TCU volleyball will look to bounce back from its loss to Colorado State against a quick Air Force team Thursday.
The Horned Frogs, who had only won one set in five years in Fort Collins, Colo., lost in three sets to the Rams (18-26, 19-25, 20-25). The loss snapped TCU’s eight-match win streak.
Offensively, TCU shot just a .108 hitting percentage, while Colorado State used a fiery attack with 43 kills and a .275 attack.
Colorado State boasted 1,298 fans in Moby Arena, and Horned Frogs head coach Prentice Lewis said nerves might have played a roll.
“We didn’t play well,” Lewis said. “It’s not an easy environment to play in. I think our ladies were nervous.”
Despite picking up a loss, the Horned Frogs have nothing to be ashamed about, as the No. 35 ranked Rams have made 14 consecutive trips to the NCAA tournament.
Air Force enters Thursday’s match with an 8-7 record and is still looking for its first conference win. Despite the 0-3 record in Mountain West play, the Falcons’ 8-7 campaign marks just the third time in their history that they have a wining record 15 matches into the season.
The Falcons are coming off a 0-3 (23-25, 18-25, 23-25) loss to UNLV.
Junior Caroline Kurtz leads the team in aces (0.42 per match) kills (3.09) and digs (2.74), and she is ranked in four of the seven Mountain West per-game statistical categories.
Offensively, Air Force averages 11.9 kills per set and issues a .175 hitting percentage.
“They’re a quick offense,” Lewis said. “They run a lot of their middles on slides and on ones and threes. They’re not tall, but they’re quick.”
On the defensive end of the net, the Falcons are just 234 in the nation with 1.6 blocks per set. However, Air Force does dig the ball well, Lewis said, averaging 12.4 per set.
TCU won nine of the past 11 matches against Air Force with its last loss to the Falcons occuring in 2005.
“We have to just put the ball where they aren’t,” Lewis said. “Make sure we are moving the ball around and getting different shots.”
Should the Horned Frogs prevail, it will be the team’s 201 win in program history. Last Friday, TCU defeated Wyoming to capture the 200-win milestone since becoming a varsity sport in 1996.
TCU vs. Air Force
When: 7 p.m. tonight
Where: University Recreation Center
