Friday, October 16
Morgantown, W.Va.
6 p.m.
West Virginia University
vs
Cincinnati
Mountaineers Open Weekend Hosting Cincinnati for Coal Rush
October 15, 2026 03:30 PM | Volleyball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University volleyball team (9-7, 2-4 Big 12) is set to host Cincinnati on Friday, Oct. 16, at Hope Coliseum for a 6 p.m. ET first serve.
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The Mountaineers are celebrating Homecoming this week and hosting their second Coal Rush match. WVU will pay homage to the coal mining industry and heritage of the Mountain State throughout the match. All fans in attendance are encouraged to wear black. Tickets are still available and can be purchased here.
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West Virginia is coming off an 0-2 week after suffering losses to Utah and No. 14 BYU. The Mountaineers have played the nation's 20th-toughest schedule to this point in the season.
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Heading into Friday's match, West Virginia ranks No. 3 in the Big 12 in total assists and No. 4 in team kills. Senior outside hitter Nina Horning leads the Mountaineers with 223 kills, ranking No. 9 in the league. Senior setter Alexis Finnvold leads WVU with 446 assists this season, while freshman setter Lauren Duncan has added 226.
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Defensively, WVU ranks No. 4 in the Big 12 in total blocks and No. 5 in team digs. Freshman defensive specialist/libero Reagan Turk leads the Mountaineers with 221 digs and a .951 receiving percentage, while senior middle blocker Maddy McGath ranks No. 4 in the league with a team-best 71 blocks.
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Turk leads Big 12 freshmen and is No. 5 among Power Four freshmen in total digs.
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Cincinnati (8-7, 1-4 Big 12) earned its first Big 12 win of the season last week with a sweep at UCF. The Bearcats followed that performance with a 3-1 loss to Iowa State at home.
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Cincinnati's .259 hitting percentage ranks No. 36 nationally and seventh in the Big 12. From the service line, the Bearcats average 1.8 aces per set, ranking No. 44 nationally and No. 2 in the conference.
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The Cincinnati offense runs through senior outside hitter Sydney Nolan, who leads the team with 4.14 kills per set. She ranks No. 30 nationally and No. 7 in the Big 12 in that category. Junior setter Kate Lijic ranks among the nation's top 50 in assists per set, averaging 9.96.
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Defensively, the Bearcats rank No. 4 in the Big 12 in digs per set, averaging 13.63. Freshman libero Viktoria Ninova leads the team with 3.55 digs per set. Fifth-year middle blocker Ligia Williams has recorded four or more blocks in four matches this season and leads the team with 33 total blocks.
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The match marks the 21st all-time meeting between West Virginia and Cincinnati. The Bearcats lead the series, 17-3. WVU head coach Jen Greeny is still seeking her first win over Cincinnati, having gone 0-4 against the Bearcats in her first two seasons.
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Cincinnati head coach Danijela Tomic is in her second season at the helm, having compiled a 23-20 record to this point and a 2-0 record against Greeny. Over 22 seasons as a head coach, Tomic has compiled a 417-242 record.
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Daniel Woods and Sam Bailey have the call for the Coal Rush match on ESPN+. Live stats will be available on WVUsports.com.
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For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUVolleyball on Facebook, Instagram and X.
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The Mountaineers are celebrating Homecoming this week and hosting their second Coal Rush match. WVU will pay homage to the coal mining industry and heritage of the Mountain State throughout the match. All fans in attendance are encouraged to wear black. Tickets are still available and can be purchased here.
Â
West Virginia is coming off an 0-2 week after suffering losses to Utah and No. 14 BYU. The Mountaineers have played the nation's 20th-toughest schedule to this point in the season.
Â
Heading into Friday's match, West Virginia ranks No. 3 in the Big 12 in total assists and No. 4 in team kills. Senior outside hitter Nina Horning leads the Mountaineers with 223 kills, ranking No. 9 in the league. Senior setter Alexis Finnvold leads WVU with 446 assists this season, while freshman setter Lauren Duncan has added 226.
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Defensively, WVU ranks No. 4 in the Big 12 in total blocks and No. 5 in team digs. Freshman defensive specialist/libero Reagan Turk leads the Mountaineers with 221 digs and a .951 receiving percentage, while senior middle blocker Maddy McGath ranks No. 4 in the league with a team-best 71 blocks.
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Turk leads Big 12 freshmen and is No. 5 among Power Four freshmen in total digs.
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Cincinnati (8-7, 1-4 Big 12) earned its first Big 12 win of the season last week with a sweep at UCF. The Bearcats followed that performance with a 3-1 loss to Iowa State at home.
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Cincinnati's .259 hitting percentage ranks No. 36 nationally and seventh in the Big 12. From the service line, the Bearcats average 1.8 aces per set, ranking No. 44 nationally and No. 2 in the conference.
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The Cincinnati offense runs through senior outside hitter Sydney Nolan, who leads the team with 4.14 kills per set. She ranks No. 30 nationally and No. 7 in the Big 12 in that category. Junior setter Kate Lijic ranks among the nation's top 50 in assists per set, averaging 9.96.
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Defensively, the Bearcats rank No. 4 in the Big 12 in digs per set, averaging 13.63. Freshman libero Viktoria Ninova leads the team with 3.55 digs per set. Fifth-year middle blocker Ligia Williams has recorded four or more blocks in four matches this season and leads the team with 33 total blocks.
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The match marks the 21st all-time meeting between West Virginia and Cincinnati. The Bearcats lead the series, 17-3. WVU head coach Jen Greeny is still seeking her first win over Cincinnati, having gone 0-4 against the Bearcats in her first two seasons.
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Cincinnati head coach Danijela Tomic is in her second season at the helm, having compiled a 23-20 record to this point and a 2-0 record against Greeny. Over 22 seasons as a head coach, Tomic has compiled a 417-242 record.
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Daniel Woods and Sam Bailey have the call for the Coal Rush match on ESPN+. Live stats will be available on WVUsports.com.
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For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUVolleyball on Facebook, Instagram and X.
Players Mentioned
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/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
DS/L
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