TicketsBearcats Return To Action Tonight At Wright State
UC out to avenge Saturday defeat
Contact: Shawn Sell
10/19/2004
Noel Olson and the Bearcats play tonight at Wright State. |
SETTING THE SCENE: The University of Cincinnati volleyball team will try to get back on the winning track when they take to the court at C.J. McLin Gymnasium on Tuesday night (Oct. 19) to battle Wright State in Dayton. The match is set to begin at 7:30 p.m. UC had its nine-match winning streak snapped on Saturday by TCU, a team that had never beaten the Bearcats in three previous meetings. The Bearcats are 14-7 on the year and will take on a struggling Wright State team that is just 3-16.
NOTES FROM HOUSTON/TCU:
? The Bearcats loss to TCU marked the first time the Horned Frogs had beaten UC in four all-time matchups.
? Leslie Newell set a new season-high with 18 kills against TCU.
? With 11 kills against TCU, Julie DuPont extended her streak of matches with at least 10 kills to 30 in a row.
? Rachel Torblaa moved within one block assist of third place on UC?s career list. With a total of 392, she is now just one back of Becky Tenkman?s total.
? DuPont moved past Kim Thompson and into ninth place on the school?s career total blocks chart. She has 368 blocks to her credit.
? Noel Olson?s 53 assists against TCU give her seven matches this season with at least 50 assists.
? TCU?s .367 hitting performance was the highest surrendered by the Bearcats this season.
? DuPont?s 18 digs vs. TCU were a season-high as were Torblaa?s nine blocks against Houston.
ABOUT WRIGHT STATE: The Raiders have struggled through a 3-16 season that has seen the squad drop its last matches and nine of its last 10. The Wright State offense is hitting just .130 as a unit, led by Lisa Griffith?s .263 clip. Sarah Poling is the top offensive threat on the Raider roster, averaging a team-high 3.08 kills per game, but hitting just .113. Libero Taylor Gerlach paces the defense with 4.30 digs per game, while Jenny Schultz leads the team in blocks at 0.71 per game. The Bearcats are 17-10 all-time against Wright State and have won five straight meetings.
ACADEMICS STARS: A number of players on the Bearcats? roster are receiving attention not only for their athletic ability, but also their stellar work in the classroom. Next Wednesday (Oct. 27), sophomore Myanna Hellsten will join current teammates Julie DuPont and Rachel Torblaa as member?s of UC?s prestigious Legion of Excellence. Each fall, the legion honors one student-athlete from each of Cincinnati?s teams that holds the highest cumulative GPA on the team. In addition, all three of the players have been nominated for the CoSIDA Academic All-District team which will be unveiled on Nov. 11.
BEARCATS DIGGING FOR A CAUSE: In conjunction with the other 13 members of Conference USA, the Bearcats will participate in the Dig For The Cure program started by Charlotte head coach Lisa Marston. During UC?s match with Saint Louis on Sunday, Oct. 24 donations will be excepted to benefit the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Interested parties can make either a flat donation or a donation for every dig that UC records in its match with Saint Louis.
JUST SHORT OF PERFECTION: The Oct. 16 match between Cincinnati and TCU could have been the final one between the school?s as both will depart Conference USA at the end of the year. UC entered the match with a perfect 3-0 record against the Frogs, but saw its shot at perfection come up short as TCU earned the four-game victory. Cincinnati will be a member of the BIG EAST Conference in 2005, while TCU heads for the Mountain West Conference.
NEWELL COMES UP BIG: History repeated itself over the weekend as senior Leslie Newell continued her outstanding play against Houston and TCU. Newell entered the weekend averaging a combined 3.38 kills and 1.31 blocks per game, while hitting .305 against the two Texas schools. She didn?t do much to hurt those numbers as she tallied 10 kills and five blocks on .316 hitting against Houston and followed that up with a season-high 18 kills on .400 hitting vs. TCU.
TAKE A BREAK: With the Bearcats in firm control of their match on Oct. 12 against Morehead State, head coach Reed Sunahara took the opportunity to rest some of his regular players, while allowing younger players to gain playing experience. Lindsey Garrison made the most of the opportunity, as she filled the libero slot in game three in place of Natalie Dossman. Last season?s third team all-conference performer had a dazzling performance, registering 11 digs in just one game. Jenny Custer, Erin Maldo and Hannah May also saw extended time for the Bearcats during the frame.
