ORLANDO, Fla. – On the first day of play in the inaugural American Athletic Conference Women’s Volleyball Championship, No. 3 seed UCF and No. 5 seed Tulane emerged victorious in opening-round matches inside The Venue on the campus of UCF.
 
The semifinal round is set for Saturday, Nov. 23 at The Venue. Host UCF will take on tournament No. 2 seed SMU at 1 p.m. (ET), with Tulane to follow against No. 1 seed Cincinnati at approximately 3:30 p.m. Both matches will stream live on Facebook via the American Digital Network.
 
UCF shook off a late rally from No. 6 seed Tulsa to pick up a 3-1 win in the first tournament match in American Women’s Volleyball Championship history, as the Knights took the contest by a 25-18, 25-10, 21-25, 25-18 final. Unanimous first-team all-conference selection McKenna Melville paced UCF (22-7, 14-2) with 13 kills and 12 digs for her league-high 19th double-double of the season, while Makenzie Kuchmaner chipped in 20 digs and seven assists for the Knights. Lache Harper hit a blistering .818 (9-for-11) with three blocks in the UCF win. American Libero of the Year Taylor Horsfall finished with a match-high 25 digs and added five assists for Tulsa (15-15, 8-8), while fellow all-conference first-teamer Dilara Gedikoglu finished with a match-high 16 kills to go along with 14 digs.
 
UCF ultimately held the advantage in attack percentage with a .236 clip to just .099 of Tulsa, registering a 16-6 edge at the net in total blocks.
 
In the second opening round showdown, Tulane raced out to a 25-18 win in set one before Houston responded with a 25-16 victory and a 25-22 triumph to take a two sets to one advantage. Tulane bounced back in set four 25-17 and in set five by a 15-6 final to claim the match. All-conference first-teamer Lexie Douglas powered the Green Wave with 18 kills and 19 digs in the win, while Kaylie McHugh added a double-double of 16 digs and 10 assists. All-conference first-team selection Kayla Dinkins and Lauryn Green combined for 18 kills and 12 blocks to guide Tulane. Abbie Jackson paced Houston with 17 kills and six digs, while all-conference second-teamer Katie Karbo turned in a match-high 26 digs. All-conference second-team choice Rachel Tullos finished the evening with 11 kills and nine blocks for the Cougars.
 
Tulane earns a rematch in the semifinals with top-seeded Cincinnati, whom the Green Wave swept in New Orleans on Oct. 18. It was the only defeat suffered in conference play by the Bearcats all season, and one of just two matches all year in which Cincinnati has been swept.
 
Live coverage remains available throughout the championship at TheAmerican.org/Volleyball and on the conference’s social media platforms: @American_Vball on Twitter and American_Conf on Facebook.
 
2019 American Athletic Conference Volleyball Championship
Hosted by UCF
 
Friday, Nov. 22 – First Round
American Digital Network
Match 1: No. 3 UCF 3, No. 6 Tulsa 1 (25-18, 25-10, 21-25, 25-18)
Match 2: No. 5 Tulane 3, No. 4 Houston 2 (25-18, 16-25, 22-25, 25-17, 15-6)
 
Saturday, Nov. 23 – Semifinals
American Digital Network
Match 3: No. 3 UCF vs. No. 2 SMU – 1 p.m. ET
Match 4: No. 5 Tulane vs. No. 1 Cincinnati – 3:30 p.m. ET
 
Sunday, Nov. 24 – Final
ESPNU
Match 5: Winner Semifinal 1 vs. Winner Semifinal 2 – 1:30 p.m. ET