TicketsCINCINNATI — The Cincinnati volleyball team hosts UCF on Friday, Nov. 13, at 6:30 p.m. ET inside Fifth Third Arena. The match will stream on ESPN+.
// SERIES HISTORY
UCF leads the all-time series 19-12. The teams first met in 1978, and Friday's contest marks their second meeting of 2026. Cincinnati swept the Knights (25-21, 31-29, 25-18) on Oct. 9 in Orlando.
// PERFORMING AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL
Sydney Nolan and Kate Lijic have been among the nation's best this season. Nolan has recorded one 30-kill match and eight 20-plus-kill performances:
- 30 kills in the five-set win over Arizona, the most by a Big 12 player this season
- 25 kills in the reverse-sweep win at Illinois, the sixth-most in a Big 12 five-set match
- 24 kills against Colorado
- 23 kills against Michigan, the most in a Big 12 three-set match
- 21 kills each against Kansas State, West Virginia, UCF and Xavier
She ranks 12th nationally and second in the Big 12 in kills per set (4.49).
Lijic ranks fourth in the Big 12 and 76th nationally in assists per set (9.54). She set a career high with 54 assists against Illinois.
// NEWCOMER IMPACT
Cincinnati has received significant contributions from its newcomers, with juniors Lijic and Andrea Simovski and freshmen Viktoria Ninova and Nina Scrucca making immediate impacts. Lijic has recorded 40-plus assists in seven matches and 30-plus in 13.
Ninova leads Cincinnati with 300 digs (3.80 per set), ranks fourth in the Big 12 in digs per set and has recorded 10-plus digs in 16 matches. She had a conference-high 34 digs against Arizona and 32 against Kansas State, the two highest single-match totals in the league. She also recorded 18 digs against both Michigan and Ball State.
Simovski has three double-doubles: 24 kills and 22 digs against Arizona, 13 kills and 13 digs against Illinois, and 11 kills and 10 digs against Houston. Ninova leads Cincinnati with 27 service aces, while Lijic is close behind with 24. Scrucca ranks second on the team in kills with 193 (2.47 per set) while hitting .267.
// DEFENSIVE MASTERCLASS VS. ARIZONA
Cincinnati recorded 110 digs against Arizona, the most by a Big 12 team this season, second-most nationally and a program record in the rally-scoring era. Four Bearcats reached double figures in digs: Ninova had 34, Simovski had 22, Ava Ledebuhr had 15 and Lijic had 10.
// 20/20 VISION FOR SIMOVSKI
Junior outside hitter Simovski recorded a season-high 24 kills and a career-best 22 digs against Arizona. She is the first Power Four player in the nation this season to record 20-plus kills and 20-plus digs in a single match.
// CINCINNATI DIGS DEEP
Cincinnati ranks fourth in the Big 12 in digs per set (13.87), led by Ninova's team-high 3.80. The Bearcats' 59 digs against Michigan on Sept. 5 are the sixth-most by a Big 12 team in a three-set match this season.
// PINPOINT ACCURACY
Cincinnati averages 1.71 aces per set, the second-best mark in the Big 12 and 57th 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 recorded four aces against Syracuse, while Nolan had four against Houston.
// EFFICIENT ATTACKING
Cincinnati ranks seventh in the Big 12 and 40th nationally in team hitting percentage (.255). The Bearcats own two of the conference's six most efficient attacking performances this season, along with the ninth-best:
- No. 5: .447 (42-8-76) vs. Syracuse on Aug. 29
- No. 6: .435 (53-6-108) vs. Ball State on Sept. 15
- No. 9: .425 (43-6-87) vs. Kansas State on Oct. 22
Against Syracuse, Simovski had 11 kills on .500 hitting, Scrucca had nine on .368 hitting, Nolan and Audrey Rome had six each, and Lilian Entenmann had five 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 Busignani had 10. Against Kansas State, Nolan had 16 kills on .417 hitting and Ligia Williams had eight on .455 hitting. Cincinnati hit at least .400 in all three sets.
Scrucca also recorded a career-high 17 kills against Xavier while hitting .652, the seventh-best single-match hitting percentage by a Big 12 player this season.
// LAST TIME OUT
Cincinnati fell 3-0 (25-23, 25-18, 28-26) to No. 15 Kansas on Sunday at Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena. Nolan led the Bearcats with 18 kills, Williams added nine kills on .562 hitting and Lijic had 25 assists. Ledebuhr recorded 12 digs, while Ninova added 11.
Kansas outhit Cincinnati .331 to .244 and held advantages in kills (54-43), digs (54-50) and blocks (8.0-6.0). Preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year Taylor Stanley led the Jayhawks with 19 kills on .341 hitting, while Grace Nelson added 12 kills and 15 digs.
// SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS
UCF (14-9, 6-7 Big 12) is coming off a 3-0 sweep of Houston (25-15, 25-23, 25-18) on Sunday, its second win over the Cougars this season. The Knights swept their two-match homestand after defeating Iowa State 3-2 on Thursday. Head coach Matt Botsford credited the team's defensive intensity.
UCF ranks 13th nationally and third in the Big 12 in hitting percentage (.277). Outside hitter Avah Armour leads the team with 335 kills (3.99 per set) and recorded 15 against Houston. Natasha Casey ranks first nationally and in the Big 12 in aces per set (.74) and added eight kills against the Cougars. Setter Abby Schomers ranks second in the Big 12 in assists per set (10.11) and recorded 32 assists in her second match back from injury. Sasha Cohen leads UCF with 97 blocks (1.15 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.
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.