Thursday, October 18
Fort Worth, Texas
8:00 p.m.
West Virginia University
at
TCU
Photo by: Alex King
WVU Heads to TCU
October 17, 2018 04:15 PM | Volleyball
FORT WORTH, Texas – The West Virginia University volleyball team heads to Fort Worth, Texas, on Thursday, for an 8 p.m. ET league tilt with TCU at the University Recreation Center.
Live stats will be available for the match through SideArm. The match also will be broadcasted live on Fox Sports Southwest, with Chuck LaMendola and Alexia Heist on the call.
"TCU is playing well," fourth-year coach Reed Sunahara said. "We have to play a lot better than we did on Saturday and throughout the year. We are getting better, but we still have a long way to go. We are going to use this match as a good stepping stone, and hopefully, we'll come out on top."
The Mountaineers (9-10, 1-5) and the Horned Frogs (11-7, 3-4) meet for the 13th time overall on Thursday and the 12th time in league play since WVU joined the Big 12 in 2012. The two squads met once as nonconference opponents back in 2009, with TCU claiming the 3-0 win at a neutral-site match.
The Horned Frogs own a 9-4 lead in the all-time series. However, the two teams have split the home-and-away series the last two seasons. Last year, WVU claimed a 3-1 win inside the WVU Coliseum, on Sept. 20, while TCU won a 3-1 match in Fort Worth, on Oct. 26.
The Mountaineers are currently 1-3 on the road this season, holding a 5-22 all-time record in the state of Texas. West Virginia is 0-6 all-time vs. TCU inside the University Recreation Center, in Fort Worth, Texas. However, WVU came close to victory when it took TCU to five sets on Nov. 23, 2016.
"It's tough. They have a small arena, and its loud," Sunahara said. "It's always a battle there. We are looking forward to it, and we'll see what happens.'
Last week, West Virginia dropped a heartbreaking 3-2 match to No. 24 Baylor, at the WVU Coliseum, in Morgantown, on Saturday. The Mountaineers fell to the Lady Bears in set scores of 22-25, 13-25, 25-22, 25-20 and 17-15. WVU posted a season-high 64 kills, hitting .246 in the loss, with 73 digs and seven total team blocks.
"I just want them to compete," Sunahara said. "I want them to be mindful with what we are doing, individually and collectively. If we can do that, I know we are going to keep getting better. That's the goal, and that's what I talked to them about yesterday. We have to get better at every touch and every contact."
Sophomore middle blocker Katie DeMeo has developed into one of the league's premier blockers. She currently ranks second in the Big 12 Conference in blocks per set, totaling 89 blocks on the season to average 1.51 per set. The Troy, Ohio, native also ranks 10th among all NCAA Division I players in blocks per set.
The Mountaineers rank fourth in the Big 12, averaging 2.49 blocks per set, and are 41st in the nation. WVU is outblocking its opponents, 177.0-138.5.
Junior outside hitter Katelyn Evans leads the team offensively, averaging 3.19 kills per set to rank 10th in the Big 12. The Palmdale, California, native has recorded double-digit kills in 12 matches, including eight of the last 10.
TCU also is coming off a 3-0 loss to Big 12 foe Iowa State on Saturday, at the Hilton Coliseum, in Ames, Iowa. The Cyclones took the match from the Horned Frogs in set scores of 25-15, 25-21 and 25-16, as senior middle blocker Anna Walsh led the offense with 11 kills in the loss.
Sophomore setter Tori Dilfer leads the Big 12 in two categories, assists (11.64 a/s) and service aces (0.42 sa/s), helping TCU become one of the best offensive teams in the league, with 13.74 kills per set. Freshman outside hitter Elan McCall paces the Horned Frogs offensively, averaging 5.05 kills per set. TCU also ranks second in the conference in assists (13.02) and digs (15.74) per set.
Of note, the Mountaineers are three wins away from collecting their 700th win in program history. West Virginia currently holds a 697-733 all-time record since its inaugural season in 1974.
WVU will finish the first half of conference play this weekend, as the Mountaineers swing through Oklahoma for their first meeting with the Sooners on Saturday. First serve is set for 2:30 p.m. ET.
