TCU Volleyball Rallies To Defeat Boise State, 3-2
BOISE, Idaho – The TCU Horned Frogs rallied from a 2-1 deficit to defeat Boise State 3-2 (22-25, 25-21, 17-25, 25-18, 15-7) Thursday night. Jordan Raines helped key the win with a career-high 21 kills.
Raines completed her double-double with 15 digs and added four blocks. Megan Munce dished out a career-high 56 assists and tallied a career-high four blocks. She added five kills, seven digs and two aces to her stat line. Kristen Hester picked up 16 kills, eight digs and a career-high nine blocks. Sloane Sunstrum added four kills, six digs and four blocks.
Meghan Horio tied for the team lead with 15 digs and Sarah Joeckel pitched in 14. Yvonne Igodan totaled 14 kills and four blocks, while Stephanie Holland had seven kills and two blocks.
A competitive first game set the tone for the entire match as the teams battled through 11 ties and four lead changes. Raines was dynamic in the early part of the first set, pounding down five kills to help the Frogs build an 11-8 lead. The set eventually worked itself to a 17-all tie before a 2-0 run by Boise State gave it their largest lead of the set, forcing a TCU timeout.
The Frogs never recovered from the mini rally. Each time they pulled within one, the Broncos found an answer. Boise State took the 1-0 match lead with a 25-22 set one win.
Boise State raced out to an 11-7 lead in the second set, but this time it was the Frogs that rallied as they put together a 4-0 run to tie the set. Holland started the rally and Maddy Brown pitched in with a pair of kills to help the Frogs tie the set and force a Boise State timeout.
TCU continued to pound away at the net as it opened up a 19-16 lead with an 8-5 run that was highlighted by kills from Sunstrum, Igodan, Munce, Holland and Hester. The Broncos fought back to tie the set at 21, prompting a TCU timeout. The break was all the Frogs needed as they tied the match at one with a 4-0 run to end set two. Hester and Raines each blasted a pair of kills to lock up the 25-21 win.
The Horned Frogs took an early 8-6 lead in the third set on a kill by Raines. A back-and-forth battle ensued as
neither team could gain much of an advantage and the set eventually worked itself to a 12-all tie.
A kill by Fiona Jones gave the Broncos a 13-12 lead and spurred an 8-2 run that put the Frogs in a 20-14 hole. TCU never recovered from the run and found itself in a 2-1 match hole after Boise State took a 25-17 set three victory.
TCU’s blocking game came to play in the fourth set as it tied the match at two with a 25-18 victory. The Frogs threw up six denials at the net, led by Raines and Igodan. TCU took the early 9-7 lead in the set on a kill by Igodan. A blast by Holland made it 12-8. The lead continued to grow as Hester, Igodan and Sunstrum knocked down kills, giving TCU a 17-11 lead, prompting a Bronco timeout.
Boise State couldn’t kill the Frogs’ momentum and back-to-back aces from Munce and a block from Igodan and Holland made it a 23-15 contest. Igodan sealed the victory with her 13th kill of the match.
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TCU dominated the fifth set en route to locking up the victory. After Boise State took a 4-3 lead, Hester spurred a 4-0 run that put the Frogs in front to stay. The rally was capped by a triple block by Emily Kirby, Hester and Raines.
Following the switching of courts with the Frogs leading 8-5, TCU continued to roll. Raines blasted three kills to get the Frogs to match point and Igodan finished off the 15-7 victory with her 14th kill of the match.
TCU improves to 15-1 on the season and 2-0 in league play. The Frogs will wrap up their three-match road trip Saturday afternoon at Air Force. First serve against the Falcons is set for 2 p.m. (CST).
