TicketsDuPont, Pongonis Spark Bearcat Win
UC improves to 2-0 in C-USA play
Contact: Shawn Sell
10/5/2003
Maria Pongonis had 15 kills and career highs of 13 digs and four blocks in Sunday's win over DePaul. |
CINCINNATI, Ohio---Julie DuPont tied the school record for kills in a three-game match and Maria Pongonis hit .536 with no errors to lead the University of Cincinnati volleyball team to a three-game sweep of DePaul on Sunday afternoon in Fifth Third Arena at Shoemaker Center.
DuPont ripped the Blue Demons for a match-high 25 kills, while Pongonis added 15 in 28 attempts. With the 25 kills, DuPont matches Chrissy Smith?s eight-year old record set at Charlotte in 1995. The Bearcats improve to 15-2 on the year, with a 2-0 Conference USA mark. DePaul, who was led by Janet Cotter?s 12 kills, slips to 7-10, 0-2. UC was able to score the win on the strength of 31-29, 30-20, 30-24 game triumphs.
Senior setter Laura Lauder, the national leader in assists was impressive once again, adding 49 more to move into second on C-USA?s career chart with 5,197. The UC defense was also solid as four players reached double figures in digs. Lindsey Garrison led all players with 16, while Pongonis matched her career-high with 13. Freshman Noel Olson set a new career-best with 12, while DuPont added 10. On the blocks, Myanna Hellsten finished with seven, while Rachel Torblaa, DuPont and Pongonis all added four.
The tone for the match seemed to be set at the end of game one as the Bearcats came back to score the win after their backs were against the wall. Trailing 29-26 following a Cotter kill, UC was able to stave off a pair of game points, ripping off five consecutive points to take the 31-29 win. Leslie Newell had a big hand in pulling out the win as she recorded three straight kills, before giving way to Pongonis, who carded a kill and then combined with Hellsten on a block to lock up the win.
?In the first game, we battled back at the end and I think that helped propel us to the victory,? said Bearcat head coach Reed Sunahara. ?Our confidence got pretty high after that and we started to play better and that was the key.?
Despite hitting .366 for game one, the Bearcats trailed for nearly the entire frame, not taking the lead until 24-23, before falling behind yet again. With the frame knotted at 10, the visiting Blue Demons scored 12 of the next 18 points to open their largest margin at 22-16. But then Cincinnati roared back to life, using an 8-1 run to take the lead, tallying all eight of the points via kills. Pongonis and DuPont each had a trio of kills during the spurt, with Torblaa adding the other two. After the UC run, DePaul answered with one of their own, this one being a 6-2 spurt to set up their first game point.
Game two was close at the outset, with UC holding a 6-5 lead, before they went on a 9-3 run to open up a 15-8 cushion. DuPont was able to keep her assault of DePaul rolling during game two as she closed out the second frame with five more kills, giving her eight for the game and 15 for the match. The visitors were able to get to within five on two different occasions, before Cincinnati opened up the edge to its largest margin at the end, 30-20.
UC turned up its hitting in game two, improving to .444, while DePaul fell to .178. DuPont had 15 kills after two frames, while Pongonis had 10, as did DePaul?s Cotter.
The final game was tightly contested, featuring 15 ties and six lead changes. Cincinnati went ahead to stay at 20-19, following a block by DuPont and Hellsten and a DuPont kill. DePaul was able to get to within two points on a couple of occasions, but the Bearcats proved just too much as DuPont?s 25th kill ended the match.
For the match, UC led in virtually every statistical category, including a .348 to .170 advantage hitting. The Bearcats outdug DePaul 63-46 and held an 11-9 edge on the blocks.
Cincinnati returns to action on Sunday, when Eastern Kentucky visits Fifth Third Arena for a non-conference dual. The match serves as a tune up for one of UC?s biggest matches of the season, a Friday date with No. 18 Louisville.