TicketsMORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The University of Cincinnati volleyball team fell to West Virginia on Thursday night in Morgantown, W.Va.
The Bearcats (9-9, 2-6 Big 12) opened their two-match series against the Mountaineers with a five-set loss. Cincinnati won the first two sets before dropping the next three.
Senior Elissa Alcantara recorded a career-high 23 kills at a .395 hitting percentage. Her previous career high of 22 came against Arizona on Nov. 1, 2019.
Freshman Zeta Washington notched 18 kills at a .400 clip while sophomore Carly Glendinning was a dig shy of a double-double with 15 kills and nine digs.
Junior setter Katelyn Lefler dished out 53 assists to go along with 17 digs for her 11th double-double of the season. She chipped in four kills and three blocks in the all-around performance.
West Virginia held the advantage in blocks (12-8) and service aces (8-1). The Mountaineers hit .562 compared to the Bearcats' clip of .176 in the decisive final set.
// HOW IT HAPPENED
SET 1 | With the score tied at 10 apiece, Cincinnati rattled off eight straight points (18-10). Lefler had two kills and a block during the run. West Virginia responded with a 4-0 spurt to pull within six (23-17). Washington put down the final two kills as UC claimed the opening set, 25-18. Lefler had three kills, 10 assists and three blocks in the set.
SET 2 | Cincinnati owned an early 6-1 advantage after a Ligia Williams kill. The Mountaineers used a 3-0 run to pull within one at 15-14. The Bearcats then scored six straight points to take control of the set. Alcantara registered five kills during the six-point run. She followed with another kill and solo block to put UC up, 23-15. The Bearcats went on to take the second set, 25-16. Alcantara had 11 kills at a .733 clip through two sets of action.
SET 3 | Cincinnati got off to a slow start in the third set and trailed by as many as 10 before going on a 7-0 scoring run (23-17). The late rally fell short as WVU held on to win the stanza, 25-21.
SET 4 | West Virginia used a strong start to lead 16-10. The Bearcats responded with a 6-0 run to even the set. Washington had three kills while Alcantara added two during the stretch. The Mountaineers later scored back-to-back points to take the lead for the remainder of the frame, 25-23.
SET 5 | The Bearcats trailed 8-6 as the two teams switched sides. UC pulled within one after a Glendinning kill (10-9), but WVU scored the next three points. The Mountaineers took the final frame, 15-12, and match, 3-2.
// UP NEXT
The Bearcats will look to bounce back against the Mountaineers at 6 p.m. on Friday.
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For up-to-the-minute updates, follow @GoBearcatsVB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
The Bearcats (9-9, 2-6 Big 12) opened their two-match series against the Mountaineers with a five-set loss. Cincinnati won the first two sets before dropping the next three.
Senior Elissa Alcantara recorded a career-high 23 kills at a .395 hitting percentage. Her previous career high of 22 came against Arizona on Nov. 1, 2019.
Freshman Zeta Washington notched 18 kills at a .400 clip while sophomore Carly Glendinning was a dig shy of a double-double with 15 kills and nine digs.
Junior setter Katelyn Lefler dished out 53 assists to go along with 17 digs for her 11th double-double of the season. She chipped in four kills and three blocks in the all-around performance.
West Virginia held the advantage in blocks (12-8) and service aces (8-1). The Mountaineers hit .562 compared to the Bearcats' clip of .176 in the decisive final set.
// HOW IT HAPPENED
SET 1 | With the score tied at 10 apiece, Cincinnati rattled off eight straight points (18-10). Lefler had two kills and a block during the run. West Virginia responded with a 4-0 spurt to pull within six (23-17). Washington put down the final two kills as UC claimed the opening set, 25-18. Lefler had three kills, 10 assists and three blocks in the set.
SET 2 | Cincinnati owned an early 6-1 advantage after a Ligia Williams kill. The Mountaineers used a 3-0 run to pull within one at 15-14. The Bearcats then scored six straight points to take control of the set. Alcantara registered five kills during the six-point run. She followed with another kill and solo block to put UC up, 23-15. The Bearcats went on to take the second set, 25-16. Alcantara had 11 kills at a .733 clip through two sets of action.
SET 3 | Cincinnati got off to a slow start in the third set and trailed by as many as 10 before going on a 7-0 scoring run (23-17). The late rally fell short as WVU held on to win the stanza, 25-21.
SET 4 | West Virginia used a strong start to lead 16-10. The Bearcats responded with a 6-0 run to even the set. Washington had three kills while Alcantara added two during the stretch. The Mountaineers later scored back-to-back points to take the lead for the remainder of the frame, 25-23.
SET 5 | The Bearcats trailed 8-6 as the two teams switched sides. UC pulled within one after a Glendinning kill (10-9), but WVU scored the next three points. The Mountaineers took the final frame, 15-12, and match, 3-2.
// UP NEXT
The Bearcats will look to bounce back against the Mountaineers at 6 p.m. on Friday.
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For up-to-the-minute updates, follow @GoBearcatsVB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.