WIN NO. 700: Now in its 33rd year as a varsity program at UC, the Bearcat volleyball program has reached 700 wins all-time. The Bearcats got the milestone victory in an Oct. 12 win over Morehead State. UC enters the week with an all-time record of 701-438-8 (.615) and with win number 700 became only the second Conference USA school to reach the feat. Houston, with an all-time record of 764-419 (.646), is currently the only other 700-club member in the league, with USF (684), Memphis (683) and Louisville (617) getting close.
DUPONT TOPS KILLS CHART: During her career, senior Julie DuPont has made her mark as one of the top players in program history. Now, she can claim yet another milestone in her long list of accomplishments. During game one of UC?s win over UAB on Oct. 8, DuPont became the program?s career leader in kills, passing Becky Tenkman?s mark of 1,843 established from 1995-98. DuPont, who is also tops in school history in kills per game (4.68), has 1,922 kills during her career. She also ranks in the UC annals in attempts (first), digs (fourth), digs per game (seventh), block assists (ninth) and total blocks (ninth). DuPont is also on the verge of cracking the top-10 in service aces and games played.
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 STREAKING: With 11 kills on Saturday vs. TCU, senior Julie DuPont extended her streak of consecutive matches with at least 10 kills to 30. The current streak is the fifth-longest in the country, trailing Stacey Gordon (Ohio State-94), Ogonna Nnamani (Stanford-46), Leah Ratzlaff (Creighton-41) and Tera Lobdell (Northern Illinois-34). DuPont is tied with Sarah Meek of Idaho and is one ahead of Mary Hock of Winthrop at 29.
SENIOR DOMINANCE: UC?s senior class of Julie DuPont, Leslie Newell and Rachel Torblaa have found great success in league play during their careers, as they hold a collective 56-8 record against Conference USA schools. Since Newell is a fifth-year senior, the mark dates back to the 2000 season, Newell?s freshman year.
BALANCE, BALANCE: Lost in the fact that the Bearcats had five players in double figure kills in the Oct. 5 win over Western Kentucky was the great balance with which the team accumulated attempts. With setter Noel Olson at the controls, four UC players had between 22 and 28 attempts. Though Julie DuPont had a team-high 52 attempts, the rest of the team was close as Myanna Hellsten (28), Maria Pongonis (27), Leslie Newell (24) and Rachel Torblaa (22), were all within six swing of each other. UC showed its balance again on Oct. 9 vs. USF as all five hitters took between 13 and 26 swings. DuPont was again the leader with 26 attempts, with Torblaa (21) and Pongonis (20) right behind. Newell (16) and Hellsten (13) also got in the act.
SIXES ARE WILD: The Bearcats had a rare occurrence in their win over Marquette on Oct. 1, as five members of the UC roster registered exactly six digs. Natalie Dossman, Julie DuPont, Myanna Hellsten, Noel Olson, Maria Pongonis and Rachel Torblaa all accomplished the feat, with the totals for Hellsten and Torblaa being season highs. The latter topped the total with eight at Western Kentucky on Oct. 5.
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.
OFFENSIVE OUTBREAK: For the first time this season, UC put five players in double figure kills against Western Kentucky on Oct. 5. In addition to Julie DuPont?s team-high 14 kills, Leslie Newell (12), Rachel Torblaa (12), Myanna Hellsten (11) and Maria Pongonis (11) all reached double figures. The Bearcats pulled the trick three times in 2003, with the last coming vs. Houston on Nov. 7. The squad has nearly pulled the feat on two other occassions, with the most recent coming in the Oct. 15 match at Houston. Against the Cougars, DuPont led the way with 17 and was trailed closely by Pongonis (12), Torblaa (12) and Newell (10). Hellsten just missed double figures, finishing with eight.
SISTER, SISTER: Senior Leslie Newell has a unique opportunity during her final season as a collegiate player, as the Bearcatswill play contests against both of her younger sisters. UC defeated IUPUI with youngest sister Carol, a freshman, on Sept. 28 and is scheduled to play Conference USA rival Charlotte and sibling Lisa, a junior, at home 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.
TIME CHANGE: The start time for UC?s home match on Nov. 6 vs. East Carolina has been changed to 7:30 p.m.
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 on Sept. 25 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 integral part of UC?s success this season, as she ranks second on the team in kills (2.89) and third in digs (2.63). 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 21 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. Pongonis has reached double figure kills 10 times this season, while putting up double digit digs during 10 matches. She also has six double-doubles this season and 17 for her career.