Looking ahead, West Virginia will close out the month of October at home with a pair of Big 12 matches, as the squad takes on Texas Tech on Wednesday, Oct. 24 and Kansas on Wednesday, Oct. 31. First serve for both matches is set for 6 p.m. ET at the WVU Coliseum.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Live stats will be available for the match through SideArm. The match also will be broadcasted live on Fox Sports Southwest, with Chuck LaMendola and Alexia Heist on the call.
"TCU is playing well," fourth-year coach Reed Sunahara said. "We have to play a lot better than we did on Saturday and throughout the year. We are getting better, but we still have a long way to go. We are going to use this match as a good stepping stone, and hopefully, we'll come out on top."
The Mountaineers (9-10, 1-5) and the Horned Frogs (11-7, 3-4) meet for the 13th time overall on Thursday and the 12th time in league play since WVU joined the Big 12 in 2012. The two squads met once as nonconference opponents back in 2009, with TCU claiming the 3-0 win at a neutral-site match.
The Horned Frogs own a 9-4 lead in the all-time series. However, the two teams have split the home-and-away series the last two seasons. Last year, WVU claimed a 3-1 win inside the WVU Coliseum, on Sept. 20, while TCU won a 3-1 match in Fort Worth, on Oct. 26.
The Mountaineers are currently 1-3 on the road this season, holding a 5-22 all-time record in the state of Texas. West Virginia is 0-6 all-time vs. TCU inside the University Recreation Center, in Fort Worth, Texas. However, WVU came close to victory when it took TCU to five sets on Nov. 23, 2016.
"It's tough. They have a small arena, and its loud," Sunahara said. "It's always a battle there. We are looking forward to it, and we'll see what happens.'
Last week, West Virginia dropped a heartbreaking 3-2 match to No. 24 Baylor, at the WVU Coliseum, in Morgantown, on Saturday. The Mountaineers fell to the Lady Bears in set scores of 22-25, 13-25, 25-22, 25-20 and 17-15. WVU posted a season-high 64 kills, hitting .246 in the loss, with 73 digs and seven total team blocks.
"I just want them to compete," Sunahara said. "I want them to be mindful with what we are doing, individually and collectively. If we can do that, I know we are going to keep getting better. That's the goal, and that's what I talked to them about yesterday. We have to get better at every touch and every contact."
Sophomore middle blocker Katie DeMeo has developed into one of the league's premier blockers. She currently ranks second in the Big 12 Conference in blocks per set, totaling 89 blocks on the season to average 1.51 per set. The Troy, Ohio, native also ranks 10th among all NCAA Division I players in blocks per set.
The Mountaineers rank fourth in the Big 12, averaging 2.49 blocks per set, and are 41st in the nation. WVU is outblocking its opponents, 177.0-138.5.
Junior outside hitter Katelyn Evans leads the team offensively, averaging 3.19 kills per set to rank 10th in the Big 12. The Palmdale, California, native has recorded double-digit kills in 12 matches, including eight of the last 10.
TCU also is coming off a 3-0 loss to Big 12 foe Iowa State on Saturday, at the Hilton Coliseum, in Ames, Iowa. The Cyclones took the match from the Horned Frogs in set scores of 25-15, 25-21 and 25-16, as senior middle blocker Anna Walsh led the offense with 11 kills in the loss.
Sophomore setter Tori Dilfer leads the Big 12 in two categories, assists (11.64 a/s) and service aces (0.42 sa/s), helping TCU become one of the best offensive teams in the league, with 13.74 kills per set. Freshman outside hitter Elan McCall paces the Horned Frogs offensively, averaging 5.05 kills per set. TCU also ranks second in the conference in assists (13.02) and digs (15.74) per set.
Of note, the Mountaineers are three wins away from collecting their 700th win in program history. West Virginia currently holds a 697-733 all-time record since its inaugural season in 1974.
WVU will finish the first half of conference play this weekend, as the Mountaineers swing through Oklahoma for their first meeting with the Sooners on Saturday. First serve is set for 2:30 p.m. ET.
Looking ahead, West Virginia will close out the month of October at home with a pair of Big 12 matches, as the squad takes on Texas Tech on Wednesday, Oct. 24 and Kansas on Wednesday, Oct. 31. First serve for both matches is set for 6 p.m. ET at the WVU Coliseum.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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