NCAA Thursday Round Up: FGCU Upsets UCF among Three 5-Setters
The first of the 16 seeds fell on opening day as FGCU upset No. 13 UCF at home. Three teams won in sweeps – Texas, Wisconsin and Florida – while three matches went the distance, with FGCU, Pepperdine and Baylor advancing.
FGCU Begins First NCAA Run with 5-Set Upset of #13 Seed UCF
In its first-ever NCAA Division-I Tournament match, the FGCU volleyball team (27-6) knocked off 13th-seeded UCF 17-25, 25-22, 25-23, 14-25, 15-7 in the first round on Thursday.
American Athletic Conference Sends Two Teams to NCAAs, Four to NIVC
Six American Athletic Conference volleyball teams earned postseason bids, as No 21 UCF and Cincinnati prepare for the NCAA Tournament, while USF, Tulane, Tulsa and Wichita State were each selected to the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) field.
Thompson, Tingelhoff, Melville, Civita Earn AAC Player of the Year Awards
Cincinnati’s Jordan Thompson picked up her second career Player of the Year nod, while teammate Jade Tingelhoff was tabbed as American Athletic Conference Setter of the Year. UCF’s McKenna Melville earned Freshman of the Year acclaim, while Wichita State’s Giorgia Civita was named Libero of the Year.
UCF Looks to Run Table in AAC with One Match Remaining
With only one match, a win for No. 21 UCF would make the Knights the third American team in six seasons to complete an undefeated conference slate, joining Louisville (2013) and Wichita State (2017).
UCF’s Melville, SMU’s Watts Earn #AAC Weekly Nods
UCF’s McKenna Melville earned fourth weekly conference honor, while SMU’s Montana Watts collected her second American Athletic Conference award.
UCF Captures American Athletic Conference Title with 21st Straight Win
The league title is the Knights’ ninth in program history and earns the team its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2014.
This Week in the American Athletic Conference
With three weeks left in the regular-season race, UCF remains atop the American Athletic Conference standings and clinch a portion of the league title with two more wins, but Cincinnati (11-2), Tulane (9-4) and Tulsa (9-4) are still in contention for the crown.
Five AAC Teams Enter November on Heels of Weekend Sweeps
American Athletic Conference volleyball teams will begin their November slates on Thursday, as home teams went 11-1 through the final weekend of October.
UCF’s Melville, USF’s Payne Garner AAC Player of the Week Nods
The American Athletic Conference has announced the winners of the league’s weekly volleyball honors: UCF outside hitter McKenna Melville and USF middle blocker Clara Payne.