BACK ON TRACK: After struggling to hit during a six-match losing streak earlier this season, the Bearcats rebounded during the recent nine-match winning streak with some outstanding hitting. UC hit .287 in the nine matches, after hitting just .144 in the previous six. The .287 mark includes a season-best effort of .420 in an Oct. 9 win over USF and a .417 performance vs. Morehead State on Oct. 12. During the losing streak, UC hit under .100 in the last three contests, while no Bearcat player hit over .228. The team?s top two offensive threats, Julie DuPont and Maria Pongonis, hit just .152 and .038 respectively in the six matches. 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.
DUPONT JUMPING THE C-USA CHARTS: In addition to her name being written throughout the UC record books, Julie DuPont is making waves in the Conference USA annals as well. DuPont is currently fourth in conference history in kills with 1,911 after overtaking both Becky Tenkman (UC) and Sonja Percan (Louisville) in the Bearcats? Oct. 8 win over UAB. Next on the list for DuPont to catch is former DePaul star Stephanie Bishop with 2,052 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.
HOME SWEET HOME: The Bearcats win over Morehead State on Oct. 12 allowed UC to stretch its consecutive home match winning streak to 22 dating back to 2002. The streak, which became a record in the Sept. 7 win over Miami (Ohio), tops 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 122-50 (.709) record at home, with exactly half of those losses coming in a three-year span from 1991-93. A handful of those contests have also taken place outside Fifth Third Arena at both the former Laurence Hall and more recently, at St. Ursula Academy. UC has now won 10 straight home Conference USA matches and 17 in a row in home non-conference action. UC?s 22-match streak ranks as the third longest active streak in the country, trailing only Hawai?i (33) and Georgia Southern (26).
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 14 block assists over the weekend, Torblaa moved closer to third in school history with 392. Torblaa is now just one behind Becky Tenkman (393) and and will then be chasing Bontia Wise (431). 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-1.28) and total blocks (seventh-448). In the Conference USA rankings, Torblaa is listed in 11th in total blocks.
BEARCATS IN C-USA: In the eight-plus years of Conference USA play, the Bearcats have gone 111-27 for an .804 winning percentage, ranking second in both, trailing only Louisville. The Bearcats have now won 75 of their last 89 matches against C-USA opponents. Five of the 14 losses have been to Louisville, while four have come against USF. The marks exclude C-USA Tournament play.
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. She also dished out 50-plus assists in just three games in UC?s win over DePaul on Oct. 2 and again in an Oct. 9 triumph over USF. Olson ranks seventh in Conference USA averaging 11.72 assists per game.
DUPONT FEATURED: Senior Julie DuPont?s academic and athletic excellence are chronicled in the latest edition of Volleyball Magazine. A one-page story, with full color photos appears in the October 2004 issue of the magazine. The periodical?s college preview also lists DuPont as one of the top 20 players in the country to watch this season.
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 1,922 kills and 1,201 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).
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. Junior Maria Pongonis became the third Bearcat to reach 150th games this season at Western Kentucky on Oct. 5. Already, Hellsten is listed in two categories, ranking seventh in blocks per game (1.27) and ninth in hitting percentage (.272). Olson ranks ninth in assists per game with 4.98, while also being shown eighth with 932 career assists. Pongonis broke onto the charts in kills per game, listed ninth with 3.20 per game.
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 111 wins in his Cincinnati career, topping Mike Lingenfelter?s previous mark. 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 130-80 (.619) in his coaching career, with an even more impressive 111-40 (.735) mark at UC.
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.
MORE OUTSTANDING FRESHMEN: 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 of newcomers is led by Jenny Custer and Natalie Dossman. Custer has played both hitter and setter, averaging 0.42 kills, 1.31 digs and 1.52 assists per game. She is also fourth on the team with 19 service aces. Dossman has registered double digit digs in 13 matches this season as the starting libero, averaging 3.45 digs per game including a career-high 18 against Miami (Fla.) on Sept. 11.
LOOKING AHEAD: The Bearcats will be back in action this weekend, with a pair of tough Conference USA clashes. UC will host Memphis, 5-0 in league play and riding a 13-match win streak, on Friday (Oct. 22) at 7:30 p.m., before Memphis visits on Sunday (Oct. 24) at 2 p.m.