Friday, October 21
SMU 3, Temple 1 – Box Score
UCF 3, Cincinnati 0 – Box Score
Memphis 3, East Carolina 2 – Box Score
Tulsa 3, Tulane 0 – Box Score
Houston 3, Wichita State 2 – Box Score
 
Recaps
SMU 3, Temple 1 – Box Score
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – SMU extended its winning streak away from Moody Coliseum to five, with a 3-1 (25-22, 25-21, 23-25, 25-14) triumph over Temple Friday at McGonigle Hall.
 
The Mustangs improved to 14-7 overall, including 7-2 in American Athletic Conference action, while the Owls dropped to 8-12, 2-7.
 
Leading 2-1 after three hard-fought sets, SMU steamrolled its way past the Owls in game four. The Mustangs rattled off two runs of at least six points in succession, compiling their largest gap of the contest and securing the deciding clinching game by 11 points.
 
Fueled by a six-point rally in the second set, SMU utilized a 14-4 run and snatched control at two sets to none. Poised to knot the match at 1-1, the Owls built a 17-11 cushion but failed to close out the game.
 
Facing a similar deficit in game three, the Mustangs rallied once again but Temple staved off the sweep. Behind by four at 19-15, Jamison Wheeler trimmed the margin to one at 20-19 but SMU failed to pull even. After withstanding a challenge by SMU on set point, which went in favor of the Owls, secured the two-point result.
 
SMU outlasted Temple in the opening set, with both sides answering the other swing for swing. The guests converted three more more opportunities than the home side. Knotted 17-17, Natalie Perdue registered an ace and three kills, the final giving her side set point. Rachel Woulfe slammed home the winner on the next rally.
 
UCF 3, Cincinnati 0 – Box Score
CINCINNATI – The UCF volleyball team cruised past Cincinnati in straight sets (25-14, 25-18, 25-16) on Friday night at Fifth Third Arena to earn its fifth consecutive win.
 
The Knights (17-1, 9-1 AAC) recorded a .429 team attacking percentage for the match, which is the second highest of the season for the squad and second highest in American Athletic Conference play this season. UCF put down 46 kills on 84 attempts with only 10 attacking errors, while limiting the Bearcats (5-14, 3-6) to a .114 clip for the match.
 
The Knights scored the first two points to get things started in set one before the Bearcats tied the set at 5-5. Abby Hansen answered with a kill to give UCF a 6-5 lead. Cincinnati knotted the set again one points later, but the Knights won six of the next nine points to grab a 12-9 lead after a service ace from Dresden Pass. The Black and Gold went on an 8-1 scoring run to polish off set one 25-14 with a kill from Claudia Dillon, as the Knights recorded a .600 attacking percentage in the opening set with 17 kills on 25 attempts with only two attacking errors.
 
Cincinnati and UCF traded points early in the second set, but a kill from Dillon sparked a 7-0 scoring run with Katelyn Grimes serving for the Knights. UCF led from that point in the set and Kari Zumach tallied the final kill of the frame to give the Knights a 25-18 win and 2-0 lead in the match.
 
UCF started the third set strong, jumping out to a 6-1 lead in the set following a service ace from Dillon and a Cincinnati attacking error. A 6-2 run gave the Knights a 15-5 advantage and the squad went on to win the set, 25-16.
 
The Knights have now won their last 15 sets and have only lost three sets in AAC matches all season.
 
Heidi Bonde led UCF with a season and game-high 12 kills. Hansen and Zumach each tallied nine kills, while Dillon helped the offense with eight kills and posted an .889 hitting percentage.
 
Amber Olson led all players in the match with 42 assists, while adding eight digs. Chloe Scheer recorded six digs on the night. Dillon accounted for six blocks and Zumach added five.
 
Memphis 3, East Carolina 2 – Box Score
GREENVILLE, N.C. – The Tigers (16-7,5-4) defeated ECU (8-13,3-6) in five sets on Friday evening (25-20,20-25,25-23,18-25,25-10). Memphis relied on strong performances from Kate Bass and Jasmyn Tate to defeat the Pirates.
 
