Bearcats to Host Kansas State, #8 Kansas This Weekend

CINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati volleyball team continues its homestand with a pair of matches this week, beginning with Kansas State at 6 p.m. on Thursday.
 
The Bearcats will then host eighth-ranked Kansas at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+.
 
THE RUNDOWN

• Cincinnati is coming off a straight-set win over UCF on Saturday. The Bearcats improved to 11-3 overall, 2-1 in the Big 12, and stayed a perfect 4-0 at home. They are off to their best home start since 2021.
• The Bearcats picked up their first win over UCF since 2019, snapping a nine-match losing streak to the Knights.
• Cincinnati will host Kansas State on Thursday before facing eighth-ranked Kansas on Saturday. The Bearcats are looking for their first ranked win since Dec. 7, 2019, when they took down No. 2-ranked Pitt in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
• Freshman libero Faith Frame was named Big 12 Rookie of the Week for the second time this season on Tuesday. She is the first Cincinnati volleyball player to win multiple Big 12 weekly awards in a season. Fame has recorded 10-or-more digs in six straight matches, 10 overall, and her 4.16 digs per set rank sixth in the league.
• Junior Carly Glendinning registered her ninth straight double-digit kill performance with a team-high 13 kills vs. UCF. She is averaging team highs in kills (3.83) and points (4.34) and is hitting .286 this season. She currently ranks fifth in the Big 12 and 75th nationally in kills per set. 
• Glendinning is averaging 4.33 kills and hitting .309 over the last nine matches. She has posted 20 or more kills three times, setting a new career high each time.
• Senior setter Katelyn Lefler has recorded five double-doubles in her last six matches, with a total of six this season. She ranks fifth in the league and 39th nationally in assists per set (10.14). She has dished out 40 or more assists in five matches.
• Sophomore Sydney Nolan is second on the team in kills (2.96) and digs (2.69). She has posted double-digit kills nine times and has led the team in the category on four occasions. She has four double-doubles on the season, including a stretch of three straight. She has posted 10-plus digs in six matches.
• Sophomore middle blocker Zeta Washington has made her return to the Bearcats' lineup. She is averaging 1.67 blocks and 1.67 kills over the last two matches.
• The Bearcats rank third in the Big 12 in blocks per set (2.51). They have totaled 123 this season. Their 15 blocks at Bowling Green continues to pace the league and ranks seventh in the nation for a three-set match.
• Walker ranks fifth in the league and 52nd nationally in blocks per set (1.20) and has led the team in blocking 10 times. Her nine blocks vs. BGSU and Chicago State is tied for 15th in the nation for a three-set match. 
• The Bearcats are 11-0 when they outhit their opponent.
• Walker just 67 kills away from reaching 1,000 for her career.
• Head coach Molly Alvey is two wins away from 200 at Cincinnati.

 
SERIES HISTORY
Cincinnati will face both Kansas and Kansas State for the second time in history, following their inaugural meetings last season in the Big 12. UC secured its first-ever Big 12 Conference victory with a four-set win over Kansas State on Sept. 30, 2023 in Manhattan, Kansas. The Bearcats were swept by Kansas in their first meeting on Nov. 22, 2023 in Cincinnati.
 
A WIN WOULD...

• Keep Cincinnati unbeaten at home (5-0)
• Give UC its first ranked win since Dec. 7, 2019
• Snap a 12-match losing streak to ranked opponents
• Tie UC's win total from a season ago (12), with 15 matches remaining