TicketsLAWRENCE, Kan. — The University of Cincinnati volleyball team fell in its road match against No. 13 Kansas in three sets on Saturday afternoon inside Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena.
The Bearcats (12-10, 4-8 Big 12) were swept by Kansas (19-3, 9-3 Big 12). Cincinnati struggled offensively, hitting .165 in the match. Kansas finished with 42 kills on a .337 clip and tallied 45 digs.
Senior Carly Glendinning and junior Sydney Nolan led UC’s offense as both finished with double-digit kills, securing 10 apiece.
Kansas seized momentum early in the opening set with a 5-0 run that pushed it ahead 12-3, forcing a Cincinnati timeout. Consecutive kills from freshman Tatjana Simeunović trimmed the deficit to 14-6, but the Jayhawks responded with a 3-0 burst fueled by back-to-back aces to extend their lead to 21-9. Highlighted by a Glendinning kill, the Bearcats put together a 5-1 run to close the gap to 22-14 before Kansas closed out the frame, 25-15, to take a one-set lead.
Cincinnati grabbed a 5-4 edge early in the second set following a Jayhawk attack error, but Kansas answered with a 4-1 spurt to move back in front, 8-6. Freshman Elliott Mickelberry hammered down a kill to make it 11-10, though Kansas again pulled away with a four-point stretch to widen the gap to 15-10. A short 2-0 run capped by an Andi Spies ace cut the deficit to 21-16, and Cincinnati made one final push with a 3-0 rally highlighted by two Nolan kills to pull within 23-19. The Jayhawks, however, held steady to secure the set, 25-19, and go up 2-0 in the match.
The third set opened with both sides trading points to a 5-all tie before back-to-back Bearcat points, capped by a Glendinning ace, put UC in front 9-7. The teams continued to battle evenly as Kansas knotted the score again at 13-all. A Nolan kill brought Cincinnati within one at 18-17, and a 3-1 run sparked by a Spies kill cut the margin to 22-20. Consecutive Jayhawk errors made it 23-22, but Kansas managed to hold on once more, taking the set 25-22 to complete the sweep.
// UP NEXT
The Bearcats return home to host UCF on Wednesday, Nov. 12, at 6:30 p.m. ET inside Fifth Third Arena.
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