TicketsCINCINNATI — The Cincinnati volleyball team returns to Fifth Third Arena this week to host Kansas State on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. and Arizona on Sunday at noon. Both matches will stream on ESPN+.
// SERIES HISTORY
Kansas State leads the all-time series 3-1, including a two-match sweep last season with victories of 3-2 and 3-1. Arizona leads the all-time series 2-0, following a 3-1 victory in last season’s lone matchup.
// PERFORMING AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL
Sydney Nolan and Kate Lijic have been among the nation’s best this season. Nolan has five 20-plus-kill matches: 25 kills in the reverse-sweep win over Illinois, the fifth-most in a Big 12 five-set match; 23 kills against Michigan, the most in a Big 12 three-set match; and 21 kills each against West Virginia, UCF and Xavier. She ranks 25th nationally and sixth in the Big 12 in kills per set (4.23).
Lijic ranks fifth in the Big 12 and 69th nationally in assists per set (9.65). She set her career high with 54 assists against Illinois.
// EFFICIENT ATTACKING
The Bearcats have the seventh-highest team hitting percentage in the Big 12 and rank 43rd nationally at .257. They own two of the five most efficient attacking matches in the conference: a .477 clip (42-8-76) against Syracuse on Aug. 29 and a .435 clip (53-6-108) against Ball State on Sept. 15.
Cincinnati hit .447 against Syracuse, led by Andrea Simovski’s 11 kills on .500 hitting. Nina Scrucca added nine kills on .368 hitting, Nolan and Audrey Rome each had six kills, and Lilian Entenmann had five kills on an .833 clip.
Against Ball State, Nolan led three Bearcats in double figures with 14 kills. Scrucca added 13 on .591 hitting and Izzy Bisignani had 10. Scrucca also recorded a career-high 17 kills against Xavier while hitting .652, the sixth-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 immediate impacts. Lijic set a career high with 54 assists against Illinois and has totaled 40-plus assists in five matches and 30-plus in nine. She ranks fifth in the Big 12 and 69th nationally in assists per set (9.65).
Ninova leads Cincinnati in digs with 195 (3.54 digs/set). She recorded a career-best 18 against both Michigan and Ball State, has had 10-plus digs in 12 matches, and ranks seventh in the Big 12 in digs per set. Simovski has posted two double-doubles: 13 kills and 13 digs against Illinois, and 11 kills and 10 digs against Houston. Ninova leads UC in service aces with 18, with Lijic and Scrucca just behind at 17 apiece. Scrucca is second on the team in kills with 154 (2.90 kills/set) on a .304 clip.
// CINCINNATI DIGS DEEP
Cincinnati ranks sixth in the Big 12 in digs per set (13.47), led by Ninova’s team-high 3.54 per set. Ninova’s 18 digs (6.0 digs/set) against Michigan and Ball State are each tied for the sixth-best by a conference player in a three-set match. The Bearcats recorded the most digs (59) in a three-set match by a Big 12 team this season, against Michigan on Sept. 5.
// PINPOINT ACCURACY
Cincinnati is averaging 1.80 aces per set, the second-best mark in the Big 12 and 47th nationally. The Bearcats recorded 12 aces against Illinois, the second-most by a conference team this season. Scrucca had five of those, the second-most in a five-set match and the third-most by a conference player in any match this season. Simovski and Ninova each posted four aces against Syracuse, and Nolan recorded four against Houston.
// RECAPPING LAST MATCH
Cincinnati fell 3-1 to West Virginia on Friday, Oct. 16, at Hope Coliseum (25-21, 25-14, 27-29, 25-19). Nolan led Cincinnati with 21 kills, her fifth 20-kill match of the season. Ligia Williams added a season-high 11 kills on .529 hitting to go with four blocks, and Ninova had 14 digs. West Virginia outhit Cincinnati .336 to .225, finishing with 64 kills to the Bearcats’ 49. The Mountaineers also held a 61-49 edge in digs. Nina Horning (16), Macie Smith (14) and Anna Barr (12) each reached double figures in kills for West Virginia.
// SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Kansas State comes to Cincinnati on Thursday with a 9-6 overall record and a 1-6 mark in the Big 12. The Wildcats opened 2026 with nine straight wins, the second-best start in program history, but they are coming off a straight-set loss to in-state rival and No. 17 Kansas. Five of their final 11 matches are against teams currently ranked in the Top 25. Jason Mansfield is in his fourth season as head coach and holds a 53-43 record as a collegiate head coach. Last season, K-State reached the NCAA Tournament for the 19th time and for the first time since 2018, finishing with its second winning record under Mansfield.
Freshman pin hitter Addison Massey leads the K-State attack and has been one of the top performers in the Big 12 and across the NCAA. She is fourth in the conference in points per set (4.90) and fifth in kills per set (4.27), and she ranks 22nd and 23rd, respectively, among all Division I players in those categories. Massey and sophomore middle blocker Cadence Lundgren have both been named to the Big 12 Starting Seven, which recognizes the league’s top weekly performances.
Arizona visits Sunday with a 6-12 record overall and 1-6 in the Big 12. Destiny Ndam-Simpson paces the Wildcats’ offense with a team-high 171 kills (2.85 per set). Maria Olga Slapani (4.70 assists per set) and Harmony Sample (4.13) run the offense, while Journey Tucker averages 1.18 blocks per set and Carlie Cisneros leads the back row with 2.62 digs per set.
// 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.