TicketsCINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati volleyball team will open the 2024 campaign at Bowling Green's Best Western Invitational this weekend.
The Bearcats will face Illinois on Friday (3 p.m.), Chicago State on Saturday (3 p.m.) and host Bowling Green on Sunday (1 p.m.).
Cincinnati's match versus Bowling Green will be broadcast nationally on ESPN+. The other two matches will be streamed on YouTube.
SERIES HISTORY
Cincinnati and Bowling Green have met 25 times in their history, with the Bearcats holding a 15-10 edge. The two teams last faced off in 2021 at the Notre Dame Tournament, resulting in a five-set win for UC.
Illinois leads the all-time series, 9-5. The Bearcats will look to snap a four-match losing streak to the Fighting Illini, dating back to 2010.
Cincinnati has a perfect record of 3-0 against Chicago State, with the series starting in 1981.
RETURNING TALENT
Cincinnati returns 12 letterwinners, including four starters, from a season ago. The Bearcats bring back four of their top six point scorers, including Zeta Washington (3.44 pts/s) and Abby Walker (3.01 pts/s). Setter Katelyn Lefler returns at the setter position after dishing out 1,011 assists last season. She was the first Bearcat since 2019 to eclipse 1,000 assists in a single season.
Cincinnati returns 78.8% of its blocking, 72.7% of its point-scoring and 70.8% of its kill production.
NEW 'CATZ ON THE BLOCK
Cincinnati welcomes eight newcomers to the 2024 roster, including six true freshmen and two transfers.
UC's freshman class features Janelle Green, Faith Frame, Fallon Stewart, Gretchen Sigman, Amanda Mack and Lilly Gillespie. The Class of 2024 was ranked No. 37 by Prep Dig, marking the second consecutive year with a top-40 recruiting class for the Bearcats.
Transfers Sydney Nolan (UNC) and Irbe Lazda (Towson) also join the Bearcats.
IMPACT TRANSFERS POISED TO LEAD BEARCATS
Transfers Irbe Lazda (Towson) and Sydney Nolan (UNC) bring a wealth of experience to the 2024 squad and will look to make an immediate impact on the court.
Lazda, a 6-foot-3 right side, joins the Bearcats after an impressive three-season stint at Towson (2021-23), where she led the Tigers to two NCAA Tournaments. She will be using the NCAA's extra year of eligibility, having initially begun her collegiate career at UTEP (2019-20).
Nolan, a 6-foot-4 outside hitter, arrives in Clifton after a standout freshman season at UNC. She earned ACC All-Freshman honors, led UNC with a .391 hitting percentage (7th in the ACC), and averaged 1.06 blocks per set. She will shift to the outside hitter position, a role she dominated in high school.
MILESTONE WATCH
Head coach Molly Alvey is just one win away from reaching 250 career victories. Abby Walker is 173 kills away from reaching 1,000 career kills while Irbe Lazda is 232 kills away from reaching the milestone.
Setter Katelyn Lefler surpassed 2,000 career kills in the final match of the last season. She has 2,016 assists in her career.
The Bearcats will face Illinois on Friday (3 p.m.), Chicago State on Saturday (3 p.m.) and host Bowling Green on Sunday (1 p.m.).
Cincinnati's match versus Bowling Green will be broadcast nationally on ESPN+. The other two matches will be streamed on YouTube.
SERIES HISTORY
Cincinnati and Bowling Green have met 25 times in their history, with the Bearcats holding a 15-10 edge. The two teams last faced off in 2021 at the Notre Dame Tournament, resulting in a five-set win for UC.
Illinois leads the all-time series, 9-5. The Bearcats will look to snap a four-match losing streak to the Fighting Illini, dating back to 2010.
Cincinnati has a perfect record of 3-0 against Chicago State, with the series starting in 1981.
RETURNING TALENT
Cincinnati returns 12 letterwinners, including four starters, from a season ago. The Bearcats bring back four of their top six point scorers, including Zeta Washington (3.44 pts/s) and Abby Walker (3.01 pts/s). Setter Katelyn Lefler returns at the setter position after dishing out 1,011 assists last season. She was the first Bearcat since 2019 to eclipse 1,000 assists in a single season.
Cincinnati returns 78.8% of its blocking, 72.7% of its point-scoring and 70.8% of its kill production.
NEW 'CATZ ON THE BLOCK
Cincinnati welcomes eight newcomers to the 2024 roster, including six true freshmen and two transfers.
UC's freshman class features Janelle Green, Faith Frame, Fallon Stewart, Gretchen Sigman, Amanda Mack and Lilly Gillespie. The Class of 2024 was ranked No. 37 by Prep Dig, marking the second consecutive year with a top-40 recruiting class for the Bearcats.
Transfers Sydney Nolan (UNC) and Irbe Lazda (Towson) also join the Bearcats.
IMPACT TRANSFERS POISED TO LEAD BEARCATS
Transfers Irbe Lazda (Towson) and Sydney Nolan (UNC) bring a wealth of experience to the 2024 squad and will look to make an immediate impact on the court.
Lazda, a 6-foot-3 right side, joins the Bearcats after an impressive three-season stint at Towson (2021-23), where she led the Tigers to two NCAA Tournaments. She will be using the NCAA's extra year of eligibility, having initially begun her collegiate career at UTEP (2019-20).
Nolan, a 6-foot-4 outside hitter, arrives in Clifton after a standout freshman season at UNC. She earned ACC All-Freshman honors, led UNC with a .391 hitting percentage (7th in the ACC), and averaged 1.06 blocks per set. She will shift to the outside hitter position, a role she dominated in high school.
MILESTONE WATCH
Head coach Molly Alvey is just one win away from reaching 250 career victories. Abby Walker is 173 kills away from reaching 1,000 career kills while Irbe Lazda is 232 kills away from reaching the milestone.
Setter Katelyn Lefler surpassed 2,000 career kills in the final match of the last season. She has 2,016 assists in her career.