LINCOLN, Nebraska – Fueled by a 20-kill performance from the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year Melanie ParraTCU volleyball teams defeated Oklahoma 3-1 to open the season Friday night at the Ameritas Players Challenge at the Devaney Center.

For Parra, it was her ninth career 20-plus kill match. She did so with just two errors at a .429 clip. The native of Sinaloa, Mexico, was also a factor on the service line, with a career-high seven aces, the second-most by a Horned Frog in a single match in program history. Parra also recorded nine digs, finishing just one shy of a double-double.

Junior Jalyn Gibson added nine kills to the score, including the 500^and of her career. Redshirt freshman Becca Kelley also had nine kills and a pair of blocks in her collegiate debut. She was joined by true freshmen Alice Volpe And Evan Hendrixwho also saw the first action on the field of their career. Setter Lily Nicholson led the offense to a .226 clip with 40 assists and a team-high 12 digs for her first double-double of the season.

A Sarah Sylvester ace gave the Frogs their first point of the season in the opening set. Both teams battled back and forth, trading points and scoring runs. TCU used a 6-2 run to take an 18-14 lead before OU evened the score. It was Parra and Gibson who took over in the final frame, helping the Frogs score four straight points and win a close first set, 25-23, on a Sooner error.

TCU turned up the heat on the service line in the second set, hitting five aces to take a two-set lead. Parra led the way with a trio of aces and five kills to move into double figures on the night as the Frogs built a six-point lead to 24-18. Kelley closed out the second set with a big shot to pull the Frogs within a set of victory.

Oklahoma didn’t go quietly, though. The Sooners ruined the sweep with a 25-21 set win in the third, extending the match.

To get things in order, TCU hit a blistering .417 in the fourth set and held OU to a meager .036 clip. Gibson and Parra drove the Frogs home with five kills apiece, leaving no doubt about a 25-16 set win to secure the victory over their former conference opponent.

TCU continues its weekend against second-place Nebraska on Saturday, August 31. First serve is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT. Fans can watch the match on Big Ten+.

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