The University of Cincinnati volleyball team faced a challenging match against Texas Tech, resulting in a five-set defeat on Thursday night at Fifth Third Arena. This loss moves the Bearcats to an overall record of 11-8 and 2-6 in the Big 12 conference.
Junior Carly Glendinning was a standout player for Cincinnati, achieving her fifth career 20-piece with a match-high of 21 kills. She also recorded her first double-double of the season by adding 11 digs. Freshman Faith Frame contributed significantly with her third career effort reaching 20 digs and seven assists, while freshman Lilly Gillespie achieved a career-high of 16 digs. The Bearcats led in digs with an advantage of ten (80-70).
Freshman Gretchen Sigman marked her first career start with eight kills, five digs, and four aces. Zeta Washington added five kills on five attempts, helping UC gain an early lead in the first set. Back-to-back kills from Glendinning allowed UC to maintain a three-point lead at the media timeout (15-12). A strong performance from Sigman behind the service line propelled Cincinnati on a decisive 7-0 run, concluding the set with an 8-1 run to win it at 25-17.
In the second set, Glendinning's consecutive aces followed by Washington's kill gave UC a slight edge at 7-5. Despite leading by three at the media timeout (15-12), Texas Tech rallied back to tie the game at 18-all and eventually closed out the frame with a late surge (26-24).
Cincinnati responded in the third set using a scoring run to secure a significant lead (10-5) and maintained their momentum to end it decisively at 25-13. Key contributions included two kills from Sydney Nolan, another from Glendinning, and an ace from Gillespie.
The fourth set saw Cincinnati initially taking control with a quick lead (6-2), featuring three blocks from Abby Walker. However, Texas Tech regained composure to take over at 17-16 and extended their advantage after another scoring run (22-18), ultimately winning that set as well (25-20).
In the final deciding set, despite being tied at one point (12-all), Cincinnati could not overcome Texas Tech's subsequent four-point streak which concluded their victory (15-12). The Bearcats struggled offensively hitting .154 with five attacking errors during this crucial stage.