TicketsCINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati volleyball team heads southwest to Texas this week for a pair of Big 12 matchups against ranked opponents. The Bearcats open the road trip against No. 11 TCU on Wednesday, Oct. 15, at 7:30 p.m. ET, before facing No. 20 Baylor on Friday, Oct. 17, at 8 p.m. ET.
Both matches will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Cincinnati continues to stand out among the nation’s top programs, ranking 17th in hitting percentage (.282 – 1st in the Big 12) and 30th in blocks per set (2.58 – 3rd in the Big 12). The Bearcats’ blend of offensive efficiency and defensive presence at the net has fueled their strong start to the season. The Bearcats currently hold the No. 21 spot in the RPI rankings.
// MILESTONES REACHED AND UPCOMING
Head coach Danijela Tomić reached a career milestone on Sept. 13, earning her 400th career victory as she led Cincinnati to a 3-1 win over Illinois State. She joined an elite group of just 47 active Division I head coaches with 400 or more career wins.
Senior outside hitter Carly Glendinning surpassed 1,000 career kills with a season-high 19 kills against No. 19 BYU on Oct. 1. She also eclipsed 150 career blocks versus Kansas State on Oct. 4.
Junior outside hitter Sydney Nolan is approaching 700 career kills, entering the week with 691, while graduate student McKenzie Johnson is closing in on 1,500 career digs, currently sitting at 1,423, just 77 shy of the milestone.
// SERIES HISTORY
Cincinnati and TCU have met 10 times, with the series split evenly at 5-5. The Horned Frogs have won the last three matchups.
The Bearcats and Baylor will meet for the seventh time in program history. Cincinnati claimed the first-ever meeting in four sets back in 1988, but the Bears have since taken the last five contests. In their most recent matchup, UC nearly upset No. 16 Baylor in a five-set thriller, narrowly falling 15-6 in the decisive frame.
// BIG 12 DUBS
The Bearcats notched their second Big 12 win of the season with a four-set road victory over West Virginia on Oct. 8, completing a season sweep of the Mountaineers (2-0).
Nolan led the charge with 23 kills, while freshman Tatjana Simeunović anchored the defense with five blocks. Setter Andi Spies tallied another double-double, finishing with 39 assists and 13 digs.
Cincinnati controlled the series statistically, outpacing West Virginia in kills (115–93), assists (107–85), aces (13–7), and digs (117–89). Over the two-match stretch, Nolan totaled 42 kills on a .375 hitting percentage, and Spies dished out 91 assists (11.38 per set). Sophomore Gretchen Sigman added 25 kills and six aces across both contests.
As a team, UC continues to rank among the Big 12’s best—first in hitting percentage (.282) and opponent blocks (54.0), second in digs per set (14.19), and third in blocks per set (2.58).
// NOLAN SPEARHEADING THE ATTACK
Nolan has emerged as one of the nation’s most dynamic offensive players. She ranks 12th nationally in kills per set (4.72), 17th in attacks per set (11.78), and 15th in points per set (5.15).
Within the Big 12, Nolan ranks second in total attacks (683), total kills (274), and points (298.5), while sitting third in both kills and points per set. She posted a dominant performance against No. 19 BYU, recording 25 kills on 52 attempts with no errors for a .481 hitting percentage. Nolan has tallied 20 or more kills in seven matches this season and leads the Bearcats’ offense with a .319 hitting percentage.
Her consistency earned her Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors on Sept. 9 after totaling 52 kills across three matches at the Chattanooga Classic.
// SPIES DISHING OUT DIMES
Sophomore transfer Andi Spies continues to command Cincinnati’s offense with precision. She has surpassed 40 assists in six matches this season, including a season-high 52 against West Virginia on Sept. 27—her first 50-plus assist performance of the year.
Spies ranks fifth in the Big 12 in assists per set (9.76) and has recorded five double-doubles in assists and digs this season. Her career high of 55 assists came while at Middle Tennessee against Louisiana Tech on Oct. 24, 2024.
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