Sept. 5, 2006
Final Stats
DENTON, Texas - For the second time this season, the TCU Horned Frogs rebounded from a 0-2 deficit to win 3-2 (33-35, 28-30, 30-19, 30-22, 15-6). The mistakes that cost the Frogs games one and two were erased following the 10-minute intermission and the hitters came alive. They capped off the come-from-behind victory, hitting .467 in game five.
Lauren Otto had 16 kills of her 19 kills in the final three games, while
Anna Vaughn poured in a season-high 22 kills, 11 in the final three contests.
Calli Corley recorded a game-high 25 digs and
Nirelle Hampton pitched in with 55 assists.
Emily Allen picked up a double-double in the match with 12 kills and 11 digs, as did Otto with 19 kills and 14 digs. The Frogs outhit the Mean Green .246 to .109 as they racked up 83 kills. The defensive efforts of Corley and Kourtney Edwards produced 71 digs and 12.5 blocks.
With the Frogs leading in game one, the Mean Green went on a 7-0 run to take a 22-17 lead, but LeMeita Smith halted the rally with a hard kill deep in the back court, spurring a Frog rally. Behind the serving of Nirelle Hampton, the Frogs cut the lead to 22-21 forcing North Texas to call a timeout. The see-saw battle continued as the Frogs had three chances to take game one, but North Texas was able to come away with the 35-33 game-one victory.
The Frogs fell behind in game two as the Mean Green jumped out to a 12-8 lead. TCU crept back into the match, pulling within two, 14-12, but again the lead was extended back to four, 16-12. North Texas continued their strong play as they kept increasing their lead. Brooke Engel served the Mean Green to a 20-15 lead before the Frogs were able to get a side out. TCU rallied, but it was too little too late as the Mean Green took the 2-0 lead with a 30-28 victory.
A fresher looking Horned Frog team returned to the floor following the break and they stormed out to a 5-0 lead on four straight Otto kills. The lead grew to 7-0 before North Texas was able to get on the board. North Texas battled back to pull within five, but Vaughn put a stop to the rally with back-to-back kills to extend the lead out to eight, 18-10.
Behind the serving of Emily Allen, the Frogs' lead grew to double-digits, 22-10. Vaughn and Smith put any thoughts of a North Texas comeback in game three to rest with a ringing block on a Mean Green attack. Two straight kills by Allen brought the Frogs to game point and Otto banged her ninth kill of the game off the block to give the Frogs a 30-19 win.
Two North Texas errors, two Otto kills mixed in with an Allen ace put the Mean Green in an early hole in game four. Identical to game three, the lead grew to 7-0 before North Texas got a point on the board. North Texas tried to climb back in, but a Nirelle Hampton dump and a Vaughn and Otto double block gave the Frogs a five-point advantage, 14-9.
The five-point cushion was the tale of game four. Late in the game, the Frogs were able to pull away. Once again, Otto and Vaughn were the forces behind the TCU attack. A Vaughn kill and solo block built the Frog lead to 24-16. Otto gave the Frogs a 10-point lead with a kill off the Mean Green block and the Frogs sailed to the 30-22 victory in game four.
TCU kept the momentum it grabbed in game three and used it to spur it on to a commanding 10-4 lead in the deciding game five. Smith came alive as she ripped three kills helping the Frogs build their lead. Edwards gave the Frogs something to cheer about with a blast down the middle and joined Allen as they stuffed a Mean Green attack. Katelyn Blackwood kept things rolling as she dropped in an ace to double-up North Texas, giving TCU the 12-6 lead. Her third ace of the match sealed the victory as TCU won the game 15-6.
The Frogs improve to 8-1 with their fourth straight victory. They will host the TCU Nike/LaQuinta Invitational this weekend as Davidson, Centenary and Ole Miss make its way to Fort Worth. The tournament is slated to begin on Friday afternoon. The Frogs will square off against Davidson on Friday at 7 p.m. in the University Rec Center.
