TicketsCINCINNATI — The University of Cincinnati volleyball team earned its fifth Big 12 victory of the season with a sweep of UCF on Wednesday night inside Fifth Third Arena.
The Bearcats (13-10, 5-8 Big 12) took down the Knights (15-10, 6-8 Big 12) in convincing fashion. Cincinnati exceled offensively, totaling 42 kills on a .278 hitting percentage and nine blocks while holding UCF to a .163 clip.
Junior hitter Sydney Nolan led the way with 16 kills on a .310 hitting percentage. Senior Carly Glendinning recorded her team-leading eighth double-double of the season, finishing with 11 kills and 14 digs.
Freshman middle blocker Tatjana Simeunovic anchored the front line with six blocks, while sophomore libero Lilly Gillespie collected 16 digs. Sophomore setter Andi Spies paced the offense with 35 assists.
UCF opened the first set with a 3-0 run, but Cincinnati quickly responded with four straight points, capitalizing on three Knight errors to take a 5-4 lead. A 5-0 Bearcat burst, highlighted by a Paige Pickering ace and kill, extended the margin to 13-7. UC stretched its advantage to 17-9 after another 5-0 run capped by a Glendinning ace. Despite a late UCF push, Cincinnati held on to take the opening set, 25-21.
The second set remained close early before a Simeunovic block put UC ahead 7-5. Kills from Gretchen Sigman and Glendinning fueled a 3-0 spurt to make it 10-7. Three straight kills from Nolan later helped Cincinnati build a 17-10 lead. Pickering closed out the set with a kill, securing a 25-19 win and a 2-0 match lead.
The decisive third set featured several lead changes before a Glendinning kill sparked a 3-0 Bearcat run to go up 10-9. Sigman tied the score at 14-all, and a 5-1 surge put UC ahead 22-18. Cincinnati sealed the sweep with a 25-22 victory.
// UP NEXT
The Bearcats hit the road to take on Texas Tech in the United Supermarkets Arena on Friday, Nov. 14, at 4:30 p.m. ET.
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