Kansas Shakes Off First Set to Top TCU, 3-1

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Every one of redshirt senior Catherine Carmichael’s match-high 16 kills were needed to propel Kansas past a scrappy squad of Horned Frogs inside the TCU University Recreation Center, Saturday afternoon, 20-25, 25-20, 25-18, 25-23.     
Playing in an intimate facility similar to its own Horejsi Family Athletics Center, Kansas (18-5, 8-2) faced a TCU (13-11, 2-8) team that thrives in its home court advantage. The crowd fueled the momentum, helping the Frogs take set one before the Jayhawks buckled down to win the next three.
 
“We played a good team today, one that’s getting better and better, especially on their home court,” head coach Ray Bechard said. “I was very happy with our response at key times. Obviously there are some areas that we could’ve been cleaner in, but to get a 3-1 win this time of the year on the road – we’re very happy with it.”
 
Making her fourth-straight start, Carmichael shined once again, breaking out for double-digit kills for the third time in the last four matches. She committed only four errors compared to her 16 kills for a .414 attack percentage. Alongside her, freshman middle blocker Tayler Soucie was equally impressive. The rookie rattled of 12 kills on 21 swings with no errors, good for a .571 efficiency.
 
Junior outside hitter Chelsea Albers joined them on the leaderboard with 14 kills and a .340 hitting percentage. Passing out the kills was senior setter Erin McNorton, who led the floor with 53 assists and 14 digs – her 15^th career double-double. Senior libero Brianne Riley followed that up with 13 digs, while Albers led the defense from the front line with four blocks.
 
For TCU, junior right side Stephanie Holland led the home team with 14 kills and three Frogs finished in double digits. For just the sixth time in 2013, the Jayhawks were out-blocked as TCU claimed the battle at the net, 11.0-5.0. Kansas offset that, however, with a season-high eight service aces, while holding TCU to three.
 
Errors plagued the Jayhawks early in the first set and a service ace from Sutton Sunstrom put TCU ahead, 9-5. Three-straight kills from Soucie, redshirt senior middle blocker Caroline Jarmoc and junior outside hitter Sara McClinton brought the Jayhawks back to a positive hitting percentage, but had yet to shake off the deficit. Trailing 13-8, Kansas used its first timeout.
 
McClinton blasted a shot to the middle of the court to halt a 4-0 TCU run, but the Horned Frogs had control, stretching to their largest lead of the set, 17-11. Now in a fight to get back in it, McClinton kept a ball alive at the net, turning it into a kill before taking a legitimate swing the next play to cut into the deficit. Down 22-16, Soucie came to her aid, chalking up back-to-back kills to prompt a TCU timeout with its lead at four points, 22-18. Albers and Carmichael rallied for two-straight kills, but it was not enough for the Jayhawks to climb out of the hole that eight errors caused as they fell in set one, 25-20.
 
TCU started the next set with the slight advantage again, until Soucie’s cross-court kill sparked a 4-0 Kansas run to take the lead, 9-6. The home team fought back, using a solo block and another ace to knot the score, 12-12 – and the back-and-forth stage was set. Soucie provided sparks throughout the match and did so again with a convincing kill that put the Jayhawks ahead, 17-16, before TCU immediately came back to tie it.
 
Both teams challenged each other at the net and the Jayhawks benefitted from balls falling their way with the help of Carmichael and Albers. Riley came through with a clutch service ace that pushed the KU advantage to four, 22-18. TCU came back once more, but this time it was Kansas with the control. Carmichael, who racked up six kills in the second set, sparked three-straight points to tie the match with a 25-20 win.
 
TCU struck for the first two points to kickoff set three, but Kansas answered loudly with a 5-0 run that prompted a timeout from the Frogs’ bench. Unlike the previous set, KU established a sizable lead quickly. An ace from senior defensive specialist Jaime Mathieu highlighted another Kansas scoring rally en route to a 10-5 lead.
 
Although TCU possessed the serving advantage coming into the match, Kansas found ways to score from the service line. Redshirt freshman Maggie Anderson dropped in an ace, giving her an ace for the fourth-consecutive match, as KU seized control. When the Jayhawk lead reached 16-8, TCU used its last timeout of the set.
 
The pause worked. The Frogs fired out six-straight points out of the break, cutting the Jayhawk lead to a mere two points, 16-14. An attack error finally stopped the TCU rally, and the momentum immediately shifted back in the Jayhawks’ favor. With an eight-point lead now dwindled to two, McNorton led to a 6-0 Kansas run, ultimately leading to the Jayhawk victory. The senior setter cranked out back-to-back service aces and sent KU to set point with a kill, setting the Jayhawks up to win the set, 25-18.
 
TCU had the upper hand to start the fourth frame, holding a slim lead until the 10-point mark. Kansas put together four-straight points, putting itself in position to win. A kill from Jarmoc put the Jayhawks up 13-11, and the teams traded points in a race to the end of the set. After sophomore outside hitter Tiana Dockery connected on a kill to tie the set at 15-15, the teams went on the tie the score five more times before Carmichael and Dockery combined for four kills after the 20-point mark to push KU to match point, 24-21. TCU rallied for two more points, forcing a late timeout from the Jayhawks, but an attack error sealed the road win, 25-23.
 
Notes
– Senior libero Brianne Riley’s 13 digs moved her closer to sixth all-time on the Big 12 Conference’s career digs list (1,897), bringing her within 100 digs of former Missouri standout Tatum Ailes (1,997; 2004-07).
– Riley now has double-digit digs in 49-consecutive matches.
– Redshirt senior middle blocker Caroline Jarmoc’s 1,231 kills rank sixth all-time for career kills at Kansas. That number is second-most among current Big 12 players. She trails fellow senior Kaitlynn Pelger from Kansas State (1,422).
– With a block assist against TCU, Jarmoc tied longtime teammate and mentor Tayler Tolefree (427) for the top spot on the Kansas career block assists list (427).
 
UP NEXT
Kansas returns to Lawrence to host West Virginia inside the Horejsi Family Athletics Center on Wednesday, Nov. 6. First serve is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
 
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