TicketsCINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati volleyball team takes on No. 3-ranked Texas on Saturday in Austin, Texas.
The match has been moved up to a 2 p.m. ET first serve and will be broadcast on the Longhorn Network.
// SERIES HISTORY
UC and Texas will face off for the first time in history. Saturday marks the fourth straight ranked opponent the Bearcats will face. The Bearcats are 0-5 against ranked opponents this season.
Cincinnati is looking for its first regular season ranked win since Sept. 6, 2019 when the Bearcats defeated No. 21 Tennessee in straight sets. The Bearcats also took down No. 2-ranked and No. 6-seeded Pitt that same season in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
// LAST TIME OUT
Cincinnati dropped a pair of straight-set matches to No. 12-ranked BYU on Nov. 3-4 in Provo, Utah. Washington averaged 2.67 kills at a .343 hitting percentage over the weekend. She registered her 10th double-digit kill performance of her freshman season on Saturday. She hit an efficient .421 with a team-high 11 kills and only three attacking errors on 19 attempts. The Bearcats will look to snap a nine-set losing streak on Saturday afternoon.
// MADE IN THE MIDDLE
Cincinnati has received valuable contributions from middle blockers Ligia Williams and Zeta Washington in Big 12 play. Washington is averaging 2.61 kills per set at a .310 clip and 0.88 blocks per set while Williams is averaging 1.73 kills per set at a .246 clip and 1.18 blocks per set.
In Big 12 matches only, Williams ranks fourth in blocks per set (1.18). She posted a career-high nine blocks in UC's win at West Virginia. She has registered five-or-more blocks in six Big 12 matches.
Washington has recorded double-digit kills in seven Big 12 matches, including a stretch of three straight. She ranks eighth in the league-games only with a .310 hitting percentage.
Overall, Williams (1.13) and Washington (0.99) rank 10th and 14th, respectively, in the Big 12 in blocks per set.
// DIGGIN' THE DEFENSE
The Bearcats have out-dug their opponents in 15 matches this season. UC ranks fifth in the Big 12 in digs per set (14.77). Cincinnati has held the advantage in digs in each of its Big 12 victories: K-State (72-65), TCU (80-70), WVU (66-63) and TTU (54-43).
Cincinnati posted a season-high 91 digs against South Carolina on Sept. 9. It marked the most digs in a single match since October 15, 2021 when the Bearcats had 93 against Tulsa.
// STEADY SKRABAK
Graduate student Carly Skrabak is averaging 3.98 digs per set as the team's starting libero - good for fourth in the Big 12. She has led the team in digs in all but three matches this season. She's currently 20th among active career DI leaders with 1,833 career digs. She is 167 digs away from 2,000 in her career.
Skrabak has posted 20-plus digs on six occasions. Her season-high of 24 digs came against UCF on Sept. 21. The mark leads the Big 12 for a four-set match in conference play.
// UP NEXT
Cincinnati returns home for a series against Oklahoma on Nov. 17-18 in Fifth Third Arena.
The match has been moved up to a 2 p.m. ET first serve and will be broadcast on the Longhorn Network.
// SERIES HISTORY
UC and Texas will face off for the first time in history. Saturday marks the fourth straight ranked opponent the Bearcats will face. The Bearcats are 0-5 against ranked opponents this season.
Cincinnati is looking for its first regular season ranked win since Sept. 6, 2019 when the Bearcats defeated No. 21 Tennessee in straight sets. The Bearcats also took down No. 2-ranked and No. 6-seeded Pitt that same season in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
// LAST TIME OUT
Cincinnati dropped a pair of straight-set matches to No. 12-ranked BYU on Nov. 3-4 in Provo, Utah. Washington averaged 2.67 kills at a .343 hitting percentage over the weekend. She registered her 10th double-digit kill performance of her freshman season on Saturday. She hit an efficient .421 with a team-high 11 kills and only three attacking errors on 19 attempts. The Bearcats will look to snap a nine-set losing streak on Saturday afternoon.
// MADE IN THE MIDDLE
Cincinnati has received valuable contributions from middle blockers Ligia Williams and Zeta Washington in Big 12 play. Washington is averaging 2.61 kills per set at a .310 clip and 0.88 blocks per set while Williams is averaging 1.73 kills per set at a .246 clip and 1.18 blocks per set.
In Big 12 matches only, Williams ranks fourth in blocks per set (1.18). She posted a career-high nine blocks in UC's win at West Virginia. She has registered five-or-more blocks in six Big 12 matches.
Washington has recorded double-digit kills in seven Big 12 matches, including a stretch of three straight. She ranks eighth in the league-games only with a .310 hitting percentage.
Overall, Williams (1.13) and Washington (0.99) rank 10th and 14th, respectively, in the Big 12 in blocks per set.
// DIGGIN' THE DEFENSE
The Bearcats have out-dug their opponents in 15 matches this season. UC ranks fifth in the Big 12 in digs per set (14.77). Cincinnati has held the advantage in digs in each of its Big 12 victories: K-State (72-65), TCU (80-70), WVU (66-63) and TTU (54-43).
Cincinnati posted a season-high 91 digs against South Carolina on Sept. 9. It marked the most digs in a single match since October 15, 2021 when the Bearcats had 93 against Tulsa.
// STEADY SKRABAK
Graduate student Carly Skrabak is averaging 3.98 digs per set as the team's starting libero - good for fourth in the Big 12. She has led the team in digs in all but three matches this season. She's currently 20th among active career DI leaders with 1,833 career digs. She is 167 digs away from 2,000 in her career.
Skrabak has posted 20-plus digs on six occasions. Her season-high of 24 digs came against UCF on Sept. 21. The mark leads the Big 12 for a four-set match in conference play.
// UP NEXT
Cincinnati returns home for a series against Oklahoma on Nov. 17-18 in Fifth Third Arena.