Women's Volleyball

Women’s Volleyball: Conference play continues with 2 weeks left in the regular season


Complete Notes | Stats

With two weeks left in the regular season, No. 21 UCF claimed a share of its second American Athletic Conference volleyball title in five years after extending its winning streak to 21-straight matches. The Knights also clinched the league’s automatic qualifying spot in the NCAA Tournament and remain unbeaten in conference play at 15-0. UCF needs to win at least one more match to claim the conference’s outright title. If UCF win-out, it would become the third American team in five years to finish undefeated in conference play, joining Louisville (2013) and Wichita State (2017).



All teams will play three more conference matches with two taking place over the weekend. Cincinnati owns a 12-3 conference record and is the only team except UCF that could clinch a share of The American title. However, with its season series sweep over the Bearcats, UCF gained the right to host the inaugural American Athletic Conference Volleyball Championship in 2019. The Knights join SMU as the only two programs to win multiple American Athletic Conference titles. The Black and Gold will make their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2014, earning back-to-back postseason bids after making an appearance in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship in 2017.

In addition to climbing up four spots in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll over the past three weeks, UCF returned to the top 10 of the NCAA’s latest RPI report. Cincinnati joined the Knights in the top 25 at No. 24, while Tulsa is listed at No. 54.

It was a five-set slugfest in a rematch between teams at the top of the standings on Friday night in Orlando, as UCF outlasted Cincinnati. Freshman McKenna Melville had 26 kills and 20 digs on the way to earning her fourth conference Offensive Player of the Week nod. She leads the conference with 19 double-doubles this season. The Knights’ defense prevailed, holding the nation’s top hitter, Jordan Thomson, below the .200 line, recording 15 blocks and 87 digs in the victory. UCF has won 21-consecutive matches since September 2, averaging 11.4 blocks per match, a .949 reception percentage and 13.9 kills per set during that span. Its streak is the fifth-longest active swing in the NCAA.

UCF will take on the conference’s Texas duo this weekend on the road, facing Houston and SMU. The Mustangs are coming off a weekend sweep, taking down Tulsa in five sets and Wichita State in three sets on the road. SMU is 6-1 in conference home matches this season. Houston is coming off a 1-1 weekend, including a four-set win over Wichita State.

Despite Friday’s loss to UCF, Thompson still reached the 30-kill mark for the eighth time this season, knocking down 31 through five sets against the Knights. She averaged 7.94 points and 6.88 kills per set over the weekend. In addition to leading the nation in kills (715) and points (793), Thompson’s career mark of 5.01 kills per set leads all active hitters in the NCAA, as the Bearcats rank No. 2 in the nation in kills (1,605) and No. 3 in the nation in assists (1,515). Cincinnati is coming off a Sunday sweep over USF and will need to win its final three matches of the season inside Fifth Third Arena to gain a share of the conference title. It’ll be an exciting matchup between the conference’s second and third-place teams when Cincinnati hosts Tulane on Friday afternoon.

Tulane continues to roll, riding an 11-match winning streak to move into the sole third-place spot in the conference standings with an 11-4 record. The Green Wave has held teams to hitting .140 during its swing and ranks No. 6 in the nation after stifling its opponents’ offense to averaging a .149 hitting percentage. Junior libero Kaylie McHugh has 52 service aces, which ranks No. 29 in the nation and is three aces away from setting the conference’s single-season record. Head coach Jim Barnes is only one win away from reaching the 400 career wins milestone.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
 
Friday, November 16
away_logo Tulane home_logo Cincinnati Conference Game Noon Cincinnati, Ohio Live Stats  Live Video  
away_logo UCF home_logo SMU Conference Game 2 p.m. Dallas, Texas Live Stats  Live Video  
away_logo USF home_logo Houston Conference Game 7 p.m. Houston, Texas Live Stats  Live Video  
away_logo Wichita State home_logo Temple Conference Game 7 p.m. Philadelphia, Pa. Live Stats  Live Video  
away_logo Tulsa home_logo UConn Conference Game 7 p.m. Storrs, Conn. Live Stats  Live Video  
away_logo Memphis home_logo ECU Conference Game 7 p.m. Greenville, N.C. Live Stats  Live Video  

Sunday, November 18
away_logo Wichita State home_logo UConn Conference Game 11 a.m. Storrs, Conn. Live Stats  Live Video  
away_logo Memphis home_logo Cincinnati Conference Game 12:30 p.m. Cincinnati, Ohio Live Stats  Live Video  
away_logo USF home_logo SMU Conference Game 1 p.m. Dallas, Texas Live Stats  Live Video  
away_logo Tulane home_logo ECU Conference Game 1 p.m. Greenville, N.C. Live Stats  Live Video  
away_logo Tulsa home_logo Temple Conference Game 1 p.m. Philadelphia, Pa. Live Stats  Live Video  
away_logo UCF home_logo Houston Conference Game 1 p.m. Houston, Texas Live Stats  Live Video  


All times Eastern and subject to change