{"id":420907,"date":"2026-08-30T08:02:08","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T08:02:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/420907\/"},"modified":"2026-08-30T08:02:08","modified_gmt":"2026-08-30T08:02:08","slug":"volleyball-falls-to-no-2-texas-in-vegas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/420907\/","title":{"rendered":"Volleyball Falls to No. 2 Texas in Vegas"},"content":{"rendered":"

LAS VEGAS \u2013 Opening the season at the inaugural Players Era Volleyball Showcase, No. 18 TCU volleyball went toe-to-toe with No. 2 Texas, falling in three sets by a combined six points on Saturday night inside T-Mobile Arena.
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\nAVCA Player of the Year Watch List member Evan Hendrix<\/a> led the Horned Frogs with 12 kills on the night. She has now finished with double-digit kills in her last 23 matches, dating back to last season. Her teammate Becca Kelley<\/a>, a preseason All-Big 12 honoree, followed with 10 kills and added four blocks.
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\nIn her first match in nearly a year following her ACL injury, fifth-year senior Jalyn Gibson<\/a> got the start. She posted a team-best .375 clip, finishing with eight kills on 16 swings. Defensively, libero Alice Volpe<\/a> was flying around the court, racking up 16 digs and a pair of assists.
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\nTrue freshman Kinsley Young<\/a> put on quite a show in the entertainment capital of the world. Playing in her first collegiate match, the Southlake, Texas, product slammed down five kills and tallied seven blocks, the most by a TCU freshman middle blocker since Sarah Sylvester<\/a> (9 vs. Alabama, Sept. 16, 2022).
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\nMaking their TCU debuts, Reese Robins<\/a> (four kills) provided a spark off the bench and Mia Lee<\/a> (three blocks) and Molly McCarthy<\/a> (two digs) helped a gritty Frog defense give Texas fits.
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\nYoung wasted no time introducing herself to the college volleyball world, stuffing the Texas attack to start the match and score the Frogs’ first point of the 2026 season. The Longhorns bounced back and took a four-point lead at the media break. Slowly chipping away, Kelley and Hendrix went to work, embarking on an 8-3 stretch to retake the lead at 19-18. TCU pressed on and earned set point at 24-22 following three unanswered points; however, UT battled to send the match beyond 25 and into extra points. The Frogs had four set points and fended off one, but a late 3-0 run sent the first set in favor of the Longhorns, 30-28.
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\nThe intensity continued in the second set as both teams went back and forth. Once again, Texas was the first to 15 at the media timeout, but TCU was the first to 20 after Young hammered down a kill and forced the Longhorns to call a timeout. The break stalled the Frogs’ momentum and helped Texas tie things up at 22 before scoring three of the final four points to narrowly win the second set, 25-23.
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\nWith its back against the wall, TCU needed to win the third set to extend the match. Texas built up an early lead, but the Frogs remained composed and took advantage of miscues to rattle off five straight points. A Gibson ace and a Kelley kill put TCU in front by one at 15-14. Fighting for momentum, both teams remained tied at 19 until the Longhorns managed to find three-in-a-row to go up 22-19. Still, the Frogs, led by Hendrix, continued to claw away and stall a pair of set points. Robins picked up a key kill to pull TCU within one at 24-23, but Texas found the final kill it needed out of a timeout to take the final set 25-23.
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\nTCU is back in action on Sunday, Aug. 30, at 5 p.m. CT against UNLV. Fans can catch all the action live on FS1.
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\nFor all the latest TCU volleyball news, follow the Frogs on Twitter at\u00a0@TCUVolleyball<\/a>, on Instagram at\u00a0@tcuvolleyball<\/a>\u00a0and on Facebook at\u00a0TCU Volleyball<\/a>.
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