TicketsORLANDO, Fla. – University of Cincinnati volleyball fell just short of another 2019 American Athletic Conference championship as the team fell 3-2 to UCF in Sunday's AAC Tournament final.
Both Jordan Thompson and Armania Heckenmueller made the all-tournament team for their strong performances in the Bearcats' two matches this weekend.
// NOTES
• Thompson finished the day with 38 kills, 20 digs and two aces
• Maria Mallon contributed with 19 kills with 22 digs
• Armania Heckenmueller lead the offense with 69 assists and made it a double-double with ten digs
• Mackenzie Conner had a match-high 28 digs
• Adria Oliver finished with 13 kills on .400 hitting
• Karoline Fauske added in eight kills and eight digs
// SET BREAKDOWN
Set 1: UC 25-21
A UCF error started the match but the Knights then scored the next three points to take a 4-1 lead. The Bearcats worked back to tie the match at seven on a 3-0 run with two Oliver kills and an Oliver and Mallon block. UCF still hung on to take a 13-10 lead, but a big momentum shift came with a 5-0 run by UC. Fauske got things started with a kill then Thompson had four for the lead change that put the Bearcats ahead 15-13. UC did not look back from there. Back-to-back kills by Fauske and Thompson made it set point and a service error by the Knights ended it.
Set 2: UCF 25-16
The Knights were able to work back and win set two with a few big runs. The Bearcats were down 5-4 after an error by the Knights and a Thompson ace and then 7-6 after kills by Oliver and Thompson. Trailing 8-7, UC saw UCF go on a 6-0 run to lead by seven. Mallon put a stop to the scoring streak with a kill. The Bearcats had a run of their own later on as they went 3-0 on an Oliver kill and two Thompson kills to make it a 20-14 deficit. The Knights scored the final two points of the set on kills.
Set 3: UCF 26-14
The Bearcats came out strong, but the Knights put together a big late run to grab the set victory right at the end. A UCF error and solo block by Damjana Cabarkapa got UC off to a 2-0 lead. That advantage grew to 13-8 after two Thompson kills and an ace by Mallon. Thompson dropped in two more kills later to put UC up by six, 18-12. Four straight Bearcats points via a Thompson kill, two Mallon kills and a UCF error made it a 22-16 set. Thompson made it set point on a kill, but the final eight points came from the Knights.
Set 4: UC 26-24
UC battled to bring the match to a 2-2 tie with a tough fourth set. Down 5-3, the Bearcats scored three-straight thanks in part to kills by Oliver and Mallon. The two teams went back-and-forth from there until another 3-0 run put UC up by two. Thompson joined Oliver and Mallon with kills on that run, all off assists from Heckenmueller. Another 3-0 run made it a two-point lead as Thompson had two kills and Mallon one to push the lead to 17-15. Back-to-back Fauske kills and a great play and kill by Kerstin Ficker moved the score to 21-19. Thompson scored on a kill and ace to put it at set-point, but UCF was able to answer to tie it at 24. Mallon came up big with two kills to end it in the Bearcats' favor.
Set 5: UCF 15-10
The entire fifth set was close with the Knights pulling away just at the end. Thompson started it off with a kill and that was followed by a UC serving error. Two Thompson kills later on gave UC a 5-4 lead, but a UCF kill and UC error made it 6-5, Knights. After Thompson tied it at eight on a kill, UCF took advantage of two errors, a block and a kill to put together a 4-0 run and a 13-8 advantage. Thompson was able to get in a final kill to keep the Bearcats going, but late kills by the Knights closed out the match.
// UP NEXT
The NCAA Selection show is Sunday, December 1 at 8:30 p.m. on ESPNU.
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
Follow the Bearcats on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. You can follow Head Coach Molly Alvey on Twitter.
Both Jordan Thompson and Armania Heckenmueller made the all-tournament team for their strong performances in the Bearcats' two matches this weekend.
// NOTES
• Thompson finished the day with 38 kills, 20 digs and two aces
• Maria Mallon contributed with 19 kills with 22 digs
• Armania Heckenmueller lead the offense with 69 assists and made it a double-double with ten digs
• Mackenzie Conner had a match-high 28 digs
• Adria Oliver finished with 13 kills on .400 hitting
• Karoline Fauske added in eight kills and eight digs
// SET BREAKDOWN
Set 1: UC 25-21
A UCF error started the match but the Knights then scored the next three points to take a 4-1 lead. The Bearcats worked back to tie the match at seven on a 3-0 run with two Oliver kills and an Oliver and Mallon block. UCF still hung on to take a 13-10 lead, but a big momentum shift came with a 5-0 run by UC. Fauske got things started with a kill then Thompson had four for the lead change that put the Bearcats ahead 15-13. UC did not look back from there. Back-to-back kills by Fauske and Thompson made it set point and a service error by the Knights ended it.
Set 2: UCF 25-16
The Knights were able to work back and win set two with a few big runs. The Bearcats were down 5-4 after an error by the Knights and a Thompson ace and then 7-6 after kills by Oliver and Thompson. Trailing 8-7, UC saw UCF go on a 6-0 run to lead by seven. Mallon put a stop to the scoring streak with a kill. The Bearcats had a run of their own later on as they went 3-0 on an Oliver kill and two Thompson kills to make it a 20-14 deficit. The Knights scored the final two points of the set on kills.
Set 3: UCF 26-14
The Bearcats came out strong, but the Knights put together a big late run to grab the set victory right at the end. A UCF error and solo block by Damjana Cabarkapa got UC off to a 2-0 lead. That advantage grew to 13-8 after two Thompson kills and an ace by Mallon. Thompson dropped in two more kills later to put UC up by six, 18-12. Four straight Bearcats points via a Thompson kill, two Mallon kills and a UCF error made it a 22-16 set. Thompson made it set point on a kill, but the final eight points came from the Knights.
Set 4: UC 26-24
UC battled to bring the match to a 2-2 tie with a tough fourth set. Down 5-3, the Bearcats scored three-straight thanks in part to kills by Oliver and Mallon. The two teams went back-and-forth from there until another 3-0 run put UC up by two. Thompson joined Oliver and Mallon with kills on that run, all off assists from Heckenmueller. Another 3-0 run made it a two-point lead as Thompson had two kills and Mallon one to push the lead to 17-15. Back-to-back Fauske kills and a great play and kill by Kerstin Ficker moved the score to 21-19. Thompson scored on a kill and ace to put it at set-point, but UCF was able to answer to tie it at 24. Mallon came up big with two kills to end it in the Bearcats' favor.
Set 5: UCF 15-10
The entire fifth set was close with the Knights pulling away just at the end. Thompson started it off with a kill and that was followed by a UC serving error. Two Thompson kills later on gave UC a 5-4 lead, but a UCF kill and UC error made it 6-5, Knights. After Thompson tied it at eight on a kill, UCF took advantage of two errors, a block and a kill to put together a 4-0 run and a 13-8 advantage. Thompson was able to get in a final kill to keep the Bearcats going, but late kills by the Knights closed out the match.
// UP NEXT
The NCAA Selection show is Sunday, December 1 at 8:30 p.m. on ESPNU.
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
Follow the Bearcats on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. You can follow Head Coach Molly Alvey on Twitter.