Setting the record
The 2003 season has proven to be record-breaking for the TCU volleyball team. The team set a school record for the most matches ever won by a TCU squad with a recent victory over St. Louis. The victory was the Frogs’ 16th win this season.
Mary Hollis

Junior outside hitter Dominika Szabo said much of the team’s success this season is a result of the players adjusting to head coach Prentice Lewis’ system.

“Coach was new, and we all had to work together to get used to the new system and the six new recruits she brought,” Szabo said.

Lewis, who came to TCU before the start of the 2002 season, also said the players’ added year of experience under her system has been key to the Frogs’ success this season.

“We have a lot more players and one more year of understanding,” Lewis said.

She said the success her team has encountered this season had been a goal she wanted her team to strive for since the beginning of the season, but it has come sooner than she expected.

In Lewis’ second year as head coach, the Frogs have already won four more matches this season than they won all last season.

Anna Vaughn, a freshman middle blocker, said many good players were pulled onto the team, and TCU is going to continue to improve. She said junior opposite Ellen Rehme, who transferred to TCU from Florida, knows what it is like to win.

“She adds a competitive drive to the team as well as her athletic ability, and you can count on her for kills,” Vaughn said.

Lewis also said Rehme brings a competitive edge to the team.

“She hates to lose and will try to find a way to win,” Lewis said. “She has elevated the team much more in their drive to win.”

Szabo said she views the upcoming Conference USA tournament as the biggest challenge the team has ever faced. She said if the Frogs make it to the tournament, they will have to be at the top of the game and be ready to play.

“This would be the biggest challenge for us,” Szabo said. “It would be a really good deal to get there and a nice reward.”

Lewis said while it will be extremely difficult for the Frogs to win the conference this year, they are not giving up. The Frogs are in an eighth place in a tie with Houston in C-USA play with a 2-3 record, trailing Southern Mississippi and Tulane by 3.5 games.

“We will do the best we can if we get there,” Lewis said. “The plan is to be there and play well.”
Vaughn said TCU can continue its success in conference play if it works hard everyday and continues to go out on the court with confidence and intensity.

“It would be awesome (to win the tournament); it would show how far we have come even from a year and how far we can go,” Vaughn said.

The Frogs must first complete their regular season schedule before they can think about turning their attention to the conference tournament. TCU still has eight matches remaining before the C-USA tournament begins.

This weekend, the Frogs will go on the road to play South Florida Friday and Alabama-Birmingham Saturday.