TicketsBalanced Bearcats Drop USF
UC beats Bulls for first time since 2001
Contact: Shawn Sell
10/9/2004
Rachel Torblaa hit .619 with 14 kills in UC's win over USF. |
CINCINNATI, Ohio---Cincinnati hit a season-high .420 to beat USF for the first time since 2001 as the Bearcats swept the Bulls on Saturday night in Conference USA volleyball action. UC was victorious by scores of 30-25, 30-19, 30-25 in the match-up.
One night after becoming UC?s all-time kills leader, Julie DuPont put together another outstanding performance, notching a match-high 16 kills on .500 hitting while adding 10 digs for her 14th double-double of the season. Her efforts helped the Bearcats improve to 11-6 on the year with a perfect 4-0 mark in C-USA. The victory extends UC?s win streak to seven and ups its home winning streak to 21 straight dating back to a 2002 loss to USF.
Two other Bearcats reached double-digit kills as Rachel Torblaa finished with 14 on .619 hitting and Maria Pongonis added 10 while hitting .300. UC nearly missed putting five players in double figure kills for the second time in three matches as Leslie Newell had nine kills and Myanna Hellsten eight. Pongonis added her sixth double-double of the year with 10 digs.
"A balanced attack is key and we have enough hitters that we can do that," said Bearcat head coach Reed Sunahara. "Whoever is hot is going to get the ball and tonight it seemed like everyone was on. USF played pretty well and they played pretty good. That have lots of tradition down there and they are a good team. But I think we were more consistent and that was the difference."
Both teams came ready play as the opening game featured 12 ties and eight lead changes. The score was knotted the final time at 12-all, but UC could never shake a pesky Bulls squad. The Bearcats built its largest lead at 24-19 on a Pongonis kill and matched the edge when DuPont, Hellsten and Newell blocked a Bull hitter to make it 28-23 and force a USF timeout. After the break, Johari Williams and DuPont traded kills, setting up game point for the home team. USF fought off the game point on a kill by Michelle Stalbaum, but Newell?s sixth kill of game one ended the frame. Cincinnati hit a robust .514 for the game, with USF hitting a very respectable .333 despite the loss.
The second game was never really in doubt as UC turned an early one-point edge into a six-point lead at 11-5 with a 6-1 run. Cincinnati?s lead reached 11 when a Hellsten kill capped a 6-2 Bearcat spurt. UC got to game point at 29-18 on a Newell kill and following a kill by Williams went up two games to none on a USF error. The Bearcats continued their hot hitting in game two hitting .300, while turning up the defense to limit the Bulls to a match-low .107.
The Bearcats were in for a real battle in game three as they faced an early four-point deficit and didn?t retake the lead until a kill by Pongonis put UC up 17-16. USF came back to knot the match at 23 on an ace by Ashley Reavis, before the Bearcats took command of the game. UC scored five of the next six points to take a 28-24 lead. After a Bearcat service error, the home team closed out the match with a Torblaa kill and a Pongonis ace to close the 30-25 triumph. UC saved some hot hitting for game three, finishing at .429 for the game and holding USF to .176.
For the second match in a row, no player reached double figure kills for UC?s opponent. USF?s Stalbaum had a team-high nine kills, while Flavia Silveira added eight. Reavis led all players with 12 digs as the Bulls fall to 3-11 overall and 1-3 in C-USA action.
The Bearcats will be looking to extend its current winning streaks when they return to Fifth Third Arena at Shoemaker Center on Tuesday night to face Morehead State at 7:30 p.m. UC will then make the C-USA Texas swing next weekend, traveling to Houston on Friday, Oct. 15 and TCU the following evening.