FORT WORTH, Texas – The Kansas volleyball team fell to the TCU Horned Frogs 3-2 (17-25, 12-25, 25-16, 25-16, 15-9) in a five-set thriller at Schollmaier Arena on Wednesday evening.
The Jayhawks fell to 15-6 (5-4 Big 12) on the season, while the Horned Frogs advanced to 11-9 (6-3 Big 12).
Leading the Kansas offense was redshirt freshman Ayah Elnady with 13 kills, hitting .244, and super-senior Anezka Szabo with eight kills and hitting .176.
Sophomore Caroline Bien had 14 digs with seven kills. Freshman Brynn Kirsch contributed 13 digs to KU’s 45 dig total.
Set One
- Super-senior Rachel Langs kicked off the match with a kill, putting Kansas on the board first 1-0.
- Kansas had a two-point lead, 5-3, after a double block by graduate transfer Lauren Dooley and Szabo.
- The first service ace of the match went to Elnady, advancing Kansas to a 10-5 lead.
- Kansas went on a 4-0 scoring run, highlighted by a kill from Szabo and Elnady and two attack errors by TCU.
- The Jayhawks had their biggest lead, 21-11, after an attack error by the Horned Frogs.
- Bien closed out set one with her second kill of the evening, leading Kansas to victory 25-17.
- KU hit .458 and held TCU to .182.
- As a team Kansas had 14 kills while TCU had 13.
- Elnady led the Jayhawks with four kills in the first set.
- The Horned Frogs had seven attack errors compared to KU’s three.
- The Jayhawks were 15-18 for sideouts with TCU going 14-24.
Set Two
- An attack error by TCU allowed Kansas to begin set two 1-0.
- KU led 4-0 before the Horned Frogs called a timeout.
- TCU was within three points, 7-4, before Kansas went on a three-point run with kills by Elnady and Szabo, pushing KU to a 10-4 lead.
- A miscommunication by TCU elevated Kansas to a 13-6 lead.
- A solo block by Bien and a service ace from sophomore Molly Schultz took the Jayhawks to 15-6 with an 8-2 run.
- It didn’t take long before Kansas advanced its lead to 21-9. The 12-point lead was the Jayhawks’ largest lead of the set, following a kill by Szabo and Dooley, as well as a block by Elnady and Dooley.
- Senior Gracie Van Driel earned her first kill of the season, allowing the Jayhawks to lead 23-11.
- An attack error by TCU finished set two with Kansas on top 25-12.
- The Jayhawks hit .429 while TCU hit -.097.
- Kansas led in kills 11-8.
- KU maintained control in set two with two errors, zero lead changes and zero ties.
- In sideouts, Kansas was 10-12.
Set Three
- The Horned Frogs found their momentum in set three and took an early lead 6-3.
- Sophomore Camryn Turner tallied a kill, putting Kansas within one 8-7.
- TCU took a two-point lead again before Langs kept Kansas close, 9-8.
- Elnady halted TCU’s 5-0 scoring run with her ninth kill of the match. The Horned Frogs were still leading 14-9.
- The set was back and forth before TCU went on a 3-0 run, leading 22-14.
- A Jayhawk kill by sophomore London Davis put Kansas back on the board, 22-15.
- The Horned Frogs took set three 25-16.
- In set three, there were two tied scores and one lead change.
- Elnady led the KU offense with four kills with Szabo second with two kills.
Set Four
- Kansas began set four with a block from Davis and Dooley, followed by a TCU ball handling error. KU was in the lead 2-0.
- TCU tied up the set at three points apiece with a kill of its own.
- The Horned Frogs led 5-4, but kills by Davis and Turner put Kansas back on top 6-5.
- Kansas called for a timeout following a 6-2 run by the Horned Frogs, making the score 11-8.
- Back-to-back errors by TCU kept Kansas within three, 14-11.
- Coming out of the second KU timeout, Elnady recorded her 12th kill to close it to 16-12.
- TCU tied up the match 2-2 after finishing set four 25-16.
- Elnady and Turner contributed two kills in set four.
Set Five
- After TCU took the first point of the fifth and final set, Davis responded with a kill to tie up the set at one.
- The Horned Frogs were on a three-point run until Davis stopped TCU with her own kill, 4-2.
- At the halfway point, TCU was in the lead 8-3 as both teams switched sides.
- A kill by junior libero Kennedy Farris put Kansas closer to TCU 9-6.
- Not long after, TCU came out on top 15-9.
Up Next
Kansas will take on the Oklahoma Sooners on Sunday (October 30) for the Jayhawks for a Cure match in Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena. The match will begin at 3 p.m. CT and will be broadcast by ESPNU.
