TicketsCINCINNATI — The University of Cincinnati volleyball team closed its home slate with a statement sweep, knocking off No. 21 Colorado on Friday night inside Fifth Third Arena.
The Bearcats (15-11, 7-9 Big 12) were in complete control from start to finish, hitting .409 with 48 kills and six blocks while limiting the Buffaloes (22-7, 12-5 Big 12) to just .105 offensively.
UC honored its four seniors post-match: setter Caroline Endres, outside hitter Carly Glendinning, libero McKenzie Johnson, and outside hitter Paige Pickering.
Junior Sydney Nolan delivered one of her best performances of the year, finishing with 19 kills on .531 hitting. Glendinning followed with 13 kills (.458). Sophomore setter Andi Spies notched a 31 assist, 11-dig double-double, and redshirt freshman Brooke Crummel made an impact in her return with six kills on .857 hitting and two blocks.
In the opening frame, Nolan hammered the first four kills of the night as UC jumped out 4-2. The Bearcats then exploded for a 7-0 run, sparked by consecutive Crummel kills, to build a 12-4 advantage. Colorado made a small push to cut it to 14-9, but Cincinnati quickly answered with a 3-0 burst capped by back-to-back Glendinning kills. Spies closed the set with an ace as UC rolled to a 25-15 win.
Colorado came out firing in the second with six straight points to take a 6-2 lead. UC immediately steadied, cutting the gap with three in a row before completely flipping the set with a dominant 9-0 run that featured three Glendinning kills and a block for a 16-9 cushion. Colorado trimmed the margin to 18-14, but a Nolan kill and back-to-back aces from Lilly Gillespie put the set out of reach as Cincinnati finished on a 6-1 run to take it 25-16.
Cincinnati opened the third set with a 4-1 lead and later used a 5-1 stretch, highlighted by a Simeunovic block, to go ahead 10-5. Colorado pulled within 12-9, but the Bearcats answered again behind a 4-1 run sparked by another Nolan strike. Glendinning unloaded a kill for a 20-13 advantage, and UC closed the match with a decisive 4-0 push to win the set 25-16 and finish off the sweep.
// UP NEXT
The Bearcats close out the regular season with a road swing through Arizona. Cincinnati will take on No. 9 Arizona State on Wednesday, Nov. 26, at 9 p.m. ET, before traveling to Tucson to face Arizona on Friday, Nov. 28, at 5 p.m. ET.
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