Preview: at Houston – TCU Athletics

HOUSTON – After completing an eight-game homestand, the No. 22 TCU volleyball team hits the road for the first time in nearly a month, traveling south to play at the Fertitta Center on Wednesday, October 2 at 7 p.m. CT Houston to compete.

TCU NOTABILITIES
• The Horned Frogs will play just their second true road contest on Wednesday. TCU has played its last eight games in Fort Worth.
• TCU opened Big 12 home play with a win over Arizona and a loss to No. 14 Arizona State, 1-1.
• The Frogs are off to their best start of the season with a 9-3 mark in their first 13 games Jason Williams Epoch.
• Sophomore setter Lily Nicholson He ranks sixth nationally with 11.00 assists per set.
• Melanie Parra is the first player in Division I women's volleyball history to win consecutive AVCA/GameChanger Player of the Week awards (September 10 and 17).
• Parra leads the nation with 5.30 kills per set and 6.16 points per set.
• Additionally, the senior was named Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year and landed on the inaugural AVCA 2024 Division I Player of the Year watch list.
• After winning the poll for the first time ever three weeks ago, the Frogs remain ranked No. 22 in the AVCA/TARAFLEX Coaches Poll this week.
• Since 2000, only two players in TCU history have had 20 kills and 20 digs in the same match: Jalyn Gibson against No. 18 Minnesota (September 7; 21 kills and 23 digs) and Melanie Parra at Kansas State (September 22, 2023; 22 kills and 21 digs).

HISTORY OF THE SERIES
• Wednesday's matchup marks the 13th meeting between the two programs. Houston leads the all-time series 8-4, including a 3-0 win in last year's conference play matchup.

SCOUTING REPORT
Led by head coach David Rehr (257-130, 13th season), Houston is in its second year in the Big 12. So far in 2024, the Cougars have a 6-6 record, including a 1-1 mark in conference play. Last weekend, Houston beat Kansas State on the road and fell 3-1 to No. 9 Kansas in Lawrence. As a team, Houston is hitting .224 with 12.6 kills per set this season. Graduate student Angela Grieve paces the attack with 3.20 kills per set, followed by senior Katie Corelli, who averages 2.82 kills per set at a .277 clip. The Cougars run an offense with two setters, Annie Cooke and Rebecca Rocassin. The duo averages almost 10 assists per set for their team. On the service line, the freshman outside of Lily Baron ranks first in the Big 12 and 18th nationally with 0.56 aces per set. She has a total of 23 a year. Defensively, libero Kate Georgiades leads Houston and ranks fourth in the conference with 4.38 digs per set.



HOT PUNCHING
• TCU has hit .300 or better in five of its last eight games.
• During that span, Parra leads the team with 5.69 kills per set and Kelley has the best hitting percentage at a .348 clip.
• The Frogs handed UTA its first loss of the season (Sept. 17) by outscoring the Mavericks by a whopping .469 to .083 and recording the seventh-highest single-game batting average in program history (.532 ​​vs. Grambling State). ).
• TCU also hit an incredible .388 in its first Big 12 win against Arizona, marking its best batting average against a conference opponent since 2012 (.442 against West Virginia).



THREE-HEADED DRAGON
• Jalyn Gibson, Becca Kelley And Melanie Parra make up TCU's offensive attack, which is one of the best in the Big 12.
• Gibson has been a consistent presence on the court, posting double-digit kills in all but three games this season, with 26 of her last 32 coming last season. The junior recorded her 500th kill in TCU's season opener (Aug. 30). She is averaging 3.25 kills per set in her career.
• Kelley, a redshirt freshman and Oregon transfer, has a powerful swing and brings energy to the court. Just 12 matches into her college career, she ranks third among Big 12 rookies with 2.55 kills per set.
• Parra, one of the deadliest attackers in the country, leads the TCU offense and nation with 5.30 kills per set. The senior has recorded double-digit kills in all but one game this season, including at least 20 kills in half of her matches.

ALL EYES ON PARRA
• Melanie Parra was named to the inaugural watch list for the AVCA's 2024 Division I Player of the Year award, presented by Nike Volleyball, on September 18.
• The roster includes 36 players from 21 schools, including some of the country's top talent.

For all the latest TCU volleyball news, follow the Frogs on X at @TCUVolleyball, on Instagram at @tcuvolleyball and on Facebook at TCU Volleyball.