TicketsCINCINNATI — The University of Cincinnati volleyball team heads west to close out its regular season with a two-match swing through Arizona. The Bearcats will take on No. 9 Arizona State on Nov. 26 at 9 p.m. ET inside Desert Financial Arena before finishing the trip at Arizona on Nov. 28 at 5 p.m. ET at Richard Jefferson Gymnasium.
Both matches can be seen on ESPN+.
Cincinnati makes the trip riding the momentum of its sweep over No. 21 Colorado on Nov. 21, a victory that pushed UC to 15-11 overall and 7-9 in Big 12 play. The Bearcats enter the final week ranked among the conference’s most efficient teams, standing third in the Big 12 in both hitting percentage (.259) and blocks per set (2.53). UC also checks in at No. 43 in the latest RPI.
// NOTABLE MILESTONES
Head coach Danijela Tomić recorded the 400th win of her career on Sept. 13 in a 3–1 decision over Illinois State, becoming one of fewer than 50 active Division I coaches to reach the achievement.
Senior outside hitter Carly Glendinning surpassed 1,000 career kills on Oct. 1 against No. 19 BYU and later reached 150 career blocks on Oct. 4 versus Kansas State. Junior outside hitter Sydney Nolan recently cleared 800 career kills after a 23-kill outing at Texas Tech on Nov. 14.
Graduate libero McKenzie Johnson is nearing 1,500 career digs, entering the week with 1,482.
// SERIES SNAPSHOTS
Arizona State holds a 4–0 advantage in the all-time series. The teams first met in the 2002 NCAA Tournament, where ASU edged UC in five sets. Their most recent matchup came on Nov. 16, 2024, a sweep for the ninth-ranked Sun Devils.
Arizona won the lone meeting between the programs, a 3–1 decision on Nov. 14, 2024, at Fifth Third Arena.
// NOLAN DRIVING THE OFFENSE
Nolan continues to put up elite numbers, ranking 13th nationally in kills per set (4.63), 20th in points per set (5.03), and 24th in attacks per set (11.68).
She ranks among the Big 12’s top four in kills, attacks, and points per set and has produced nine 20-kill matches this season. Her standout performance came against No. 19 BYU, where she delivered 25 kills on .481 hitting with no errors.
Nolan leads UC in kills while swinging at a .313 clip. She earned Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors on Sept. 9 after totaling 52 kills at the Chattanooga Classic.
// SPIES SETTING THE PACE
Sophomore setter Andi Spies continues to shape UC’s offensive rhythm, posting seven matches with 40+ assists. She recorded a season-high 52 helpers on Sept. 27 against West Virginia.
Spies ranks seventh in the Big 12 in assists per set (9.37) and has collected seven double-doubles. Her career-best 55 assists came last season at Middle Tennessee while playing for Louisiana Tech.
// GLENDINNING’S ALL-AROUND PRESENCE
Glendinning remains one of Cincinnati’s most dependable two-way players, owning nine double-doubles. She delivered 20 kills against No. 14 Kansas and notched a career-high 19 digs in a win over Utah. She has recorded double-digit digs and 15+ kills in 11 matches apiece.
// SWEEPING THROUGH SENIOR NIGHT
Cincinnati capped its home schedule with a convincing sweep of No. 21 Colorado on Nov. 21 inside Fifth Third Arena. UC hit .409 with 48 kills and six blocks while limiting the Buffaloes to a .105 hitting percentage.
This victory marked Cincy's first ranked win since 2019 when it took down No. 6 Pittsburgh 3-2 on Dec. 7. This was also the Bearcats' first sweep over a ranked foe since they defeated No. 21 Tennessee, 3-0, on Sept. 6, 2019.
Nolan paced the attack with 19 kills on .531 hitting, Glendinning followed with 13 kills (.458), and Spies posted a 31-assist, 11-dig double-double. Brooke Crummel added six kills on an .857 clip and two blocks.
The Bearcats controlled all three sets behind extended scoring bursts, including a 7–0 run in the first, a 9–0 stretch in the second, and timely pushes late in the third.
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