FORTH WORTH, Texas - A hard-fought performance saw UCF volleyball fall in four sets to ninth-ranked TCU, 8-25, 33-31, 19-25, 22-25, Sunday afternoon at Schollmaier Arena.
Headlined by a 64-point second set which saw the Knights fend off six set points, a balanced offensive display from the visitors wasn’t enough to collect the top-10 Big 12 road win.
Avah Armour paced the Black and Gold with 16 kills, while Kiki Horne and Nygeria Hart continued their strong displays in conference with 14 and 11 kills of their own.
HOW IT HAPPENED
TCU jumped out to an early lead in the first behind a 4-0 run with four separate Horned Frogs finding kills. Kills from Kiki Horne and Nygeria Hart got the UCF offense off the mark, though the hosts pieced together a 5-0 run to take a 15-6 lead into the first media timeout.
The Horned Frogs sustained their momentum out of the break, furthering their run to 12 points before a service error ended the streak. While Avah Armour found her first kill down the stretch, TCU went on to take the opening set 25-8.
UCF came out in the second set a different team, showcasing its defense with a key block from Ella Chapman and Abby Schomers early on, along with six kills and an ace from Armour to take a 15-10 lead into the media timeout.
Sitting at 17-12 in the Black and Gold’s advantage, TCU tallied an 8-3 run to level the contest at 20-all. Despite having a pair of set points at 24-23 and 25-24, it was the Knights who had to go on the defensive.
While the Horned Frogs had six consecutive set points, each time, the visitors fended them off, as a trio of kills from Armour and Horne pushed the bout to 31-all, before the latter put the Knights in the lead and Sasha Cohen provided the final blow to level the match for UCF, 33-31.
After an incredible 64-point set, UCF continued its strong play with a 15-14 lead on the back of sustained pressure at the net, with the middles Chapman and Cohen getting it down in both phases.
However, TCU mounted a comeback out of the break with two of the Big 12’s best players, Evan Hendrix and Becca Kelley guiding the Horned Frogs to a set-three win, 25-19.
The hosts collected a 17-12 lead in the fourth before the Knights fought back to make it 20-all behind four blocks. UCF fended off a pair of match points from the hosts before the ninth-ranked Horned Frogs secured the win, 25-22.
UP NEXT
UCF will return to Orlando for a two-match homestand against Cincinnati on Friday and No. 19 Kansas on Sunday.
SINGLE GAME AND SEASON TICKETS ON SALE NOW
UCF volleyball single-match and season tickets are on sale now. Be sure to catch all the action in 2026. Tickets can be purchased online at ucfknights.com/tickets or by calling the ticket office at (407) 823-1000.
ABOUT UCF ATHLETICS
UCF is a proud member of the Big 12 Conference. Our mission is to positively transform the lives of our students academically, athletically, and personally through a nationally competitive intercollegiate athletics program that enhances the reputation and visibility of the University. We strive to be Florida's preeminent athletic program, representing UCF and our community with distinction on the national stage as "Orlando's Hometown Team". To learn more about UCF and Athletics, please visit our websites at www.ucf.edu and www.ucfknights.com.