TicketsBearcats Set To Battle Rival Louisville
UC-Cardinals to wrap up C-USA Friday
Contact: Shawn Sell
11/9/2004
Rachel Torblaa and the Bearcats will try to wrap up the No. 2 seed in the C-USA Tournament this weekend. |
SETTING THE SCENE: The University of Cincinnati will play its final Conference USA regular season match ever, when it travels to No. 23 Louisville on Friday (Nov. 12). The match is set to get underway at 7:30 p.m. The Bearcats (20-8, 10-2) enter the contest having won their last four straight and can clinch the No. 2 seed in next week?s C-USA Tournament with a victory. Louisville (22-2, 12-0 C-USA) has already clinched the C-USA Championship and have won 14 matches in a row.
NOTES FROM CHARLOTTE/EAST CAROLINA:
? With a pair of wins over the weekend, UC now has 20 wins in a season for the ninth consecutive campaign.
? The wins also clinched a bye in the Conference USA Tournament for the Bearcats for the 10th straight season.
? Julie DuPont moved into third place in C-USA history in career kills with 2,063. She passed former DePaul star Stephanie Bishop who registered 2,050 during her career.
? Leslie Newell is now 4-0 in her collegiate career against younger sister Lisa, a junior for Charlotte, and 5-0 against her siblings overall. UC topped IUPUI and sister Carol earlier this season.
? Both Rachel Torblaa and Newell continued their march towards 1,000 career kills. Torblaa has 973 for her career, while Newell has 919.
? Noel Olson?s three aces against East Carolina was a career-high.
? DuPont?s 18 digs against East Carolina matched her season-best.
? DuPont moved into eighth place on UC?s career blocks chart with 393. Her total is one better than Chrissy Smith?s mark established from 1994-97.
ABOUT LOUISVILLE: The Cardinals are Conference USA?s hottest team, having won 14 in a row and losing to only No. 19 Arizona and No. 24 Tennessee this season. The Cardinals are hitting a league-best .308 this season, led by Anastasia Yartseva?s C-USA high .455. Lena Ustymenko and Bing Sun, both preseason all-conference selections, lead the offense, averaging 3.86 and 3.44 kills per game. Louisville is also outstanding at the net, leading the league with 3.48 blocks per game, including Jennifer Hoffman?s 1.70 mark. The Cardinals utilize a pair of setters as Jennifer Craven averages 7.14 assists per game and Elena Pilnikova adds 6.35.
C-USA TOURNAMENT SCENARIOS: For the 10th consecutive season, the Bearcats have earned one of the four first round byes for the Conference USA Tournament. With a win on Friday at Louisville, the Bearcats will clinch the No. 2 seed, but they can still claim the slot even with a loss. A loss by UC would put them at 10-3 and should Marquette and either TCU or Memphis win both of its contests, a three-way tie would ensue, but UC holds tiebreakers over all three. All three teams will not be able to win out as TCU and Memphis square off on Friday. The only way Cincinnati can end up as the three seed is if the Bearcats lose to Louisville, TCU beats Memphis and Saint Louis, and Marquette loses to either Charlotte or East Carolina.
WHAT A CROWD: A season-high crowd of 605 piled into Fifth Third Arena at Shoemaker Center on Nov. 5 to see the Bearcats battle Conference USA rival Charlotte. The total, which easily surpassed the previous best of 412 on Oct. 12 against Morehead State, was also the largest crowd for a UC Volleyball match since the 2000 season. On Oct. 13 of that year, 861 fans witnessed UC?s C-USA match-up with UAB.
WORKING ON 1,000: While classmate Julie DuPont has dominated the headlines, seniors Rachel Torblaa and Leslie Newell are quietly approaching 1,000 kills for each of their respective careers. Torblaa should reach the milestone soon, as she enters the Louisville contest with 973 to her credit. Newell will have a little more work to do to achieve the feat, as she enters the week with 919 career kills. If either player reaches 1,000, they will become just the ninth player in school history to do so.
GAME THREE STRUGGLES: Despite an 11-2 record in its last 13 matches, the Bearcats have struggled during game three of the matches during that stretch. UC has a game three record of just 7-6 in the 13 matches, while hitting .258. Of the six game threes the Bearcats have dropped, five have come with UC holding a two games to none advantage.
BLACK OUT WARNING: For Friday?s night?s match at Louisville, the Cardinals have encouraged their fans to wear black in support of ?Black Out The Bearcats? Night at Cardinal Arena. To help offset that, UC is encouraging its fans travelling to the game to wear red in support of the Bearcats.
ANOTHER 20 WINS: With two victories over the weekend, the Bearcats locked up a 20-win season for the ninth year in a row and for the fifth time under head coach Reed Sunahara. The Bearcats have had a total of 21 seasons with at least 20 wins, but Sunahara is the only coach in program annals with more than three 20-win campaigns.
OH MY WHAT A WEEKEND: Sophomore middle blocker Myanna Hellsten had an outstanding weekend during trips to Southern Miss and Tulane and was rewarded by being named Conference USA Co-Player of the Week on Nov. 1. For the weekend, Hellsten averaged 3.88 kills and 1.88 blocks per game, while hitting .543. Against Southern Miss, Hellsten matched her career-best with 13 kills, while picking up six blocks and hitting .522. She had a career-night the next evening against Tulane, setting new career-highs of 14 kills, four aces and three solo blocks. Hellsten hit .565 against the Green Wave, totaling nine blocks and adding five digs. This marks the second time in her career, Hellsten has been honored by C-USA and she is the second Bearcat this season to be recognized, joining Julie DuPont who got the nod on Sept. 6.
