Jill Kramer and her Horned Frogs volleyball team came into the season with lofty expectations after upsetting national runner-up Texas 3-0 in Fort Worth during Big 12 play and making the NCAA Tournament. The team was picked to finish 4th in the conference by Big 12 coaches and senior Ashley Smith was named to the preseason All-Big 12 team.
TCU opened the season with four straight wins, including victories at home against NC State and over Duke at Cameron Indoor. The Horned Frogs then dropped two consecutive 3-0 matches on the road to North Carolina (ranked #12 at the time) and Creighton.