CINCINNATI, Ohio. - The UCF volleyball team fell 3-0 to Cincinnati Saturday afternoon in Fifth Third Arena.
The Knights (8-5, 1-3) fought hard totalling 43 kills and five aces to the Bearcat’s (11-3, 2-1) 41 kills and four aces.
Avah Armour led the Black and Gold with 11 kills followed by Emily Wilson with nine and Alexia Kuehl with eight. Wilson and Chloe Scheer led the squad in digs with 14 each.
The Bearcats got off to a hot start in set one going on an immediate 4-0 scoring run to open up the match. The Knights were able to answer back going back-and-forth for a majority of the set. Wilson was able to secure a 3-0 run getting two kills and an ace, but that was not enough as Cincinnati took set one, 25-23.
Cincinnati dominated opening up set two, not allowing the Knights to record a kill for 15 rallies. Knowing they needed to make the comeback, the Black and Gold rallied for a 7-0 run. This included three kills by Kuehl and three blocks. The UCF comeback was unsuccessful as the Bearcats took set two, 25-21.
The third set opened up with back-to-back points for UCF, including a kill by Heidi Bonde. After a 5-0 scoring run for the Bearcats, the Knights answered, starting a back-and-forth rally. The battle continued with Wilson and Kuehl each getting three kills and aces for Armour and Abby Schomers. After a tie at 16, Cincinnati did not allow for another point, earning a 25-20 set win.
The Knights return to Orlando for a match up against Colorado on Wednesday, October 9 at 7 p.m.