Tickets// FIRST SERVE
University of Cincinnati volleyball returns home to St. Ursula Academy for two matches this weekend. The Bearcats host USF on Friday night at 7 p.m. and face UCF on Sunday at 1 p.m. UC and UCF enter the weekend atop the American Athletic Conference standings tied at 7-0.
// FOLLOW US
For up to the minute updates, follow UC Volleyball (@GoBearcatsVB) and Coach Alvey (@CoachAlveyUC) on Twitter. You can also find the Bearcats on Facebook (GoBearcatsVB) and Instagram (GoBearcatsVB).
// GOING LIVE
A live video stream of both matches will be available at GoBearcats.com/watch. Live stats will run at GoBearcats.com
// PROMOTIONS
• Friday night is the team's annual pink match to raise awareness for breast cancer research
• Fans in attendance will receive a free pink t-shirt
• The teams asks that everyone in attendance wear pink and the team will be wearing their special pink uniforms
• On Sunday, the team will host a post-match serving clinic
• It will also be the first Signature Sunday of the season where fans can get autographs from the team after the match
// MIDWEEK RECAP
• UC is coming off a five-set victory at Dayton played Wednesday night
• The Bearcats won the opening two sets before the Flyers took the third, 28-26, then the fourth to force a deciding fifth set
• UC won the final set 15-12 for the victory
• Dayton was ranked No. 26 in RPI to begin the week
• The Bearcats had not beat the Flyers since the 2008 season
// THOMPSON ON TOP
• Jordan Thompson was named both the Sports Imports/AVCA and VolleyMob National Player of the Week on Tuesday for an incredible weekend on the road
• The redshirt-junior averaged 7.89 kills per set while hitting an even 4.00 in matches at Tulsa and Wichita State
• She also added in 27 digs, two aces and five blocks
• Thompson broke the AAC, UC and Koch Center single-match records with 44 kills against Wichita State last Sunday
• She has been the nation's leader in kills, points, kills per set and points per set for seven consecutive weeks
• Although just in her third season on the court, Thompson is the AAC career leader in points and kills
• She is the only Bearcats player in history to record 40 kills in one match and the only to be named national player of the week twice in a season
• With thirty kills against Dayton Wednesday night, she has posted thirty or more kills in seven matches this season
// CONFERENCE REPORT
• After the weekend the standings remain mostly the same
• Cincinnati and UCF are both 7-0 headed into Friday's match. One team will fall on Sunday when the Knights travel to play the Bearcats
• Tulsa is in third at 5-2
• ECU and Wichita State follow close behind at 4-3
• There is a four-way tie between USF, Tulane, UConn and SMU, who are all 3-4
• Memphis is 2-5 and Temple and Houston round out the standings at 1-6 and 0-7, respectively
// KNOW THE FOE: USF
USF is 14-6 overall and 3-4 in conference play. Last weekend the Bulls hosted UConn and Temple, losing to the Huskies in five then beating the Owls in five sets. USF ranks third in the conference in digs per set and fourth in hitting percentage and blocks per set
// SERIES HISTORY: BEARCATS vs. BULLS
UC is 20-13 all-time against USF. Last season, the Bearcats opened conference play at USF and won 3-0. The Bulls came back and won 3-2 in Cincinnati later that season. UC swept both matches in 2016 and won both in four in 2015
// KNOW THE FOE: UCF
UCF is the fellow team to beat in the AAC at this point in the season as the team is 16-3 overall and 7-0 in conference play. The Knights' only losses this season came at Miami (FL), versus Louisville and at No. 4 Florida. Last weekend UCF hosted Temple and UConn, beating both 3-1.
// SERIES HISTORY: BEARCATS vs. KNIGHTS
Cincinnati is 6-7 all-time against UCF. Last season, the Bearcats won 3-0 on the road then lost 3-0 at home. UC won both matches in 2016, one in four sets and one in five sets. The Bearcats also took both meetings in 2015
// COMING UP NEXT
• Next weekend UC travels for matches at Memphis and Tulane
• On Friday, November 2 at 7 p.m. the Bearcats host Wichita State back in Fifth Third Arena
• UC wraps up that weekend by hosting Tulsa in the on-campus arena at 1 p.m. on Sunday
University of Cincinnati volleyball returns home to St. Ursula Academy for two matches this weekend. The Bearcats host USF on Friday night at 7 p.m. and face UCF on Sunday at 1 p.m. UC and UCF enter the weekend atop the American Athletic Conference standings tied at 7-0.
