TCU Volleyball Knocks off No. 5 Penn State in Thrilling Fashion

Jalyn Gibson Goes Down with an Injury

The match was met with some adversity halfway through. In the third set, TCU's captain, Jalyn Gibson, went down with an injury, which left Jason Williams looking for answers to fill the offensive prowess that Gibson possesses.

While TCU competed and the set tied at 20, the Nitanny Lions closed it out on a 5-0 run. There were a lot of attack errors from the Frogs. Set Four saw Penn State take advantage of the momentum and made TCU look out of sorts. Trailing 24-15, the Frogs would not give in. After a couple attack errors and kills from Sarah Sylvester and Roberson, TCU tried to crawl back but a kill from Kennedy Martin slammed the door on the fourth set.

In a decisive fifth set, the Frogs' defense had a strong showing. Sylvester and Lauren Murphy were putting on a clinic at the net, and TCU jumped out to a 6-2 lead. It was Emmi Sellman who provided a spark for Penn State as she rattled off four consecutive kills to cut the deficit to two. However, the Nittany Lions lost the match on a pair of service errors, and the Frogs pulled off the upset.

The difference in this match was at the service line. TCU finished with 11 aces while Penn State had four. In Gibson's absence, Evan Hendrix stepped up for the Horned Frogs. She knocked down 14 kills with a pair of aces. Becca Kelley chipped in 13 kills of her own.

A Historical Win for TCU Volleyball

This was an incredibly hard fought win for TCU as this marks the second-highest ranked win in school history and the best win of Coach Williams' incredible career in Fort Worth. He said, "It's tough to lose a captain and a big piece of the team during the third set there...but I'm really proud of this team and how they figured out some things and we were able to pull it out there in the end."

The win continues to show the growth of this TCU volleyball program. A win over a top-five team on national television wasn't in the cards before the arrival of Coach Williams. There is still a long way to go this season, but this squad could have what it takes to make a deep postseason run in 2025.

TCU moved up to No. 24 in the rankings, and the schedule doesn't get much easier. The Frogs will make their home debut in 2025 with a pair of matches against No. 19 UCLA. The first match is set for Friday at 6 p.m. on ESPNU, and the second match will be on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN+.