TCU Volleyball's Tough Week Ends with a Loss to No. 17 BYU

A lot of credit has to be given to the Cougars for their strong start out of the gate. They never relinquished the lead and several players contributed on the offensive end. With BYU leading 22-19, Becca Kelley landed a kill. That was followed by a kill from Lauren Murphy and a service ace to cut the deficit to one.

The Cougars responded with a 3-0 run to shut down the comeback. In set two, TCU did a much better job at the start, keeping pace with BYU. With the score even at nine, the Cougars rattled off a key 4-0 run to go back in front.

BYU scored in bunches and TCU struggled to regain the momentum, falling 25-19. In set three, the Cougars pulled in front with a 12-11 lead. The Frogs finally got the Cougars on their heels and forced several attack errors.

TCU was able to respond every time BYU tried to crawl back. Leading 23-19, back-to-back kills by Ella Foti and Evan Hendrix sealed a third set win.

The Frogs rode the momentum into the fourth set and blitzed the Cougars on offense. Murphy and Hendrix took the reins and got TCU an 18-13 lead. The Frogs looked like they were going to even the match, but BYU's defense stood up.

A back-breaking 4-0 run gave the Cougars match point at 24-22, and a block by BYU ended the match.

It was easily the worst week of the season for Jason Williams' team. They took just one set in both matches against quality opponents. They drop to 6-3 in the conference and now find themselves tied with the fourth best record with Iowa State and Kansas.

It's also worth noting the road record. TCU is now 3-3 in true road contests and has not clicked as well outside of Schollmaier Arena.

What's next?

The Horned Frogs have to regroup quickly as they'll hit the road once again. They'll travel to Tempe to take on the Arizona State Sun Devils. ASU is undefeated in conference play. The match is set for Wednesday at 8 p.m. CT and will be televised on ESPNU.