The TCU beach volleyball team split its matches on April 10 at the Center of Effort Challenge, falling to No. 4 USC before defeating No. 7 Loyola Marymount University (LMU) at Swanson Beach Volleyball Complex in San Luis Obispo, California.
The event is significant for TCU as it provided a chance to compete against top-ranked opponents and build momentum ahead of future matchups. The Horned Frogs first faced USC, where the contest came down to the final court for the third time this season. Despite tying the match with wins from Sofia Izuzquiza and Morgan Williams as well as Anhelina Khmil and Stacy Reeves, TCU ultimately lost when Anna Long and Natalie Glenn dropped a close third set, giving USC a narrow victory.
USC now leads the series between these teams 13-2 after securing three wins over TCU this season. Five out of TCU’s seven losses have come against top-five ranked teams so far this year. The pairing of Williams and Izuzquiza also marked their first match together.
In their second match of the day, TCU rebounded by overcoming LMU in what was described as a National Championship rematch. After dropping early sets on Flights 1 through 3, Horned Frogs pairs Taylor/Mol and Izuzquiza/Williams delivered straight-set victories to help turn momentum in their favor. Long and Glenn clinched the overall win with a hard-fought three-set victory before Khmil and Reeves secured another point for TCU.
With this result, TCU improved its all-time record against LMU to 5-3 while snapping a two-match losing streak. The team also maintained consistency in its lineup across both matches on Friday.
Looking ahead, TCU is scheduled to play No. 1 Stanford next before concluding its trip with an additional matchup yet to be determined.
