Match Stats
A stellar night of blocking lead TCU to a five set victory, out blocking the Cyclones 12.5-4. TCU’s Sarita Mikals recorded the programs sixth player to finish a match with a triple-double. She posted 10 kills, 10 digs and 10 blocks for the Horned Frogs. Ashley Smith and Jillian Bergeson each recorded double-doubles, Smith with 13 kills and 13 digs and Bergeson with 12 kills and 14 digs. The final member of TCU to record a double-double was setter Kaylee Smith who handed out 30 assists and picked up 13 digs.
On a season-best 16 kills on a .405 hitting percentage, Morgan Kurht led the way for the Cyclones. Grace Lazard posted a career-best 14 kills hitting for .300. Abby Phillips picked up 21 digs, tying her previous career-best, while Monique Harris recorded a double-double with 55 assists and 14 digs.
Press Release
Courtesy of TCU Athletics
AMES, Iowa – The defense at the net came through for the TCU volleyball team as they scored a 3-2 (24-26, 25-16, 25-20, 17-25, 15-11) victory over Iowa State on Sunday night inside the Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa.
The win by the Horned Frogs (9-3, 2-0 Big 12) was the first in program history over the Cyclones (7-6, 0-2 Big 12) in matches played in Ames, as TCU moves to 4-0 on the season in fifth-set matches. TCU outhit Iowa State with 66 kills to the home team’s 64 while also serving up a season-high eight service aces and recording 12.5 blocks in the match.
After letting the first set slip away, TCU rebounded by controlling sets two and three from the very beginning to go up 2-1 in the match. Iowa State would not go away quietly as they came back in the fourth set to push the decisive fifth set. The Cyclones would take a 3-1 advantage to start the final set, but TCU won four straight points to go up 5-3. The teams traded points until a service error by Iowa State started a 5-0 run that included two blocks by Natalie Gower to secure the 15-11 win.
Sarita Mikals became the sixth player in TCU volleyball history to score a triple-double as the senior finished with 10 kills, 10 digs and 10 total blocks. Three other players finished in double figures offensively as Regan McGuire put down 13 kills, while Ashley Smith and Jillian Bergeson each finished with a double-double of 13 kills and 13 digs and 12 kills and 14 digs, respectively. Kaylee Smith was the final player to finish with a double-double as the junior dished out 30 assists and picked up 13 digs.
Stat of the Match
1 – The match was filled with many firsts including the first win in program history in Ames, Iowa. The first win by head coach Jill Kramer over Iowa State and the first triple-double recorded under the helm of Kramer.
Quotes of the Match
TCU Assistant Coach Brian Wright
Opening Statement
“Our offensive balance was awesome tonight. This is a tough place to play. Iowa State is well-coached, they had a great game plan throughout and we did a really good job of spreading the ball around when we needed to and we had different people coming through for us at different times. Our defense really stepped up late in the match.
On what was the difference in the match after dropping the fourth set
“Iowa State renewed their energy a little bit and played really good defense on the floor in the fourth. It got us on our heels a little bit and we had a little bit of trouble scoring. We got our balance back in the fifth set and it gave us a much better chance of getting people kills.
Notes
-TCU improves to 9-3 overall this season, 2-2 in away matches and 2-0 against conference opponents in 2016
-The match tonight was the ninth meeting all-time with Iowa State still holding the advantage in the series record at 7-2
-This was the first win in program history for TCU over Iowa State in Ames, Iowa
-The win marked win No. 94 in Jill Kramer’s career
-TCU has started Big 12 Conference action 2-0 for only the second time in program history and first since 2012
-Ashley Smith and Regan McGuire led the team in kills for the second and fourth time, respectively, this season
-The triple-double by Sarita Mikals was the first under the helm of Jill Kramer and Mikals became the sixth player in program history to record one and first since Oct. 13, 2011
-Jillian Bergeson led the team in digs for the fifth time this season
-Mikals led the team in blocking for the third time this season and the 10 total blocks is tied for ninth in a single match in program history
-TCU outblocked its opponent for the 11th time this season out of 12 matches
Up Next
TCU will continue on the road as the team heads to Morgantown, W. Va., to take on West Virginia on Wednesday, Sept. 28 at 5 p.m., CT, inside the WVU Coliseum.
