TicketsCINCINNATI — The University of Cincinnati volleyball team (11-8, 3-6 Big 12) faced one of the nation’s top programs Thursday night, falling to No. 14 Kansas (16-8, 7-3 Big 12) in four sets inside Fifth Third Arena.
The Jayhawks displayed a balanced attack with 64 kills and 72 digs, while the Bearcats struggled offensively, as they finished with 38 kills on a .099 hitting percentage.
Senior Carly Glendinning led Cincinnati with a season-high 20 kills on a .314 clip. Freshman Izzy Busignani had a breakout performance, recording her first collegiate kill and finishing with 10 on the night. Sophomore Lilly Gillespie anchored the back row with a career-high 32 digs, and setter Andi Spies recorded her seventh double-double of the season with 31 assists and 13 digs.
The opening frame was tightly contested from the start. A Glendinning kill gave UC a 6-4 advantage before a 4-1 surge extended the lead to 12-8. Kansas countered with a 6-1 run to move in front, 14-13, but Paige Pickering delivered back-to-back kills to swing momentum back to the Bearcats at 15-14. The Jayhawks responded with four straight points to pull ahead, 18-15, before a 5-1 Bearcat stretch, highlighted by a Spies block, pushed UC back in front, 20-19. Kansas, however, closed strong with a 5-1 run to claim the set, 25-22. Glendinning paced UC with seven kills on a .583 hitting percentage in the opener.
Kansas built early separation in the second set, using a 5-1 burst to go up 7-3. Busignani’s kill trimmed the deficit to 8-5, and consecutive kills brought Cincinnati within two at 10-8. The Bearcats stayed close, as another Busignani finish cut the margin to 15-13, but the Jayhawks used a 3-0 spurt to widen the gap and later sealed the frame with a 5-0 run, 25-17.
Cincinnati bounced back in the third, jumping out to a 6-5 lead behind a 3-0 run fueled by successive Glendinning kills. Kansas briefly reclaimed the advantage at 10-7, but a 6-0 Cincinnati surge, capped by a Pickering ace, put UC in front, 14-12. After the Jayhawks knotted it at 17-all, a Gillespie ace helped UC regain control, 23-20, before the Bearcats closed out the set, 25-22.
The fourth set saw UC take an early 6-5 edge with a 3-0 run, but Kansas quickly responded with four straight points to go up 9-6. A Pickering ace tied the frame at 10-10, and a block from Pickering cut the deficit to 16-14 midway through. The Jayhawks, however, pulled away with a 6-1 run to build a 21-14 lead and went on to take the set, 25-18, and the match.
// UP NEXT
The Bearcats close out their three-match homestand against Houston in Fifth Third Arena on Saturday, Nov. 1, at 1 p.m.
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