COMPOSITE SCHEDULE | RELEASE
A NEW CHAMPIONSHIP ERA
2019 rings in a new era in American Athletic Conference volleyball, as the conference will hold a championship tournament for the first time in its seven-year history. The 2019 Championship will be held Nov. 22-24 at The Venue at UCF, as the Knights claimed last year’s league title.
The conference will implement divisions for the first time, with six teams making up the East and the remaining six the West. The championship will feature six teams, including the top two teams from each division. The final two spots in the field will fall to the next best two teams, determined by tie-breaking procedures. The top two seeds - the divisional winners - will receive first-round byes.
REPEAT CHOICE
UCF was selected by the American Athletic Conference’s head coaches as the favorite to repeat for the 2019 Volleyball title, tabulating eight first place votes and 118 points. The Knights earned the conference crown in 2018, posting an unblemished 18-0 record in the league, and the No. 13 national seed for the NCAA Championship.
ONE FINAL GO
Cincinnati redshirt senior Jordan Thompson, the four-time American Athletic Conference Preseason Player of the Year and two-time unanimous Player of the Year, returns for her final campaign with the Bearcats. Last season, Thompson collected Second Team All-America honors and led the nation in points (909), kills (827), points per set (6.89) and kills per set (6.27). This summer, Thompson had a breakout performance with USA Volleyball at the Volleyball Nations League, helping the U.S. to a 2020 Tokyo Olympics berth.
MARQUEE MATCHES
All 12 American teams begin the 2019 season Friday and will play a minimum of two matches in the opening weekend. The conference will face a total of eight opponents from 2018 NCAA Championship field, including Pepperdine (Tulsa), South Carolina (Cincinnati), Pittsburgh (Cincinnati), Hofstra (Wichita State), Rice (UCF), Penn State (Wichita State), Navy (UConn) and Illinois State (Tulsa). Five of those opponents are either ranked or receiving votes to start the season.