Memphis had to shake of some rust in the first set, falling down early to the Pirates. A 3-0 run forced ECU to use a timeout. The Tigers continued extended the run to 8-0 and take their first lead at 18-16.  It was a lead they did no relinquish, winning the first frame 25-20.
 
ECU fought back, tying the match and then wining the third to take a 2-1 lead. Memphis kept their heads down and won the fourth set 25-18, holding ECU to a .000 hitting percentage and forcing nine errors to force a fifth set.
 
With the fifth set tied at 4-all Memphis would go on a 7-1 run that was the difference maker. ECU made a late push but a Bass kill won the match for the Tigers.
 
Tulsa 3, Tulane 0 – Box Score
NEW ORLEANS, LA. — The University of Tulsa volleyball team earned a 3-0 sweep (25-17, 25-23, 25-20) over the Tulane Green Wave (6-14, 1-8 AAC) Friday night on the road in New Orleans.
 
The Golden Hurricane snapped the five-match losing streak to move to 10-10 overall on the year and 3-5 in American Athletic Conference action.
 
Tulsa was led by a double-double from outside hitter Kayley Cassaday, who registered 14 kills and 10 digs on the day. She has now reached double-digit kills in 18 of 20 matches this season.
 
Outside hitter Bailey Rowe was an efficient attacker for Tulsa, accumulating 10 kills and only one error in 18 total attacks for a .500 hitting percentage.
 
Tulsa attackers benefitted from 37 assists from setters Avery Kalsu (20) and Brayden Hipp (17). They each now have 388 assists on the year.
 
On the defensive end, libero Marta Pecalli chipped in 22 digs to go with two blocks from middle blocker Arianna Mongare.
 
Houston 3, Wichita State 2 – Box Score
HOUSTON, Texas - Wichita State could not hold off a late Houston charge, falling in five sets against the #24-ranked Cougars 20-25, 27-25, 25-22, 18-25, 11-15 on Friday night at the Fertitta Center.
 
Wichita State (10-8, 5-3) rallied to within 12-11 late in the fifth set, but back-to-back video reviews on Houston attack errors gave two crucial points to the Cougars, who clinched the match on the subsequent point via a kill.
 
The ending spoiled a brilliant effort from the Shockers, who held a two-sets-to-one lead in search of their first ranked win since the 2017 season. Natalie Foster (16), Brylee Kelly (14) and Emerson Wilford (12) all reached double-digit kills as the Shockers hit .227 against one of the league's best defensive units. The Cougars (18-2, 9-0) fended off a late WSU charge in the first set, scoring four straight points after Wichita State had fought to within 21-20. In the second, however, the Shockers completed the comeback after trailing 18-12. A run of five consecutive points brought the Shockers back to 18-17, then a stretch of three straight gave WSU their first lead at 22-21. Houston fought off a pair of set points, but WSU finally put the set away on a kill from Morgan Weber and an Abbie Jackson attack error.
 
The third set was tightly contested in the early stages, tied 15-all at the media timeout. Wichita State scored five of the next six to break the deadlock and seize control, featuring back-to-back service aces from Annalie Heliste that made it 20-16 Shockers. The two teams traded the next eight points to bring the Shockers to set point at 24-20, but Houston scored two quick points to trim the lead to 24-22 and force a Wichita State timeout. Out of the break, Foster put down another kill to give WSU the 2-1 lead.
 
The Shockers surged to a quick 6-2 lead in the fourth stanza, but Houston quickly equalized and later took their first lead at 13-12 on two service aces from Abbie Jackson. The Cougars scored eight of the next ten points to put the set out of reach, eventually evening the match on a kill from Jackson that set the stage for the decisive fifth frame.
 
Jackson and Isabel Theut each had 19 kills to pace the Houston attack, while Kate Georgiades had a match-high 28 digs. Lily Liekweg led the Shockers with 18 digs, followed by 15 from Kayce Litzau and 14 from Weber.