TCU Volleyball Rolls Over UC Santa Barbara
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SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The TCU Horned Frogs dominated from start to finish in a 3-0 (25-21, 25-15, 25-18) victory over UC Santa Barbara Saturday night. Kristen Hester paced the team with nine kills and six blocks.
Megan Munce tallied her 11th double-double of the season with 33 assists and 10 digs. She added seven kills. Sloane Sunstrum and Jordan Raines collected eight kills and three and four blocks, respectively. Yvonne Igodan blasted seven kills on 13 swings and tallied three blocks. Sarah Joeckel paced the team with 13 digs and Meghan Horio added 11. Stephanie Holland pitched in with six kills.
The Horned Frogs stormed out to an early 9-4 lead in the first set and never looked back. Hester broke a 1-1 tie with back-to-back kills. The lead continued to grow as Sunstrum, Munce, Raines and Igodan powered down kills. A miscue by the Gauchos prompted a UCSB timeout.
The break worked for the Gauchos as they went on a 12-9 run to get back within two, 18-16. After the Frogs called a timeout of their own, Raines blasted a cross-court kill to start a 4-0 run that gave TCU breathing room, 22-16. UCSB fought back to 23-20, but Munce’s third kill of the set gave TCU set point and Raines finished off the 25-21 victory.
UCSB jumped out to a 4-0 lead, but that was it for the Gauchos as the Frogs recovered, taking a 7-6 lead on a kill by Hester. Holding an 8-7 lead, the Frogs went on a 10-1 run to break the set open. Raines and Igodan powered down kills and teamed on a block to force a pair of Gaucho timeouts.
The breaks did nothing to quell the Frog momentum as TCU kept rolling, Sunstrum joined the fun at the net with two kills and a block, pushing the lead to 22-11. TCU withstood a 3-0 run by the Gauchos and earned set point on a block by Raines and Hester. Raines finished off the 25-15 win with a blast off the block.
A solo block by Munce gave the Frogs a 5-4 lead in the third set and TCU never looked back as it never let off the gas pedal. After the Gauchos closed to within one, 12-11, the Frogs put together a 4-0 run that was highlighted by two kills from Hester and a setter-dump by Munce.
The Gauchos attempted to climb back in the set, but the Frogs had an answer each time. Horio and Joeckel raced around the backcourt, digging everything in sight, while Igodan and Holland capitalized at the net with kills. Hester gave the Frogs set point and teamed with Sunstrum on the Frogs’ 10th block of the match to seal the 25-18 win.
TCU improves to 25-7 on the season. The Frogs will learn their postseason fate Sunday afternoon when the NCAA unveils the 64-team field on ESPNU at 5 p.m. (CST).
