MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Looking to snap a three-game skid, the West Virginia University volleyball team hosts TCU in Big 12 action at the WVU Coliseum on Saturday. The match start time has been moved from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
“The effort and intensity in practice is there,” said coach Jill Kramer. “Our team is working hard, growing daily from each experience and they are ready for the chance to compete at the Coliseum again.”
In addition to encouraging fans to wear gold for a Gold Rush match, the Mountaineers will host a free youth clinic following the match. Kids eighth grade and under are invited to receive on-court instruction from the players and coaching staff. Those interested must sign up at the Blue Gate. Kids who print out and complete the Musket coloring sheet will receive free admission to the match.
The Mountaineers (11-7, 1-3 Big 12) are coming off a 3-1 loss to Oklahoma, while TCU (12-6, 2-2 Big 12) is coming off a 3-1 win over Baylor. The Horned Frogs also lost to the Sooners, 3-0, on October 1, and both teams have played Iowa State and Texas Tech this season. WVU fell 3-1 to the Cyclones, while TCU took a 3-1 win at home. The Mountaineers took a 3-1 victory in Lubbock while the Horned Frogs dropped a 3-1 contest to the Red Raiders.
The programs have met five times prior to this season, including four times as league opponents. Including a nonconference meeting in 1999, TCU leads the all-time series 4-1. However, it was West Virginia that took the last meeting between the two, a 3-0 sweep at WVU Coliseum last season.
WVU boasts numerous connections to TCU, with the biggest coming in the form of Kramer. Then known as Jill Pape, Kramer competed for the Horned Frogs from 1995-99 and was a member of TCU volleyball’s first four-year class. She continues to rank as TCU’s all-time kills leader with a career tally of 1,595 and is in both the all-time and single-season record books in numerous places, including digs (sixth all-time), total attacks (third all-time) and aces (eighth all-time).
Both teams boast multiple players from the Dallas-area club team Texas Advantage Volleyball. TCU middle blocker Regan McGuire and WVU outside hitter Jordan Anderson both hail from Flower Mound, Texas, and competed together for TAV, helping the club capture a national championship. WVU defensive specialist Brittany Sample and Caleah Wells as well as TCU defensive specialist Shane Peters were also members of TAV.
Wells posted one of her best statistical efforts of the season in the loss to Oklahoma on Wednesday. She recorded a season-best 10 kills, three shy of her career-high 13. After hitting .625 in the first set and .333 in the second, she finished the night hitting for a .261 clip.
The Mountaineers will wrap up their three-match home stand on Wednesday when they host Kansas at 6:30 p.m.