TicketsBearcat Volleyball Returns Home Tuesday
UC to face IUPUI in Fifth Third Arena at Shoemaker Center
Contact: Shawn Sell
9/27/2004
Leslie Newell will face younger sister and her IUPUI teammates Tuesday night in Fifth Third Arena at Shoemaker Center. |
SETTING THE SCENE: The University of Cincinnati volleyball team returns home for the first time in four weeks when they host IUPUI on Tuesday (Sept. 28) at 7:30 p.m. in Fifth Third Arena at Shoemaker Center. The Bearcats enter the match with a 6-6 record after snapping a six-match losing streak over the weekend at Butler. The streak was the longest the program had endured since 1992. The Jaguars, whose roster includes freshman Carol Newell, the younger sister of UC senior Leslie, is 5-10 this season after splitting a pair of Mid-Continent matches over the weekend.
NOTES FROM BUTLER:
? Julie DuPont exploded for a career-high 33 kills against the Bulldogs, surpassing her previous best of 30 from her freshman year. The kill total was the second-highest in Conference USA this year.
? With the 33 kills, DuPont passed Tonya Larson of UAB for sixth place on the C-USA career kills chart. She now has 1,766 kills in her career, which ranks second in school history behind Becky Tenkman (1,843).
? Maria Pongonis set a new career high with 16 digs in the match. Her previous best was 15, which was achieved against multiple opponents.
? The Bearcats broke their three-game streak of sub-.100 hitting with a .265 performance by the team.
? Natalie Dossman reached double figures in digs for the 10th time this season.
? DuPont?s 33-kill, 15-dig effort marked her 10th double-double of the season and the 57th of her career.
ABOUT IUPUI: The Jaguars are 5-10 this season after splitting a pair of Mid-Continent matches at home over the weekend against UMKC (win) and Western Illinois (loss). IUPUI is hitting just .164 as a team this season and averaging 14.39 kills per game. Both freshman Casey Chrzastowski (3.84) and senior Michelle Sobocinski (3.51) average over three kills per game, but each is hitting under .200 for the year. The Jaguars have also utilized two setters this season as both senior Tanna Smith (10.69 assists) and freshman Devika Bellamy (5.32) have each seen time at the position. On defense, libero Erin Jones is averaging 4.90 digs per game, while Tracy Bailey is the team leader with 0.80 blocks per game. Freshman Carol Newell, the younger sister of UC senior Leslie, has played in 10 games and is averaging 2.70 kills and 2.40 digs per game. This will mark just the second meeting ever between the schools, with UC holding a 1-0 edge after a win in 1988.
SISTER, SISTER: Senior Leslie Newell will have a unique opportunity during her final season as a collegiate player, as she and her Bearcat teammates will play contests against both of Newell?s younger sisters. UC will host IUPUI with youngest sister Carol, a freshman, on Tuesday, before Conference USA rival Charlotte and sibling Lisa, a junior, visit on Nov. 5. Leslie Newell has bettered sister Lisa in all three of the sisters? head-to-head match-ups. UC has won each of the last two regular season match-ups between the schools, while also taking a C-USA Tournament quarterfinal win in 2002.
NEAR MISSES: Throughout her career, Julie DuPont has shown her talent as an impact all-around player, but still has come up short of achieving the fourth triple-double in program history. DuPont?s most recent near miss came last Saturday at Butler when she recorded 33 kills, 15 digs and seven blocks. Only Becky Tenkman (1996), Tobi Kirchenwitz (2000) and Bonita Wise (2000) have achieved triple doubles in school history.
HIGH RISER: Maria Pongonis has proven to be an intergral part of UC?s success this season, as she ranks second on the team in kills (3.27) and third in digs (2.76). Against Washington State on Sept. 10, Pongonis recorded a new career-high with 23 kills, three more than her previous high from last season?s Marquette contest. She also recorded a new best in digs on Sept. 25 at Butler as she finished with 16. In 12 matches this season, Pongonis has led or tied for the team lead in kills four times, after accomplishing the feat just three times all of last season. Cincinnati?s success has also paralleled Pongonis? as during the team?s six wins, she is averaging 3.53 kills and 3.26 digs per game and hitting .180, but the numbers dip to 3.05 kills and 2.32 digs and a .038 hitting percentage in UC?s six defeats.
HOME SWEET HOME: The Bearcats? win over Miami (Ohio) on Sept. 7 allowed UC to establish a new consecutive home match winning streak, as they have now won 18 in a row, dating back to 2002. The new streak is one better than the previous best of 17 straight home wins, established from a Sept. 7, 1999 win over Dayton to an Oct. 18, 2000 defeat to Louisville. Since the opening of Fifth Third Arena at Shoemaker Center, the Bearcats have been nothing short of dominant on their home floor. In the 14 years the building has been in existence, the Bearcats have posted a 118-50 (.702) record at home, with exactly half of those losses coming in a three-year span from 1991-93.
