TCU Volleyball 2026: Season Outlook & Program Overview
Original analysis of the TCU Horned Frogs program, coaching staff, and 2026 outlook.
2026 Season Outlook
This is not a rebuilding year. TCU opens the 2026 season on August 29 against No. 2 Texas in Las Vegas at the inaugural Players Era Volleyball Showcase and closes November 27 at BYU. The Big 12's head coaches picked the Horned Frogs to finish second, behind only Arizona State, and three TCU players made the Preseason All-Big 12 team - tied with Arizona State and BYU for the most of any school. TCU plays 21 matches against NCAA Tournament teams, including eight against Sweet 16 programs. The Frogs are coming off the strongest two-year stretch in nearly two decades: 20-plus wins in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2008-09, and a program-record six wins over ranked opponents in 2025, before sweeping SFA in the NCAA first round and falling at No. 6 Texas A&M in the second. The 2026 ceiling is a Big 12 title and a seeded NCAA position. Evan Hendrix is a legitimate national player of the year candidate, Jalyn Gibson's return from an ACL injury adds an All-Big 12 pin that was not there last season, and thirteen home matches with a favorable October is a real structural advantage. The obstacles are Arizona State and the schedule itself.
Program History & Tradition
TCU is coming off the strongest two-year stretch in nearly two decades, recording 20-plus wins in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2008-09 and winning a program-record six matches against ranked opponents in 2025. The Frogs swept SFA in the NCAA first round before falling at No. 6 Texas A&M in the second. Evan Hendrix became the seventh AVCA All-American in program history in 2025. Home matches are played at Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena in Fort Worth, compact and modern following its renovation, with a volleyball configuration that keeps the crowd close to the floor.
Head Coach Spotlight
TCU enters 2026 picked second in the Big 12 by the league's head coaches, with three players on the Preseason All-Big 12 team - tied with Arizona State and BYU for the most of any school. The staff has built the roster around three All-Big 12 pins in Evan Hendrix, Jalyn Gibson and Becca Kelley, and scheduled 21 matches against NCAA Tournament teams, including eight against Sweet 16 programs.
What to Watch in 2026
The season opens against No. 2 Texas in Las Vegas at the inaugural Players Era Volleyball Showcase on August 29. The match that decides the Big 12 is October 11 at Arizona State - the single number that matters for TCU's ceiling. The closing stretch through Kansas, Utah and BYU is as physically demanding as any in the country, and the November 27 finale at BYU is against the league's other contender. The SMU, Baylor and Arizona State home dates are the ones that fill Schollmaier. The Big 12 posted the No. 1 conference RPI last season and sent 10 schools to the NCAA Tournament, so there are no off weekends, and the league holds no postseason tournament - the regular-season standings decide the title.
