TicketsCINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati women’s volleyball program fell to Illinois in straight sets on Friday evening inside CEFCU Arena.
The Bearcats (5-2) continued to showcase balance offensively with three hitters recording double figures in kills: Carly Glendinning (14), Sydney Nolan (11) and Gretchen Sigman (10).
Sophomore Andi Spies notched 38 assists, her fifth consecutive match over 30. In the backcourt, sophomore Lilly Gillespie anchored the defense with nine digs, while graduate student McKenzie Johnson and Spies chipped in five apiece.
Cincinnati opened strong in the first set, rallying from an early deficit to take a 7-6 lead on a Nolan kill and later stringing together five unanswered points. Illinois clawed back to even things at 18-18, forcing a UC timeout, before edging out the frame, 25-22.
The second set was a back-and-forth battle, featuring 12 ties before the Illini held a narrow 15-14 lead at the media break. Kills from Sigman and Simeunović sparked a late surge, trimming the deficit to 24-23 before Illinois was able to seal the set.
Cincinnati once again came out firing in the third, as back-to-back points from Simeunović gave UC a 7-5 advantage. The Bearcats continued to apply pressure with two straight kills from Glendinning, but Illinois was able to hold off the late push to secure the match.
The Bearcats look to bounce back against the Illinois State Redbirds tomorrow at 5 p.m.