TORBLAA CLIMBING THE CHARTS: While she has proven to be a solid and valuable offensive player during her career, senior Rachel Torblaa has made her name at the net with her strong blocking ability. With one block assist at Butler last Saturday, Torblaa moved closer to third in school history with 356. Torblaa now has some work to do as Becky Tenkman (393) and Bontia Wise (431) are third and second, respectively. Former UC assistant coach Stephanie Meinig is the program?s all-time leader with 518 block assists. Torblaa also ranks in UC annals in both blocks per game (sixth-1.27) and total blocks (seventh-408).
BEFORE A FULL HOUSE: The Bearcats? match-up at Wisconsin on Sept. 18, was played before a full house as 3,044 fans piled into UW?s Fieldhouse. The attendance figure is the fifth-highest of any match in the country this season.
STRUGGLING TO HIT: During UC?s recent six-match losing streak, one of the team?s biggest problems was struggling to hit for a high percentage. During the stretch, UC is hit just .144 as a team and was under .100 in the last three contests. No Bearcat player hit over .228 in the six-match stretch and the team?s top two offensive threats, Julie DuPont and Maria Pongonis, hit just .152 and .038 respectively. The sub-.100 hitting in the three contests marked the first time since Nov. 17, 2001 that UC hit under .100 in a match. That event was a Conference USA Tournament loss to DePaul that saw the Bearcats hit just .095.
FINALLY ON THE CHARTS: By playing in their 150th career game in UC?s Sept. 18 match against Wisconsin, sophomores Myanna Hellsten and Noel Olson are now eligible for inclusion on the school?s career charts. Already, Hellsten is listed in two categories, ranking seventh in blocks per game (1.25) and eighth in hitting percentage (.274), while Olson is 10th with 3.34 assists per game.
C-USA COACHES SPEAK: For the third consecutive campaign, the Bearcats have been selected second in the preseason poll of Conference USA coaches. UC, after sharing the Conference USA regular season championship with Louisville, was once again chosen one spot back of the Cardinals. In addition, senior Julie DuPont, the reigning C-USA Player of the Year, was tabbed the league?s preseason player of the year.
OLSON NOW IN CHARGE: After starting the season in a two-setter alignment, sophomore Noel Olson has stepped to the forefront as the team?s primary setter. Twice this season, Olson has registered new career-highs in assists, including a best of 59 against Miami (Fla.) on Sept. 11. Olson is averaging 10.38 assists per game, while freshman Jenny Custer, who has also seen time at setter, has an average of 2.39 assists per game.
DUPONT WINS C-USA AWARD: For the sixth time in her career, senior Julie DuPont was honored on Sept. 7 as the Conference USA Player of the Week, sharing the honor with Saint Louis? Aida Antanaviciute. In earning MVP honors at the Bearcat Invitational, DuPont averaged 5.22 kills and 3.89 digs per game, while hitting .370. DuPont now shares the top spot with former USF players Paula Araujo and Michelle Collier and Saint Louis? Colleen Hunter in number of career Player of the Week awards.
SUNAHARA REACHES THE TOP: Cincinnati head coach Reed Sunahara became the program?s all-time winningest coach in the Bearcats? Sept. 10 win over Washington State. Sunahara now has 103 wins in his Cincinnati career, two better than Mike Lingenfelter?s career total. Lingenfelter recorded 101 wins in his five-year career, which covered 1986-87 and 1993-95. Sunahara, now in his fifth year as the Bearcats? mentor, is 122-79 (.607) in his coaching career, with an even more impressive 103-39 (.725) mark at UC.
REMEMBERING STEPH: The Bearcats will play their 2004 season in honor of assistant coach and former UC star player Stephanie (Meinig) Rosfeld, who passed away unexpectedly during the preseason. UC will honor Stephanie?s number 10, as no player will wear the number this season, while the entire team?s uniforms will bear the initials SAR and the number 10.
DUPONT NEARING HISTORY: During her career, senior Julie DuPont has made her mark as one of the top players in program history and she is on the verge of reaching another career milestone. DuPont, who is tops in school history in kills per game with 4.64, ranks second on the kills chart with 1,766, after passing Cathy Guye in the Sept. 10 contest against Washington State. She now has only Becky Tenkman to catch on the UC charts. Tenkman recorded 1,843 kills from 1995-98, only 77 more than DuPont?s current total. DuPont also ranks in the UC annals in attempts (third), digs per game (seventh), digs (eighth) and block assists (ninth).
