“Whenever I have a chance, I’m going to do my hardest to put at least an hour in and work on my classes and not fall behind,” middle hitter Katie Clark said.
Coach Jill Kramer hopes her team gets used to the experience of juggling grades and kills, a necessary part of the rigors of postseason with finals weeks bearing down. This year, it’s during the NIVC. Next year, it could be during the NCAAs. In fact, that’s the plan every year. Better get used to it.
“Yeah, they’re stressed about school right now, but it’s not going to be any different next year,” Kramer said. “Getting to go through all those things, getting to see what it feels like for your body to play volleyball in December is super important, and it can be a great lesson for us.”
TCU opens against Miami (Ohio) at Bowling Green in Toledo at 3:30 Thursday, hoping to recreate the success that produced a berth in the semifinals of the event two years ago, when the Horned Frogs earned themselves home matches in the third and fourth rounds.
The Frogs’ last NCAA Tournament appearance, in 2016, ended in the second round at No. 2 Nebraska. In 2015, the Frogs bowed out in the NCAA first round against Hawaii.
Getting a chance to earn another home match would be a treat. The Frogs sold out every date in the Rickel this season, a program first.
“Right now, I think we’re playing the best volleyball we’ve played all year,” Kramer said. “I really wanted them to get to continue to improve. Basically every player on the court with regular minutes for us is returning. It’s important for the process, having their minds and bodies ready with the goal of making it to the tournament next year.”
The Frogs can use the experience. Five freshmen and three sophomores are core rotation players, including freshman setter McKenzie Nichols of Southlake, kills leader and All-Big 12 second-team sophomore Clark of Arlington and All-Big 12 all-rookie team member Julia Adams of Plano.
Also in the mix is sophomore elan McCall, a preseason all-conference honoree from Leander who missed nearly half the season sidelined by injury but is healthy now.
“I think we all know our capabilities,” Adams said. “We all know how hard we’ve been working — our skill. Putting all our pieces together at the very end, playing our absolute best volleyball at the end, is something we’ve been striving for all year long.”
In the NIVC, the Frogs get a chance to put a shine on their 9-17 record, the result of a rugged double round-robin march through the Big 12, which produced the top two national seeds in the NCAA tournament — Baylor and Texas.
“I’m a strong believer that in order to be the best, you have to beat the best,” Adams said. “We had three opportunities this year to play the No. 1 team in the nation, and even though the result wasn’t exactly what we wanted, I still thought we got better. When you think about it, we have so many freshmen, and these were 20-, 21-year-olds who have been playing together for a lot longer than we have. Having that experience against these great, great players is definitely going to help us in the long run.”
Caution ahead, Kramer warns. The teams in the NIVC aren’t pushovers.
The Frogs would draw host Bowling Green or Purdue-Fort Wayne in the second round on Friday.
“Everybody’s good,” Kramer said. “You don’t just walk into this tournament. Our record isn’t indicative of the team that we are right now. The NIVC had been watching us play, watching us compete. They know we’re a solid team. I do think having the opportunity to learn that when you’re in a one-and-done tournament you need to respect every single opponent is also an important part of the process.”
Everything’s a lesson. Bring your laptop.
(Photo TCU Athletics)