TicketsCINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati women’s volleyball program earned a four-set win over Ohio on Thursday night inside McKenzie Arena.
The Bearcats (2-1) shook off a slow start to defeat the Bobcats in four sets.
Junior Sydney Nolan led Cincinnati with 16 kills, marking her third straight double-digit performance, while senior Carly Glendinning added 12.
Redshirt freshman Brooke Crummel and sophomore Andi Spies tallied six blocks apiece, and freshman Tatjana Simeunović contributed five. Spies also dished out 35 assists—her third consecutive match in double figures and her second with 30-plus. Sophomore libero Lilly Gillespie paced the defense with a team-high 11 digs.
In the first set, Cincinnati went on a 4-0 run to jump out to a 10-7 advantage. Nolan accounted for four kills alongside Glendinning, who notched two. The team of Crummel and Spies held stead,y each claiming three blocks in the opening frame. Ohio tied the set up at 21-21 and went on to grab the opener, 25-23.
The Bearcats bounced back in the second set with a 5-0 run to grab an 8-2 advantage. A block by Crummel and Spies put the Bearcats up by 11 (17-6). Cincinnati went on to hold an advantage for the full second frame, holding their opponent to 10 points (25-10). This marked the lowest points scored against Cincinnati in a set since Kent State on Sept. 14, 2024 (14).
Cincinnati gained a 4-0 advantage, opening up the third set. Glendinning nailed down three-straight points for UC, forcing an OU timeout (12-6). Out of the break, a pair of kills from Nolan set the Bearcats up by seven. Spies boasted 12 assists in the third stanza alongside three kills from Simeunović.
The final set saw another opening run by the Bearcats (5-0). Ohio was able to bring it within one at the 12-11 mark. After a tight exchange down the stretch, Cincinnati delivered three unanswered points to finish the set (26-24) and capture the victory.
Cincinnati held Ohio’s offense to below .100 in the final three sets.