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It is quite rare for No. 22 TCU to be struggling on their home court. Going into Wednesday, the Frogs were 12-1 at Schollmaier Arena, but Houston was dangerously close to handing TCU their second home loss. However, a furious comeback gave TCU the win in five sets (25-27, 24-26, 25-18, 25-14 and 18-16).
It was a gritty first set as both teams traded points in the early going. Houston was able to build a 23-19 lead, but that was quickly erased by a 5-0 TCU run as three points were picked up at the service line. The Cougars would go on a 4-1 run of their own to end the set and take the early lead.
In set two, TCU reached set point with a 24-22 advantage. Stephanie Young and Lily Nicholson did a good job of setting up the offense in the set, but TCU was unable to get that final point. A 3-0 run from the Cougars put TCU's backs against the wall.
Down 2-0 and desperately needing a response, the Frogs once again dug themselves into another hole, trailing 6-1. They were able to overcome it, and a 4-0 flurry in the middle of the set gave them some life. TCU would score five of the last six points to win the third set.
With the momentum, TCU seized it completely and took off in the fourth set. A 9-0 run put them in front 12-3, courtesy of some incredible offense from Melanie Parra. Houston tried to crawl back, but the Frogs fended them off. A kill from Evan Hendrix sent this match to a decisive fifth set.
The fifth set took multiple comebacks from TCU to pull this one off. Trailing 10-5, Jason Williams and his squad were looking for answers. After kills from Hendrix and Parra, the Cougars got those two points right back. A remarkable 7-0 start by Sarah Sylvester put TCU in front. Back and forth, the teams went with either side desperately needing a win.
Assisted by Stephanie Young, Jalyn Gibson landed a kill to send it to match point. Alexis Roberson sealed the deal and completed the comeback. Parra led the way offensively with 24 kills to go along with seven service aces. Gibson put together a balanced effort with 15 kills and 24 digs. As a team, they dug out 104 shots, the third most in program history.
This TCU team has played in some great matches this season, but this win was as gutsy as it gets. They avoided losing their third consecutive match, something they haven't done all season.
TCU improves to 18-7 overall and 10-5 in conference play. They sit in fifth place in the Big 12 standings but just a game behind Utah and Baylor, who are 11-4 each. With three games to go, the highest the Frogs can finish in the regular season is third.
The Frogs will be back in action on Friday for their final home game of the season against Texas Tech at 6:30 p.m. Following the match, the team will hold senior day ceremonies.
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Steve Spurrier has two endorsements for next Florida HC
Steve Spurrier is a legend for the Florida Gators. Known as "the head ball coach" down in SEC-land, Spurrier was a star both as a player and as a coach for Florida. Heck, the dang field in Gainesville is named after him. That means what he says about the Florida program carries a lot of weight, and he recently revealed that he believes there are only two people who would live up to the expectations and be a great fit for the Gators as they look to replace fired head coach Billy Napier sooner rather than later. “I know Lane Kiffin and I know Eli Drinkwitz,” Spurrier recently said, according to Daniel Hager of On3. “Obviously, either one of those guys would be super if it works out. But, it’s a long way from whoever we’re going to get as our coach right now.” The Gators are currently making a full-court press for Lane Kiffin, but they're not alone in their pursuit in the Ole Miss head coach. While the Gators reportedly flew members of Kiffin's family down to Gainesville to check things out recently, the LSU Tigers also pulled the same trick — hoping to get Kiffin to ultimatly come down to Baton Rouge. LSU is probably Florida's biggest competitor for Kiffin right now, but there's also Ole Miss to consider. It's not like the Rebels are going to let a coach who has led them to a 54-19 record over the past six seasons go without a fight. Kiffin would absolutely be a home-run hire for the Gators, though. He's a high-level recruiter and a high-level offensive mind in the SEC. Those are two things that the Gators desperately need in the wake of the middling Napier era. Not only that, but Kiffin has ties to the state. He was the head coach at Florida Atlantic from 2017-19. Eli Drinkwitz an interesting option for Florida if it can't land Lane Kiffin Drinkwitz is another interesting option, though. You'll also notice that there's a trend here for Florida, and that's going after established SEC head coaches. Napier had come from the Sun Belt conference. Drinkwitz has made Missouri a tough out in the SEC and he's won a ton of football games. His overall record at Mizzou is 45-27, though his record in big games does leave a little to be desired. He's 7-14 against ranked opponents and 0-7 against top-10 teams. Still, Drinkwitz is a young coach at just 42, so the upside is there. He's a big personality who does well on the recruiting trail, and he could do a lot of good things with the firepower of the Florida Gators behind him. There are other options out there for Florida. Washington head coach Jedd Fisch is a Florida alumnus, for instance. If Spurrier has narrowed it down to Kiffin and Drinkwitz in his mind, though, you can bet those in power at Florida are likely thinking the same thing.
Former Heisman winner has bold take on James Franklin, Virginia Tech
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