Sooners Walk Into Block Party at TCU

Oklahoma

TCU

Set Scores
Team	1	2	3	4	5
Oklahoma	18	25	24	25	27
TCU	25	21	26	21	29

Stat Comparison
Category	Oklahoma	TCU
Kills	59	59
Pct.	.122	.239
Digs	66	70
Blocks	5.0	23.5

Individual Leaders
Category	Oklahoma	TCU
Kills	Gardiner - 20	Bergeson - 17
Assists	Alford - 43	Konstantinidou - 27
Digs	Alford - 15	Scheevel - 15
Blocks	Two Players - 2	Gower - 15

FORT WORTH, Texas – For the third year in a row, the University of Oklahoma volleyball team went to five sets with TCU on the road and fell, 3-2. The Sooners remain winless in Big 12 play at 0-3 and dropped to 9-7 overall with a sixth consecutive loss. The Horned Frogs improved to 10-4 and 3-1.

The two sides traded sets throughout the afternoon as TCU claimed the match; 25-18, 21-25, 26-24, 21-25, 15-4. The Horned Frogs' defense posted 23.5 blocks, including six in the decisive fifth set, the most hit into by the OU attack on record.

The Sooners pulled the match even at a set apiece despite TCU taking a 4-0 run into the media timeout with a 15-13 lead. Oklahoma countered with a 6-2 run to go in front and ultimately won the set on back-to-back kills by sophomore Madison Drescher (Southlake, Texas).

In the third, the Sooners trailed by as many as seven at 14-7, but came back to take a late lead. Redshirt-senior outside hitter Madison Ward (Lawton, Okla.) tallied back-to-back kills and teamed up with Drescher for a block to cut the TCU lead to 23-21. Following a Horned Frog timeout, Ward netted another kill and back-to-back kills from senior outside hitter Kimmy Gardiner (Grapevine, Texas) got OU to set-point. TCU answered with three-straight points to claim the set and regain the lead in the match.

Oklahoma then dominated the fourth set beginning with a 4-1 lead. Ward netted back-to-back kills to push it to 10-6. The Sooners opened up their largest lead at 21-12 before the Horned Frogs came back with a 7-1 run prior to OU winning the set in which it hit .351.

The fifth set was dominated by TCU as it handed Oklahoma its worst loss in a fifth set since falling to Missouri State, 15-3, in 1992.

Gardiner led all players with 20 kills, falling one shy of matching her career-high, and added 11 digs for her team-leading seventh double-double. Ward and sophomore setter Audrey Alford (Norman, Okla.) each added their second double-double of the season. Ward posted 14 kills and digs, while Alford notched 43 assists and tied her career-high in digs at 15.

Jillian Bergeson led TCU with 17 kills as one of three players with 15 or more. Ashley Smith chipped in with 16 and Natalie Gower totaled 15 on a match-high .464 hitting percentage.

For the Sooners, senior middle blocker Micaela Spann (Carrollton, Texas) did not play and had a streak of 96-consecutive matches played and started snapped. She has missed one other match in her career and that was against Alabama A&M at Missouri State's Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Tournament in 2013.

Oklahoma returns to action for a pair of road matches at West Virginia at the end of next week. The Sooners and the Mountaineers play on back-to-back days beginning Friday, October 7 at 5 p.m. CT.

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Players Mentioned

Audrey Alford

Audrey Alford

Madison Drescher

Kimmy Gardiner

Kimmy Gardiner

Micaela Spann

Micaela Spann

Madison Ward

Madison Ward

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma Athletics