TicketsCINCINNATI — The Cincinnati volleyball team will open conference play at home, hosting the top two teams in the Big 12, opening with No. 11 TCU on Friday at 6:30 p.m. and facing No. 9 Arizona State on Sunday at 1 p.m. Both matches will take place inside Fifth Third Arena.
The matches will stream on ESPN+.
Cincinnati enters the weekend coming off a 3-1 win over Xavier in the 43rd annual Queen City Classic and a straight-set victory over previously undefeated Ball State.
// 1,000 KILLS FOR NOLAN
Sydney Nolan surpassed 1,000 career kills against Ball State on Sept. 15.
// PERFORMING AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL
Nolan and Kate Lijic have been among the nation's best to start the season.
Nolan has three 20-plus-kill matches already: 25 kills in the reverse-sweep win over Illinois — third-most in a Big 12 five-set match this season; 23 kills against Michigan — the most in a Big 12 three-set match this season; and 21 kills against Xavier.
Nolan ranks 13th nationally and third in the Big 12 in kills per set (4.42).
Lijic ranks fifth nationally and first in the Big 12 in assists per set (11.42) and set her career high with 54 assists against Illinois.
// EFFICIENT ATTACKING
The Bearcats have the fourth-highest team hitting percentage in the Big 12 and rank 18th nationally at .289.
UC has two of the top five most efficient attacking performances in the conference this season: a .477 mark (42-8-76) against Illinois on Aug. 29 and a .435 mark (53-6-108) against Ball State on Sept. 15.
UC hit .447 against Syracuse, led by Andrea Simovski's 11 kills on .500 hitting, Nina Scrucca's nine kills on .368 hitting, six kills apiece from Nolan and Audrey Rome, and five kills on an .833 clip from Lilian Entenmann.
Against Illinois, Nolan led three Bearcats with double-digit kills, finishing with a match-high 25 kills on .345 hitting, followed by Simovski with 13 kills (.344) and Scrucca with 11 kills (.409) and five aces.
Scrucca holds two of the top 10 single-match hitting percentages in the conference and ranks 10th overall in hitting percentage on the season. Her career-high 17-kill, .652-hitting performance against Xavier marked the fourth-best single-match hitting percentage by a Big 12 player this season.
// NEWCOMER IMPACT
Cincinnati has received significant contributions from its newcomers, with juniors Lijic and Simovski and freshmen Viktoria Ninova and Scrucca making an immediate impact for the Bearcats.
Lijic set a career high with 54 assists against Illinois and has totaled 30 or more assists in nine of 10 matches. She ranks first in the Big 12 and fifth nationally in assists per set (11.42).
Ninova leads Cincinnati in digs with 117 (3.54 per set), recording 18 against both Michigan and Ball State and reaching double figures in seven matches. She ranks ninth in the Big 12 in digs per set.
Simovski posted a double-double against Illinois with 13 kills and 13 digs.
Scrucca leads UC in service aces with 16 and is second on the team in kills with 93 (2.82 per set).
// CINCINNATI DIGS DEEP
Cincinnati ranks fifth in the Big 12 in digs per set at 13.76. Ninova leads the team with 3.54 digs per set.
The Bearcats recorded 59 digs in a three-set match against Michigan on Sept. 5, the most in a three-set match in the Big 12 this season.
// PINPOINT ACCURACY
Cincinnati is averaging 2.03 aces per set, the second-best mark in the Big 12 and 26th nationally.
The Bearcats recorded 12 aces against Illinois, the second-most in a Big 12 match this season. Scrucca had five of those aces, the third-most by a conference player in a match this season. She ranks fourth in the Big 12 in service aces per set (0.48).
Simovski added four aces against Syracuse.
// SERIES HISTORY
Arizona State holds a 5-0 lead all-time over the Bearcats. The Sun Devils won the last match 3-1 in Tempe, Ariz., on Nov. 26, 2025.
TCU narrowly has the edge in the series, 6-5, over Cincinnati. The teams last met Oct. 15, 2025, when the Horned Frogs won 3-1.
// RECAPPING LAST MATCH
The attacking duo of Nolan and Scrucca led the way as the University of Cincinnati volleyball team defeated Xavier 3-1 in the 43rd annual Queen City Classic on Friday night at the Cintas Center in front of 2,835 fans.
Nolan finished with 21 kills on a .400 hitting percentage, marking her third 20-plus-kill performance of the season. She also added eight digs and two service aces. Scrucca posted a career-best 17 kills on a .652 hitting percentage, adding seven digs.
Simovski chipped in 12 kills and nine digs, while Lijic recorded a double-double with 44 assists and 11 digs to go along with three block assists.
// SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
No. 11 TCU enters the matchup with a 9-2 record, riding a seven-match win streak after a 3-0 week with wins over UTEP, Rice and Yale. Horned Frog outside hitter Evan Hendrix was named to the Big 12 Starting Seven, averaging 5.00 kills per set last week.
TCU ranks within the top 25 nationally in four categories: kills per set (third, 14.69), assists per set (fifth, 13.59), hitting percentage (22nd, .283) and blocks per set (17th, 2.71).
The Horned Frogs were picked to finish runner-up in the Big 12’s preseason poll and placed a program record three athletes into the preseason All-Big 12 Team: Jalyn Gibson, Becca Kelley and Hendrix.
Arizona State also boasts a 9-2 record entering the week; it will open conference play with West Virginia on Friday, before facing the Bearcats on Sunday. The Sun Devils are coming off a 2-0 weekend with wins over No. 8 Stanford and Cal Poly – the win over Stanford marked ASU’s second over a top 10 opponent this season.
The 9-2 start for Arizona State under head coach JJ Van Niel marks the second consecutive season with the record, and the Sun Devils have achieved nine or more nonconference wins in all four of his seasons in Tempe.
ASU is led by the attacking duo of Una Vajagic (145 kills) and Noemie Glover (141 kills). ASU has its eyes set on a three-peat for the Big 12 title after winning in 2024 and 2025. The Sun Devils were voted No. 1 in the preseason poll, while Glover was selected as the preseason player of the year.
// GET YOUR TICKETS TODAY
Single-match tickets are $15 for courtside seating, based on availability, and $10 for general admission. Group general admission tickets are available for $5. Family 4-Packs are also available for all weekend matches (Friday through Sunday), which include four tickets and a $20 concession voucher.
Season tickets for the 2026 season are on sale, with general admission packages starting at $75 and new courtside seating options priced at $125.
To secure your spots for the upcoming season, click HERE to purchase your tickets online, or contact the Bearcats Ticket Office at 513-556-2287 today.