TicketsCINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati volleyball team welcomes West Virginia for Education Day on Thursday. First serve is scheduled for 11 a.m. inside Fifth Third Arena.
The Bearcats will then travel to Colorado for a 2 p.m. ET matchup on Saturday in Boulder. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+.
THE RUNDOWN
- Cincinnati split a pair of road matches last week, sweeping UCF in straight sets on Wednesday before a four-set loss to Houston on Friday. The win over UCF marked Cincinnati's first season sweep of the Knights since 2019. Cincinnati hit .274 and received a match-high 16 kills from outside hitter Carly Glendinning in the victory.
- Freshman libero Faith Frame continues to shine, recording double-digit digs in 16 matches this season. Her 4.05 digs per set rank sixth in the Big 12, and she's averaging 4.42 digs over the last three matches.
- Fellow freshman Lilly Gillespie has also stepped up defensively, averaging 3.08 digs per set in the past three matches, including a career-best 16 digs against Texas Tech. Gillespie played a key role against Houston, serving during a stretch when the Bearcats fought off seven set points in the second set.
- Sophomore middle blocker Zeta Washington tallied a season-high 12 kills at a .417 hitting percentage against Texas Tech, and she's contributing 1.63 kills and 0.73 blocks per set in conference play.
- Freshman Gretchen Sigman has been an asset on the right side in recent matches, averaging 1.05 kills, 1.16 digs, and 0.37 aces per set over the last four games.
- The Bearcats have used a 6-2 rotation in their last seven matches, with Katelyn Lefler and Caroline Endres handling the setting duties. Lefler made her return to the court at Baylor after missing the Kansas match with an injury. She has recorded eight double-doubles this season and ranks ninth in the league in assists per set (8.95). She had 36 assists and 11 digs vs. Houston.
- Junior Carly Glendinning leads the Bearcats in multiple categories, including kills (3.72), points (4.18), and aces (0.26) per set. She ranks fifth in the Big 12 for both kills and points per set, leading the team in kills in 14 matches and posting double-digit kills in 15, with five matches surpassing 20 kills. She's recorded 16 or more kills in the last three outings.
- Sophomore Sydney Nolan is second on the team in kills (2.68) and third in digs (2.05). She has reached double-digit kills in 12 matches and boasts five double-doubles on the season.
- Senior Abby Walker is a defensive standout, ranking fifth in the Big 12 in blocks per set (1.12) and 12th in hitting percentage (.339). She has led the team in blocks 16 times and has five or more blocks in seven matches.
- Cincinnati ranks fourth in the conference with 2.25 blocks per set, and their 15-block performance against Bowling Green remains the league's top showing for a three-set match.
- Cincinnati is 12-1 when outhitting opponents.
- Walker needs 27 more kills away to reach 1,000 and two more aces to reach 100 in her career.
- Endres also stands close to 1,000 career assists, needing just 112 more to reach the mark.
- Head coach Molly Alvey is one victory away from securing her 200th win at Cincinnati.
SERIES HISTORY
Cincinnati leads the all-time series vs. WVU, 14-3. The two teams split the series a season ago. Prior to that, Cincinnati had won nine straight against WVU.
UC will be meeting Colorado for the second time in program history. The two teams faced off in 2006 at Colorado's Invitational, resulting in a sweep for the Buffaloes.
A WIN WOULD...
- Give head coach Molly Alvey her 200th win at Cincinnati
- Be Cincinnati's second series sweep of a conference opponent this season
- Sweep the season series against West Virginia
- Be Cincinnati's first-ever win over Colorado