TCU Volleyball's Struggles Continue as They Fall to No. 6 Arizona State

It has been an incredibly tough week for the No. 13 TCU Horned Frogs. They entered their most challenging week of conference play this season, with three straight matchups against ranked opponents. They've been up to the task against top 25 teams earlier in the year, but it hasn't been the case as of late.

TCU traveled to Tempe to take on the sixth-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils. Their road conference woes turned up again as they fell in four sets. It marks their third straight loss. The Frogs haven't lost three straight matches in over two years (10/14/23-10/22/23).

TCU came out struggling in the first set. The offense couldn't find any rhythm, and the Sun Devils took a quick 15-8 lead. From there, ASU's defense stood up and cruised to a 25-11 win. The Horned Frogs had their best showing in set two. The setters found Evan Hendrix, and she picked up three quick kills to give her team a 6-3 lead.

TCU was consistently applying the pressure, holding a two-point lead until ASU finally tied things up at 17 and then again at 19. Becca Kelley picked up a critical kill to break up the tie. Lauren Murphy helped close the set, as she was responsible for the final three points in a 25-22 Frogs win.

right back in this one 🔥 pic.twitter.com/i7YsOJJ40L
— TCU Volleyball (@TCUvolleyball) October 30, 2025

The Sun Devils roared to an 8-1 lead in set three. TCU had a match-high 11 attack errors while ASU had a .296 hitting percentage. They fell 25-13, and the same theme occurred in the final set. The Sun Devils got too big of a lead for the Frogs to overcome.

TCU's Offense Struggled Heavily

TCU Volleyball players huddle in their warmup before a match with Arizona State. | X: @TCUvolleyball

One of the consistent bright spots this season has been TCU's high powered offense. It is rare for the Horned Frogs to be stymied like they were on Wednesday night. They were held to a season low .060 hitting percentage. Arizona State's Colby Neal and Noemie Glover were tremendous at the net, finishing with nine and five blocks respectively.

Hendrix led the way with 17 kills, followed by Murphy with nine. Alice Volpe turned in a solid performance, recording 17 digs and one assist shy of a double-double.

Obviously, Arizona State is one of the best teams in the country. This match was never going to be easy, but it's rather surprising to see how much TCU has struggled lately. There is proof of concept that the Frogs can hang around with elite competition. They defeated No. 5 Penn State, No. 8 Texas A&M, and several other ranked opponents this season.

It's been tough sledding for Jason Williams' team. They have to figure out a way to get out of this slump quickly, with a month of conference play left. They've gone from third to sixth in the Big 12 standings.

What's Next?

TCU (16-6, 6-4) will have to regroup quickly as they'll stay in the state of Arizona. They'll travel to Tucson to take on the Arizona Wildcats (11-9, 5-5) on Friday. The match will start at 8 p.m. CT and will be televised on ESPN+.