No. 13 TCU swept Yale and beat Rice in four sets to finish non-conference play 9-2, extending its winning streak to seven matches.
No. 13 TCU volleyball is heading into Big 12 play with momentum, depth and a seven-match winning streak.
The Horned Frogs closed out non-conference competition Friday by sweeping Yale and then beating Rice in four sets at Schollmaier Arena, improving to 9-2 before opening league play next week at Cincinnati.
Evan Hendrix was at the center of both wins. She totaled 34 kills across the two matches and recorded a double-double in each, including a 22-kill, 10-dig performance against Rice while hitting .391.
Freshman Kinsley Young also delivered one of the best days of her young career.
Young finished with 22 kills and 11 blocks across the tournament finale, highlighted by a career-high 15 kills against Rice.
She committed just one attack error on 24 swings in that match, good for a .583 hitting percentage, and added seven blocks.
The Horned Frogs opened Friday with a straight-sets win over Yale, holding the Bulldogs to a .148 hitting percentage.
Hendrix and Becca Kelley each had 12 kills as TCU controlled the final stages of all three sets.
Rice provided a much tougher challenge later in the day.
The Owls pushed TCU into a four-set fight, but the Horned Frogs responded with four players reaching double figures in kills.
Hendrix led the way, Young followed with 15, and Jalyn Gibson added 14 while continuing her strong return from the ACL injury that ended her previous season.
TCU’s back row also held up under pressure. Alice Volpe finished with 18 digs against Rice while facing a unique family storyline - her mother, Genny Volpe, is Rice’s head coach.
The match swung late in the fourth set.
Rice built an early 10-3 advantage, but TCU chipped away before Hendrix helped ignite an 8-0 run that flipped a one-point deficit into a commanding 24-17 lead. Young eventually ended the match with her 15th kill.
The finish capped a strong non-conference stretch for a TCU team that has already shown it can win in multiple ways.
The Horned Frogs now turn their attention to Big 12 play, beginning Friday, Sept. 25 at Cincinnati.
At 9-2 and riding seven straight wins, TCU won’t enter conference play looking for confidence. It already has plenty.
