams since arriving in Fort Worth. It’s the second-highest ranked win in school history and first over a top-5 team since 2015.
TCU opened the weekend with a match against No. 3 Pittsburgh. Despite a double-double from outside hitter Jalyn Gibson (17 kills and 10 digs), the Horned Frogs ran out of steam in the third and fourth sets, falling to the Panthers 23-25, 25-22, 15-25, 21-25. Lauren Murphy recorded 10 kills and a .571 hitting percentage, while Sarah Sylvester and Alexis Roberson combined for seven kills and five blocks from the middle position. Alice Volpe compiled a team-best 12 digs and Rosemary Archer served up 21 assists. Ella Foti added 18 assists on offense. Evan Hendrix nearly notched a double-double of her own, finishing with nine kills and nine digs.
