TicketsCINCINNATI – Head coach Danijela Tomić earned her 400th career win as a head coach as the University of Cincinnati volleyball team defeated Illinois State on Saturday evening inside CEFCU Arena.
Cincinnati (6-2) was led by veterans Sydney Nolan (17k) and Carly Glendinning (10k). Glendinning recorded her second double-double of the season, adding 13 digs. Both Bearcats have had double-digit kills in every game this season.
Sophomore Andi Spies notched 35 assists, her sixth consecutive match over 30. On the defensive side, graduate student McKenzie Johnson and Spies each recorded 11 digs.
Cincinnati came out hot with a 6–0 run to start, fueled by kills from Glendinning and Nolan. The Bearcats hit .353 in the set (11 kills, three errors) while holding ISU to .073. UC’s defense forced 10 ISU attack errors and added two team blocks.
Both teams traded the first 10 points of the second stanza before the Redbirds were able to inch ahead (13-11). Despite a late comeback from Cincinnati, they fell short as Illinois State bounced back and took the second frame, 25-21.
The third frame swung back and forth early, with the two sides locked at 15–15. A clutch block from Crummel and Sigman helped break the set open. Back-to-back kills from Crummel powered Cincinnati to claim set three, 25-19.
Cincinnati wasted no time in the fourth, racing out to a 9–3 advantage behind strong serving from Sigman and a pair of early kills from Glendinning. The Redbirds struggled to find rhythm, committing nine attack errors. Cincinnati ended the night with three straight kills, capped by Nolan’s swing on match point, sealing a dominant 25–15 finish to close out the 3–1 victory.
The Bearcats remain on the road as they travel to Muncie, Ind., to take on Ball State (Saturday) and Eastern Kentucky (Friday).