Press Release
Courtesy of Iowa State Athletics
AMES, Iowa – Iowa State was unable to rally past TCU Sunday at Hilton Coliseum, with the Horned Frogs defeating the Cyclones 3-2 (24-26, 25-16, 25-20, 17-25, 15-11) in front of 2,186 fans. The loss drops ISU to 7-6 overall and 0-2 in Big 12 play, while TCU improves to 9-3 and 2-0 in Big 12 competition.
The Cyclone offense had many good performances, led by a season-best 16 kills at a .405 hitting clip by Morgan Kuhrt, and a career-best 14 kills at .300 from Grace Lazard
. Jess Schaben (13) and Genesis Miranda (10) also eclipsed double figures. Abby Phillips led the Cyclones back-line with a career-best-tying 21 digs, while Monique Harris had a double-double of 55 assists and 14 digs.
Iowa State Rallies to Take Set One
TCU was the better team for most of the first set, erasing a couple early ISU advantages and going on 5-1 run to pull ahead 16-12. TCU still had a three-point gap at 22-19 Frogs, but, the attack errors began to pile up on the Horned Frogs, as the Cyclones were able to close the gap to 24-23 on a TCU attack errors. ISU missed its first chance at set point via a Ciara Capezio service error, but cashed in on the next try via a big kill from Jess Schaben to make it 26-24 ISU.
TCU Dominates to Take Set Two
The Horned Frogs stepped up their performance behind the service line, with the efforts of libero Kayla Scheevel in particular causing the ISU passing problems. She served a 5-0 run that make an 8-6 Cyclone lead a 11-8 Frog advantage. TCU hit .452 as a team in the second set, and also stiffened up the block with 4.5 stuffs. The Cyclones had the TCU advantage down to 15-13, but the Frogs closed the set on a 10-3 run, with Scheevel closing out the set with a 3-0 run to make it 25-16 Horned Frogs.
Frogs Go Up 2-1 Despite Late ISU Run
The visitors were the better team again for much of the third set, as their .400 hitting percentage for the set out-classed ISU’s .303 effort in the frame. TCU put together a 6-1 run that made a 5-5 deadlock an 11-6 TCU lead. The Frogs continued to pile up points, expanding their lead to as many as eight points at 16-8. The Cyclones were able to mount a small effort, with Lazard and Kuhrt causing TCU frustrations, and some strong serving off the bench by Branen Berta and Suzanne Horner. However, ISU was only able to cut it to two points at 22-20 Frogs. TCU again closed the set on a 3-0 run with Scheevel again doing the damage behind the service line, acing ISU to take the third 25-20.
All Iowa State to Force a Deciding Fifth Set
ISU stepped up its sense of urgency in the fourth, getting on the Horned Frogs early, with Morgan Kuhrt serving a 4-0 run to make it 6-4 Cyclones. ISU would not relinquish the lead the rest of the set, as the Cyclones slowly built up its edge with the help of a .412 hitting percentage in the frame and a 77 percent sideout rate. TCU fired a couple of errant shots to give the Cyclones a 25-17 fourth-set win and the fans a fifth set.
TCU Runs Away Late to Take Match
The fifth set played out very evenly, with plenty of drama in all parts of the court. Iowa State was out ahead early, but a 4-0 TCU run put the Frogs back in front at 5-4. Neither team was able to get much breathing room, until ISU got a Miranda kill to make it 11-9 to the home team. Out of the TCU timeout, the Horned Frogs stepped up their blocking, recording three blocks in the final six points of the match, all of which were won by TCU. The Frogs got a combo block from Natalie Gower and Sarita Mikals to close out the match 15-11. Mikals finished the match with a triple-double of 10 kills, 10 digs and 10 blocks (all block assists).
Cyclone Notes
*Morgan Kuhrt posted a season-high 16 kills, her first match of the season with at least 10 kills and 26th of her career.
*Abby Phillips tied a career-high with 21 digs, the second 20-dig match of her career. She also had 21 digs at UNI on Sept. 13.
*Monique Harris got her second double-double of the season and 14th of her career with her 55 assists and 14 digs.
*Harris’ 14 digs tie a career-high, which she had previously accomplished twice.
*Grace Lazard recorded a career-best 14 kills, her first career match in double figures. Her previous best was nine at Iowa last year.
*Genesis Miranda had 10 kills on the evening, her third match in double figures as a Cyclone.
*Jess Schaben posted 13 kills, her sixth match of the season with at least 10 kills and 25th of her career.
Up Next
Iowa State has its Big 12 bye and will not play in the midweek conference matches. The Cyclones are at West Virginia on Friday, first serve will be at 5 p.m.
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