// FOLLOW US
For up to the minute updates, follow UC Volleyball (@GoBearcatsVB) and Coach Alvey (@CoachAlveyUC) on Twitter. You can also find the Bearcats on Facebook (GoBearcatsVB) and Instagram (GoBearcatsVB).
// GOING LIVE
A live video stream of both matches will be available at GoBearcats.com/watch. Live stats will run at GoBearcats.com
// PROMOTIONS
• Friday night is the team's annual pink match to raise awareness for breast cancer research
• Fans in attendance will receive a free pink t-shirt
• The teams asks that everyone in attendance wear pink and the team will be wearing their special pink uniforms
• On Sunday, the team will host a post-match serving clinic
• It will also be the first Signature Sunday of the season where fans can get autographs from the team after the match
// MIDWEEK RECAP
• UC is coming off a five-set victory at Dayton played Wednesday night
• The Bearcats won the opening two sets before the Flyers took the third, 28-26, then the fourth to force a deciding fifth set
• UC won the final set 15-12 for the victory
• Dayton was ranked No. 26 in RPI to begin the week
• The Bearcats had not beat the Flyers since the 2008 season
// THOMPSON ON TOP
• Jordan Thompson was named both the Sports Imports/AVCA and VolleyMob National Player of the Week on Tuesday for an incredible weekend on the road
• The redshirt-junior averaged 7.89 kills per set while hitting an even 4.00 in matches at Tulsa and Wichita State
• She also added in 27 digs, two aces and five blocks
• Thompson broke the AAC, UC and Koch Center single-match records with 44 kills against Wichita State last Sunday
• She has been the nation's leader in kills, points, kills per set and points per set for seven consecutive weeks
• Although just in her third season on the court, Thompson is the AAC career leader in points and kills
• She is the only Bearcats player in history to record 40 kills in one match and the only to be named national player of the week twice in a season
• With thirty kills against Dayton Wednesday night, she has posted thirty or more kills in seven matches this season
// CONFERENCE REPORT
• After the weekend the standings remain mostly the same
• Cincinnati and UCF are both 7-0 headed into Friday's match. One team will fall on Sunday when the Knights travel to play the Bearcats
• Tulsa is in third at 5-2
• ECU and Wichita State follow close behind at 4-3
• There is a four-way tie between USF, Tulane, UConn and SMU, who are all 3-4
• Memphis is 2-5 and Temple and Houston round out the standings at 1-6 and 0-7, respectively
// KNOW THE FOE: USF
USF is 14-6 overall and 3-4 in conference play. Last weekend the Bulls hosted UConn and Temple, losing to the Huskies in five then beating the Owls in five sets. USF ranks third in the conference in digs per set and fourth in hitting percentage and blocks per set
// SERIES HISTORY: BEARCATS vs. BULLS
UC is 20-13 all-time against USF. Last season, the Bearcats opened conference play at USF and won 3-0. The Bulls came back and won 3-2 in Cincinnati later that season. UC swept both matches in 2016 and won both in four in 2015
// KNOW THE FOE: UCF
UCF is the fellow team to beat in the AAC at this point in the season as the team is 16-3 overall and 7-0 in conference play. The Knights' only losses this season came at Miami (FL), versus Louisville and at No. 4 Florida. Last weekend UCF hosted Temple and UConn, beating both 3-1.
// SERIES HISTORY: BEARCATS vs. KNIGHTS
Cincinnati is 6-7 all-time against UCF. Last season, the Bearcats won 3-0 on the road then lost 3-0 at home. UC won both matches in 2016, one in four sets and one in five sets. The Bearcats also took both meetings in 2015
// COMING UP NEXT
• Next weekend UC travels for matches at Memphis and Tulane
• On Friday, November 2 at 7 p.m. the Bearcats host Wichita State back in Fifth Third Arena
• UC wraps up that weekend by hosting Tulsa in the on-campus arena at 1 p.m. on Sunday