Bearcats,
I have included you on this newsletter because you have played a crucial part in the success of our program. My intent is to send this newsletter quarterly so you remain excited about UC Volleyball and updated on our program and players. There are so many wonderful things going on with our volleyball team including the impact our program and athletes have had on the national volleyball scene, on UC’s campus, and within our Cincinnati community. I want to thank all of you for being a part of our success. We look forward to seeing you this season!
- Molly Alvey, UC Head Volleyball Coach
MAKING HISTORY
The 2019 season was a historical one for our program. The team won the American Athletic Conference regular-season title and went on to participate in the NCAA Sweet 16 for the first time in UC history. This was only the sixth time ever that UC had made it past the first round of NCAA play; 2018 was the fifth time in history beating Illinois State in three straight sets.
Armania Heckenmueller led the nation in assists per set and was a second-team all-conference performer along with Adria Oliver. Maria Mallon earned first-team all-conference for a second consecutive season. Jordan Thompson was named AAC Player of the Year, North Region Player of the Year, and a First-Team All-American. Both Region POY and First-Team All-American are firsts for the program as well. There are 336 Division I volleyball programs and only 14 make the All-American first team, so quite an accomplishment for Jordan and our Bearcats.
Jordan recently completed both her undergraduate and graduate degrees at UC in our Criminal Justice program. After graduation, Jordan signed a contract to play oversees in Turkey. It was announced Monday June 7th that Jordan made the Olympic roster and will be playing for Team USA in the Tokyo Olympics. When she takes the court, she will become the first former UC student-athlete to compete in an Olympic volleyball event. She will be the 17th former Bearcat to compete in the Olympics, the 10th for Team USA and the first since Mary Wineberg (track & field) in 2008.
Upon return from Rimini, Italy after competing in the VNL Championships, Jordan is currently in Anaheim, CA training with Team USA. In case you missed it, the U.S. Women beat Brazil to win their third-straight VNL title this past Friday! Make sure to tune in on July 25th to watch Jordan and Team USA when Olympic match play begins. We plan on hosting watch parties so be on the lookout for additional information!
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
This past academic year, the players wanted to make a commitment to social justice but wanted to do so in a meaningful way that would provide a personal and lasting impact on our immediate community. The team decided to partner with Winton Hills Academy to foster relationships with their 4th, 5th, and 6th grade girls. For the project, each player chose to be responsible for two students. Every two months, the players packed gift bags for each of their students and wrote handwritten letters. In the gift bags, there were a variety of items including: hand sanitizer, lotion, chapstick, UC spirit items, school supplies, socks, hats, gloves, journals, tooth paste, toothbrushes and deodorant to name a few. We will continue to foster this relationship this academic year as we look to grow our efforts. This year we hope to have the opportunity to invite our young students out to a home volleyball match for more engagements and one-on-one time with them in our beautiful arena.
HOW TO SUPPORT
Want to support the UC Volleyball Program? Directly support Cincinnati Volleyball through the Volleyball Development Fund. Contributions to the Volleyball development fund directly support the projects and needs identified by head coach Molly Alvey and Director of Athletics, John Cunningham. The support we receive from you enables us to provide our Volleyball players with the necessary tools to be successful on the court, in the classroom and in the community.