Complete Notes | Stats
Conference play begins this weekend for American Athletic Conference volleyball teams with six matches on Friday, September 21, and five more on Sunday, September 23. The league’s 12 teams will be playing for more than an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship. This year’s American Athletic Conference champion will be also be slated to host the first American championship in 2019.
As a whole, the conference has a .637 (93-53) winning percentage against other conferences. Nine of the 12 conference teams possess winning records heading into league play.
Cincinnati outside hitter Jordan Thompson became the second player in American Athletic Conference history to be named Sports Imports/AVCA Player of the Week. The only other time a conference student-athlete was selected national player of the week was on September 22, 2015, when SMU’s Avery Acker won the award. Thompson leads the nation in kills (318) and points (350), as well as kills (6.24) and points (6.86) per set.
Thompson had another astonishing performance over the weekend, reaching the 30-kill mark two more times to total five over the course of three weeks. She put down 32 kills, setting a conference record for four-set matches, in a 3-1 win over crosstown rival Xavier and had 35 kills against Indiana, which ranks No. 3 all-time in five-set matches in American Athletic Conference history. She averaged a stunning 7.45 kills and 8.45 points per set over the weekend, while hitting .394. Thompson has been named conference Offensive Player of the Week for the past three weeks. The Bearcats, who received votes in the latest AVCA poll, will head to Bowling Green, Ky., to face 2017 Conference USA champion Western Kentucky on Tuesday night before heading to ECU to start conference play on Friday.
The American Digital Network’s fall coverage will kick off on the volleyball court Sunday afternoon, when SMU hosts Temple. The Owls and the Mustangs were chosen No. 3 and 4, respectively, in the conference’s preseason coaches’ poll this year after splitting second place last season with 15-5 records. Each team also earned a postseason trip to the 2017 NIVC Tournament. Both teams snapped slides this weekend, picking up wins after tough nonconference slates. SMU will also host UConn on Friday, while Temple heads to Houston.
UCF and Tulane are on six-match winning streaks heading into conference play. Each team swept opponents at their home tournaments this weekend. Tulane outside hitter Lexie Douglas was named MVP of the Allstate Sugar Bowl Collegiate Classic after recording double-digit kills three times this weekend. Libero Kaylie McHugh earned her second-straight defensive MVP honors. Tulane is on the road to start conference play with matches against Wichita State and Tulsa.
UCF outside hitter McKenna Melville continues to shine in her rookie campaign, as she picked up the Volleyknights Invitational MVP award. It was the second-consecutive MVP honor for the freshman, who averaged 5.36 kills and 3.00 digs per set with two double-doubles and a .333 hitting percentage. Senior libero Jordan Pingel was named The American’s Defensive Player of the Week. UCF and USF square off in the first round of the War on I-4 series in Tampa on Friday night.
USF head coach Courtney Draper became the fifth coach in program history to reach the 100-wins milestone at USF after her team went 2-0 on Friday, September 14, at the USF Classic. The Bulls defeated North Dakota and New Orleans over the weekend. In addition to hosting UCF, USF will take a trip to Jacksonville to take on North Florida on Sunday.
Houston has maintained the top record in The American heading into conference play this weekend at 13-2. The Cougars are 4-1 at home this year and will host Temple and UConn this weekend. Megan Duncan leads the team with 3.29 kills and 2.04 digs per set this year.
ECU and Memphis will return to the court after having their respective tournaments cancelled due to Hurricane Florence. Memphis will look to extend its five-match winning streak at Tulsa and Wichita State, while ECU’s sole match this weekend is against Cincinnati in Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum.
Wichita State will be at home for the first time this season when it hosts Tulane on Friday and Memphis on Sunday. The Shockers will look to bounce back after facing a challenging nonconference road slate, which included nine teams with 2017 postseason bids and four nationally ranked opponents. Wichita State won the conference title in its inaugural American season last year, going 20-0 against league opponents. The Shockers were picked to win The American this season as well.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
| Tuesday, September 18 |
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Cincinnati |
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 |
Western Kentucky |
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7 p.m. |
Bowling Green, Ky. |
Live Stats Live Video |
| Friday, September 21 |
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Cincinnati |
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ECU |
|
 |
7 p.m. |
Greenville, N.C. |
Live Stats Live Video |
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UCF |
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USF |
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7 p.m. |
Tampa, Fla. |
Live Stats Live Video |
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Tulane |
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Wichita State |
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8 p.m. |
Wichita, Kan. |
Live Stats Live Video Live Audio TV:Cox Yurview |
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Memphis |
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Tulsa |
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8 p.m. |
Tulsa, Okla. |
Live Stats Live Video |
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Temple |
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Houston |
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|
8 p.m. |
Houston, Texas |
Live Stats Live Video |
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UConn |
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SMU |
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8 p.m. |
Dallas, Texas |
Live Stats Live Video |
| Sunday, September 23 |
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USF |
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North Florida |
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1 p.m. |
Jacksonville, Fla. |
Live Stats Live Video TV:ESPN + |
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Temple |
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SMU |
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1:05 p.m. |
Dallas, Texas |
Live Stats Live Video TV:American Digital Network |
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Tulane |
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Tulsa |
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2 p.m. |
Tulsa, Okla. |
Live Stats Live Video |
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Memphis |
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Wichita State |
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2 p.m. |
Wichita, Kan. |
Live Stats Live Video Live Audio TV:Cox Yurview |
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UConn |
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Houston |
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2 p.m. |
Houston, Texas |
Live Stats Live Video |
All times Eastern and subject to change