BEARCATS IN C-USA: In the eight years of Conference USA play, the Bearcats have gone 106-26 for an .803 winning percentage, ranking second in both, trailing only Louisville. The Bearcats have now won 70 of their last 83 matches against C-USA opponents. Five of the 13 losses have been to Louisville, while four have come against USF. The marks exclude C-USA Tournament play.
DUPONT JOINS ELITE CLUB: As she has so many times during her career, Julie DuPont made history in the Sept. 4 match against Kent State. Against the Golden Flashes, DuPont became just the fifth UC player ever with 1,000 career kills and 1,000 career digs. DuPont, with 1,766 kills and 1,103 digs, joins an exclusive club that includes Sonja Jackson (1,443 kills; 1,135 digs), Dani Peterson (1,040 kills; 1,132 digs), Becky Tenkman (1,843 kills; 1,303 digs) and Trish Ladusaw (1,465 kills; 2,074 digs).
MORE OUTSTANDING FRESHMEN: Head Coach Reed Sunahara and his staff have once again assembled another outstanding freshmen class that appears poised to continue the tradition of outstanding freshmen at UC. During the nine years of Conference USA Volleyball, the Bearcats have featured five freshman or co-freshman of the year in the league. Myanna Hellsten continued the run last year, capturing league and region freshman of the year honors, giving UC four recipients of the C-USA award in the last five years. This year?s crop includes promising newcomers Jenny Custer, Natalie Dossman, Erin Maldo, Hannah May and Jessie Nevitt. This season, both Custer and Dossman have moved into key roles in the Bearcat line-up. Custer has played both hitter and setter, averaging 0.71 kills, 1.32 digs and 2.39 assists per game. She also ranks third on the team with 13 service aces. Dossman has registered double digit digs in all but two matches this season as the starting libero, averaging 3.75 digs per game including a career-high 18 against Miami (Fla.) on Sept. 11. Maldo has seen limited action, averaging 0.75 kills and 0.25 digs per game, while both May and Nevitt are still awaiting their first game action.
DUPONT JUMPING THE C-USA CHARTS: In addition to her name being written throughout the UC record books, Julie DuPont is also starting to make waves in the Conference USA annals as well. DuPont is currently sixth in conference history in kills with 1,766. Next on the list for DuPont to catch is former UC star and school record holder Becky Tenkman who closed her career with 1,843 kills. Former USF star Michelle Collier, the only player in C-USA history to be named All-American besides DuPont, is the all-time record holder with 2,729.
BEARCATS WITH THE ACE: Over the past few seasons, the Bearcats have not been considered one of Conference USA?s top serving teams. Last season, they ranked eighth in the league in aces, but are up to sixth in the latest C-USA rankings. Much of the damage was done in the opening match against Washington State, as the Bearcats established a school record for a four-game match with 17 aces, one better than a 1993 effort against Evansville. Senior Rachel Torblaa led the charge against the Cougars, with a career-high six and is the team?s leader this season with 18 aces.
TOURNAMENT HONORS: For the second consecutive season, UC dominated the Bearcat Invitational Sept. 3-4, winning all three matches and posting a perfect 9-0 games record. As she did in 2003, Julie DuPont garnered tournament MVP honors and was joined on the all-tournament squad by a pair of her teammates. Rachel Torblaa repeated as a member of the team and was joined by first time honoree Myanna Hellsten.
TORBLAA NAMED ALL-TOURNAMENT: At the Furama Hotel Invitational hosted by Loyola Marymount University, Rachel Torblaa was the Bearcats? sole representative on the all-tournament team. Torblaa earned the honor after averaging 3.00 kills and 1.00 blocks per game and hitting .379 for the tournament. The all-tournament honor was the second of the season for Torblaa and fourth of her career.
HELLSTEN EARNS TOURNAMENT NOD: For the second time this season, Myanna Hellsten earned an all-tournament team award, when she was named to the squad at the InnTowner Invitational hosted by the University of Wisconsin. For the tournament, Hellsten averaged 2.17 kills and 1.17 blocks per game. Hellsten was also honored following the Vernon Manor Bearcat Invitational.
LOOKING AHEAD: The Bearcats will open Conference USA play this weekend (Oct. 1-2) when they travel to Marquette and DePaul. Each of the weekend?s two matches are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. CT. Following those matches, UC will travel to Bowling Green, Ky. on Tuesday (Oct. 5) for a non-conference match-up with Western Kentucky. The Bearcats then return home for three straight, beginning with visits from C-USA rivals UAB and USF on Oct. 8-9.