NCAA Bracket | NIVC Bracket

CINCINNATI, TULSA STILL STANDING IN POSTSEASON
With the first full week of postseason play in the books, Cincinnati and Tulsa remain in the fields of their respective tournaments. Cincinnati downed both VCU and No. 6 seed Pittsburgh to advance to the third round of the NCAA Championship, becoming the first team representing The American ever among the final 16 of the NCAA tournament. Tulsa reached the quarterfinal round of the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) after downing UC Davis and Santa Clara at Long Beach State.

HORSFALL EYEING AMERICAN CAREER DIGS CROWN
Tulsa’s Taylor Horsfall sits just 10 digs shy of establishing the career record for digs in The American entering the NIVC quarterfinal match for the Golden Hurricane against Weber State on Thursday night. Horsfall’s 2,421 digs sit just nine digs behind fellow senior Katie Karbo of Houston (2,430 digs).

THOMPSON HEADLINES AWARD WINNERS
Cincinnati’s Jordan Thompson earned unanimous American Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors for the third time in her career when the 2019 season awards were announced on Nov. 20. Thompson also added AVCA North Region Player of the Year to her season resume on Dec. 10. Other major award winners included Tulsa’s Taylor Horsfall as Libero of the Year, SMU’s Lily Heim as Setter of the Year, Tulsa’s Dilara Gedikoglu as Freshman of the Year and Houston’s first-year head coach David Rehr as Coach of the Year.

WHERE THE AMERICAN SITS IN THE NATIONAL RANKS
In the 13th full release of NCAA Division I statistics for the 2019 season on Dec. 8, Houston was slotted second in total team attacks and 10th in team digs; Cincinnati ranked first in kills per set and assists per set, third in team assists and team kills, and sixth in hitting percentage; SMU ranked sixth in digs per set; Tulsa ranked ninth in team attacks per set; UCF ranked fourth in total team blocks and sixth in blocks per set; and Tulane was sixth in total blocks. Individually Cincinnati’s Jordan Thompson was first in points, points per set, kills per set, total kills and attacks per set, ranking second in total attacks. Tulsa’s Taylor Horsfall ranked second in total digs, while Houston’s Katie Karbo was fourth in that same statistical category. Cincinnati’s Armania Heckenmueller ranked first and SMU’s Lily Heim seventh in assists per set, with Heckenmueller third in total assists, while Houston’s Rachel Tullos was third and Tulane’s Kayla Dinkins sixth in total blocks.