TicketsBearcats Sweep DePaul For C-USA Victory
DuPont double-double keys win
Contact: Shawn Sell
10/2/2004
Julie DuPont's 12th double-double of the season helped UC to a win over DePaul. |
CHICAGO, Ill.---Julie DuPont had a 21-kill, 12-dig double-double to lead the University of Cincinnati to a three-game sweep of DePaul on Saturday night in Conference USA volleyball action. The win, UC?s fourth in a row, improves its record to 9-6 overall and 2-0 in league play.
DuPont had another solid performance, leading all players in kills en route to her 12th double-double of the season and the 59th of her career. Myanna Hellsten also reached double figures in kills with 11 as the Bearcats ran to a 30-27, 30-20, 30-22 triumph. Senior Rachel Torblaa was the final Bearcat in double figures with 10, while adding a match-best six blocks.
Game one was close to the end, with neither team holding a lead of greater than four at any point. With the score knotted at 22, the Bearcats used a 4-0 run to go up 26-22. DePaul came back with three of the next four points to get within a point at 27-26 and force a Bearcat timeout. The team teams then traded points, before a Blue Demon service error set up game point for the Bearcats. Maria Pongonis then ripped a service ace to close out the 30-27 win. As the score indicated, the first game stats were close as UC held a slim .259 to .239 hitting advantage. DuPont registered eight game one kills, along with nine digs to key the win.
The second game was close at the outset, but saw the Bearcats pull away for the 30-20 win. With the score knotted at 12, the Bearcats used an 8-2 run to grab a 20-14 lead. Four more kills by DuPont keyed the spurt for UC. The visitors held a 23-19 lead and closed out the game by scoring six of the last seven points to secure the win. The game two stats showed Bearcat domination as they hit .306 to just .031 for the Blue Demons. DuPont exploded for nine more kills in the game.
In game three, UC led early, but had to withstand five straight Blue Demon points that pushed DePaul ahead by one at 19-18. But with Hellsten serving, the Bearcats rattled off nine straight points to take command of the frame at 27-19. The Bearcats used many different methods to gather the points, getting two aces by Hellsten, two blocks, kills by DuPont, Torblaa and Pongonis and two Blue Demon errors. DePaul finally stopped the bleeding with back-to-back points, but could get no closer than seven. Up 29-22, the Bearcats put the match away with a Pongonis kill to close the 30-22 win.
Janet Goreham led DePaul (7-11, 0-2 C-USA) with 10 kills, as the Blue Demons struggled to hit just .118 for the match. Ellen Hayes led her team with 12 digs, while UC?s talented freshman libero Natalie Dossman led all players with 16 digs. UC finished the night with a .282 hitting percentage and got 50 assists from setter Noel Olson.
The Bearcats will take a quick breather from league play on Tuesday night when they travel to Western Kentucky. Game time from Bowling Green, Ky. is set for 7 p.m. CT.
Quotes by Head Coach Reed Sunahara
"I thought we played pretty well this weekend. Its a good start for us to the conference season after a tough preseason. Hopefully this weekend is a sign of us come together and playing the way we can."
"I think our blocking was better this weekend which makes our whole defense better. It also gives us more opportunities to transition and score points."
"We can always get better. We just need to focus on being consistent."