TicketsCINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati volleyball team hits the road for a pair of Big 12 matchups in the Sunflower State this week, visiting Kansas State on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET and No. 13 Kansas on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET.
Both contests will be available to stream on ESPN+.
The Bearcats travel west riding momentum from a dominant home sweep of Houston on Nov. 1 inside Fifth Third Arena. Cincinnati delivered one of its most complete defensive efforts of the year, posting eight service aces, seven blocks, and limiting the Cougars to a .149 hitting percentage.
UC continues to rank among the nation’s best in multiple statistical categories, sitting 39th in hitting percentage (.258, fourth in the Big 12) and 30th in blocks per set (2.59, third in the Big 12). The Bearcats currently stand at No. 48 in the NCAA RPI rankings.
// MILESTONES REACHED AND UPCOMING
Head coach Danijela Tomić recorded her 400th career win on Sept. 13 with a 3–1 victory over Illinois State, joining an elite group of just 47 active Division I coaches to reach that benchmark.
Senior outside hitter Carly Glendinning surpassed 1,000 career kills with a season-best 19 against No. 19 BYU on Oct. 1 and later reached 150 career blocks versus Kansas State on Oct. 4.
Junior outside hitter Sydney Nolan crossed the 700-kill mark after putting down 17 kills at No. 11 TCU on Oct. 15. Graduate student McKenzie Johnson is closing in on another milestone, now at 1,449 career digs, just 51 away from becoming the 12th Bearcat in program history to reach 1,500.
// SERIES HISTORY
Kansas State leads the all-time series, 2–1. The Wildcats earned a 3–2 victory in the teams’ most recent meeting earlier this season inside Fifth Third Arena, while Cincinnati claimed its first win of the series last year with a 3–1 result in Manhattan.
No. 13 Kansas owns a 3–0 mark all-time against the Bearcats. The Jayhawks secured a 3–1 win on Oct. 30 inside Fifth Third Arena, leading in kills (64–38), assists (60–37), and digs (72–70) while holding Cincinnati to a .099 hitting clip.
// NOLAN LEADING THE CHARGE
Nolan continues to shine as one of the Big 12’s top offensive performers. She ranks 17th nationally in kills per set (4.57), 21st in points per set (4.98), and 24th in attacks per set (11.69).
Within conference play, Nolan sits third in kills per set, fourth in attacks per set, and fourth in points per set. She has totaled 20 or more kills in seven matches this season and leads the Bearcats with a .307 hitting percentage. Nolan was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 9 after recording 52 kills across three matches at the Chattanooga Classic.
// SPIES RUNNING THE OFFENSE
Sophomore setter Andi Spies has continued to direct UC’s attack with poise and precision. The Middle Tennessee transfer has registered 40 or more assists in seven matches this season, highlighted by a season-high 52 against West Virginia on Sept. 27.
Spies ranks sixth in the Big 12 in assists per set (9.60) and has tallied seven double-doubles on the year. Her career high of 55 assists came last season at Middle Tennessee in a match against Louisiana Tech on Oct. 24, 2024.
// BROOMS OUT IN FIFTH THIRD
Cincinnati swept Houston, 3–0, behind a balanced team effort on both sides of the ball.
Glendinning paced the offense with 12 kills and tied her career high with four aces, while freshman Tatijana Simeunović added six kills on a .667 hitting percentage and led the team with five blocks. Spies contributed 26 assists, five digs, and five kills, and Lilly Gillespie collected 14 digs to anchor the defense.
After edging Houston 25–22 in the opening set, the Bearcats rallied from a 14–11 deficit to win the second by the same score and closed out the sweep with a 25–17 victory fueled by three straight Glendinning aces.
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