TicketsORLANDO, Fla. – University of Cincinnati volleyball advanced to the American Athletic Conference Tournament Championship match with a 3-0 win against Tulane on Saturday afternoon.
The No. 1 Bearcats will take on No. 3 UCF on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. The match will air live on ESPNU.
// NOTES
• Jordan Thompson led the match with 25 kills on .396 hitting and added in seven digs and two aces
• Maria Mallon finished with 14 kills with five digs and a solo block
• Armania Heckenmueller paced the offense with 41 assists and also had seven digs
• Mackenzie Conner had a team-high 16 digs
• Damjana Cabarkapa and Karoline Fauske had two blocks each
// SET BREAKDOWN
Set 1: UC 25-20
The Bearcats overcame a slow start to take the opening set from the Green Wave. Tulane scored the first four points and took an 8-2 lead before UC came back with a 6-0 run. Adria Oliver started the run with a solo block, Mallon had a kill and Tulane committed an attack error. Mallon followed that with two more kills and the Green Wave had another error to bring the set to an 8-8 tie. Tied later on at 14, UC scored on an Oliver kill and another Tulane error to lead by two. A 3-0 run from a Thompson kill, Mallon solo block and Mallon kill put the score at 19-15. Another 3-0 run made it 23-18 before kills by Fauske and Thompson closed out the set.
Set 2: UC 25-17
Set two was a much smoother victory for UC. Thompson started the set with a kill and Kerstin Ficker followed with an ace. Tulane snuck ahead 9-7, but five straight points from two Green Wave errors, a Thompson kill, Cabarkapa kill and Mallon kill switched to lead over to 12-9 in favor of the Bearcats. UC strung together three more 3-0 runs down the stretch, including the final three points of the set. Mallon had a kill, Thompson had a kill and Cabarkapa and Fauske teamed up for a block to get the team to 25.
Set 3: UC 25-19
A Tulane error and two Thompson kills got UC out to a good start in set three. The Green Wave was able to get out ahead 7-5, but an Oliver kill, Mallon kill and Heckenmueller ace tied the set at eight. UC got ahead by two, 14-12, on a Thompson kill and ace. A late 3-0 run from two Thompson kills and a Green Wave error forced Tulane to call a timeout with UC leading 21-15. Thompson accounted for the final three Bearcats points, all coming off kills.
// UP NEXT
UC will take on UCF in the inaugural AAC Tournament Championship on Sunday at 1:30 p.m.
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
Follow the Bearcats on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. You can follow Head Coach Molly Alvey on Twitter.
The No. 1 Bearcats will take on No. 3 UCF on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. The match will air live on ESPNU.
// NOTES
• Jordan Thompson led the match with 25 kills on .396 hitting and added in seven digs and two aces
• Maria Mallon finished with 14 kills with five digs and a solo block
• Armania Heckenmueller paced the offense with 41 assists and also had seven digs
• Mackenzie Conner had a team-high 16 digs
• Damjana Cabarkapa and Karoline Fauske had two blocks each
// SET BREAKDOWN
Set 1: UC 25-20
The Bearcats overcame a slow start to take the opening set from the Green Wave. Tulane scored the first four points and took an 8-2 lead before UC came back with a 6-0 run. Adria Oliver started the run with a solo block, Mallon had a kill and Tulane committed an attack error. Mallon followed that with two more kills and the Green Wave had another error to bring the set to an 8-8 tie. Tied later on at 14, UC scored on an Oliver kill and another Tulane error to lead by two. A 3-0 run from a Thompson kill, Mallon solo block and Mallon kill put the score at 19-15. Another 3-0 run made it 23-18 before kills by Fauske and Thompson closed out the set.
Set 2: UC 25-17
Set two was a much smoother victory for UC. Thompson started the set with a kill and Kerstin Ficker followed with an ace. Tulane snuck ahead 9-7, but five straight points from two Green Wave errors, a Thompson kill, Cabarkapa kill and Mallon kill switched to lead over to 12-9 in favor of the Bearcats. UC strung together three more 3-0 runs down the stretch, including the final three points of the set. Mallon had a kill, Thompson had a kill and Cabarkapa and Fauske teamed up for a block to get the team to 25.
Set 3: UC 25-19
A Tulane error and two Thompson kills got UC out to a good start in set three. The Green Wave was able to get out ahead 7-5, but an Oliver kill, Mallon kill and Heckenmueller ace tied the set at eight. UC got ahead by two, 14-12, on a Thompson kill and ace. A late 3-0 run from two Thompson kills and a Green Wave error forced Tulane to call a timeout with UC leading 21-15. Thompson accounted for the final three Bearcats points, all coming off kills.
// UP NEXT
UC will take on UCF in the inaugural AAC Tournament Championship on Sunday at 1:30 p.m.
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
Follow the Bearcats on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. You can follow Head Coach Molly Alvey on Twitter.