Melanie Parra. Yes, if you are a volleyball fan, her name alone should trigger all the right bells. But if it doesn’t, don’t worry, we are here to fill you in! She is that type of player whose performance on the field leaves everyone including other coaches stunned. But before getting to that, just a few days ago, this unstoppable force powered No. 20 TCU volleyball to a sweep over Hawaii in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament at Matthew Knight Arena. And how did she do it? Oh, just by smashing a school-record 24 kills like the Big 12 Player of the Year she is!

But hold onto your volleyballs, because the fight for a Sweet 16 spot saw TCU bow out to No. 14 Oregon in a bittersweet 1-3 battle, also at Matthew Knight Arena. It was bittersweet to say the least for the Horned Frogs and especially to four seniors and the outstanding outside hitter Melanie Parra. And as I said, this powerhouse has received compliments not only from her own team but from all people who saw her performance–let’s get to know Melanie Parra!

Melanie Parra changes the volleyball scenes!

For those who haven’t yet caught on, Melanie Parra is a senior at Texas Christian University, and she’s been turning heads since transferring from the Longhorns to the Horned Frogs. This powerhouse isn’t just getting love from her own team, but even from coaches across the nation. Following Nebraska’s 43rd consecutive victory at the Bob Devaney Center, Nebraska’s coach John Cook could not help but marvel at Parra’s high velocity jump serve. “I don’t know how good her jump serve is in December, but it was really good in September when they’re fresh,” Cook said, describing the role of Parra in the development of jump serving in college volleyball this year.

Cook also noted how the Huskers adapted their strategy to handle jump serves, a common weapon in modern volleyball. “Because you’re starting to see so much more of it in college volleyball this year. Everybody seems like they have a jump serve,” he said. And according to Cook, Parra was one of the key players driving this shift. When asked about the change, he pointed directly to her: “Melanie Parra, I think, has been one of the reasons.” Her serves are a big part of what’s made her so dangerous on the court, with her hybrid style combining a jump floater and topspin that’s nearly impossible to replicate.

Back in her Longhorn days, her former coach, Jerritt Elliott, also couldn’t contain his admiration for her serve. He called it “a huge weapon,” something “nobody else can really do,” describing it as “a piece of art” when it’s on. And now at TCU, Parra has continued to shine, earning praise from her current head coach, Jason Williams, who called her a “program change.” But even though her team’s NCAA journey ended with a loss to Oregon in the second round, Parra’s legacy is undeniable. When the team needed a crucial point, they knew who to turn to—Melanie Parra. So what are some of her key achievements and career highlights?

Parra’s career highlights and records

Back in September, Melanie Parra rose to fame in a way that no TCU player has ever. She was elected Big 12 Offensive Player of the week for three consecutive weeks and to sweeten the deal; she was awarded National Player of the week–twice in succession. Talk about a historic run! Her name’s now engraved in the TCU record books as one of the best seasons in the history of the sport. It was the first time in her career she was named to the AVCA All-Southwest Region Team and was a unanimous First Team All-Big 12 selection. I am sure that Coach John Cook was watching those unbelievable serves of hers intently!

Parra’s numbers are just jaw-dropping. In 2023, she played 29 sets and scored 482 kill, 47 ace, 266 dig, 70 block sets. That 569 points? The most ever in a season for TCU school record. Her average of 4.38 kills per set put her on the third place in the record books for the program, as did her 482 total kills and 0.44 aces per set that placed her among the top five for single-season records. She began in 29 sets, and 23 of them she performed 10 or more kills. The girl was just incredible; she had the eight 20+ kill matches and 13 double-doubles for her team! It’s safe to say that this girl has one impressive resume if we’ve ever seen one!