WE BLOCK IT LIKE THAT: A key to the Bearcats? success of late has been a steady improvement in the team?s blocking ability. Over the last seven matches, UC has reached double figures in team blocks in five of the seven matches, averaging 2.73 per game and establishing a new season-high with 16 at Tulane. The middle blocker tandem of Myanna Hellsten and Rachel Torblaa have spearheaded the attack, averaging 1.61 and 0.96 blocks per game during the stretch. Leslie Newell and Julie DuPont have added 0.96 and 0.89 blocks per game, respectively. The recent run has moved the Bearcats up to third in Conference USA in team blocks (2.63 per game), while Hellsten (1.34) and Torblaa (1.12), rank fifth and 10th, respectively, in C-USA.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES: Despite losing just one starter from last season?s team, the Bearcats have had their struggles this season. Through 28 matches this year, UC has a record of 20-8, compared to a 26-2 mark last year. The team?s hitting has dropped nearly 40 points from last season, down to .247 currently, after being at .290 in 2003. The team?s kills (17.68 to 15.93), assists (16.17 to 14.28) and digs (16.42 to 14.32) have also dropped from last year. Only the team?s blocking numbers (2.96 to 2.63) have shown little drop off, while this year?s team is allowing opponents to hit .166, compared to .168 at this point this year. UC has 23 more service aces at this point in the season did it did last year.
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 61-8 record against Conference USA schools. Since Newell is a fifth-year senior, the mark dates back to the 2000 season, Newell?s freshman year.
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. On Oct. 27, sophomore Myanna Hellsten joined 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.
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.
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.
IMPACT PLAYER: During the last 17 matches, the Bearcats have gotten a dramatic increase in production from senior right side hitter Leslie Newell. Since UC?s win over Butler on Sept. 25, Newell has averaged 2.69 kills and 0.93 blocks per game, while hitting .373, helping the Bearcats win 15 of the 17 matches. Included during the span was a season-high 18 kill performance by Newell at TCU on Oct. 16. The hot hitting has moved Newell into fourth in hitting percentage in the current Conference USA rankings at .341. Newell also has a chance to reach the 1,000 kill club, as she enters this week with 919 to her credit.
OFFENSIVE OUTBREAK: On three occasions this season, the Bearcats have shown true offensive balance by placing all five of their primary hitters in double figure kills. Against Western Kentucky (Oct. 5), Southern Miss (Oct. 29) and Tulane (Oct. 30), the quintet of Julie DuPont, Myanna Hellsten, Leslie Newell, Maria Pongonis and Rachel Torblaa all registered at least 10 kills. In the three matches, UC is averaging 17.42 kills per game and hitting .276, while setter Noel Olson is averaging 14.83 assists per game.
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 Oct. 24 vs. Saint Louis when she recorded 25 kills, 17 digs and seven blocks. Only Becky Tenkman (1996), Tobi Kirchenwitz (2000) and Bonita Wise (2000) have achieved triple doubles in school history.
SISTER, SISTER: Senior Leslie Newell has had a unique opportunity during her final season as a collegiate player, as the Bearcats have played contests against both of her younger sisters. UC defeated IUPUI with youngest sister Carol, a freshman, on Sept. 28 before topping Conference USA rival Charlotte and sibling Lisa, a junior, on Nov. 5. Leslie Newell has bettered sister Lisa in all four of the sisters? head-to-head match-ups. UC has won each of the last three regular season match-ups between the schools, while also taking a C-USA Tournament quarterfinal win in 2002.
COMING ON STRONG: Rachel Torblaa has given the Bearcats another viable offensive weapon this season and through the last 16 matches, she has been nothing short of outstanding. For the stretch, Torblaa is averaging 3.26 kills per game, while hitting .350. Against Memphis on Oct. 22, Torblaa matched her career-high with 20 kills, while hitting .359 for the match. In the 16-match stretch, the senior middle blocker has reached double-figure kills 13 times including nine of the last 11. Torblaa is also closing in on the 1,000 kill plateau for her career. She enters the week needing just 27 more kills to become only the 10th player in school history to achieve the feat. Torblaa is also just nine kills behind former UC assistant coach Stephanie Meinig for 10th place on the school?s career kills list.
DUPONT STREAKING: With 13 kills on Saturday vs. East Carolina, senior Julie DuPont extended her streak of consecutive matches with at least 10 kills to 37. The current streak is the sixth-longest in the country, trailing Stacey Gordon (Ohio State-100), Ogonna Nnamani (Stanford-51), Leah Ratzlaff (Creighton-46), Tera Lobdell (Northern Illinois-42) and Erin Heffner (Alabama-39).
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 third in conference history in kills with 2,063 after overtaking Stephanie Bishop of DePaul in the Bearcats? Nov. 6 win over East Carolina. Next on the list for DuPont to catch is former Saint Louis star Colleen Hunter with 2,230 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: After a school-record 23 straight home wins which dated back to the 2001 season, the Bearcats had their home winning streak snapped on Oct. 24 by Saint Louis. 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 16 years the building has been in existence, the Bearcats have posted a 125-51 (.710) record at home, with 25 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. At the time the streak was snapped, it represented the third-longest active streak in the nation.
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 707-439-8 (.616) and with win number 700 became only the second Conference USA school to reach the feat. Houston, with 766 wins, is currently the only other 700-club member in the league, with USF (687), Memphis (685) and Louisville (623) getting close.
BEARCATS IN C-USA: In the eight-plus years of Conference USA play, the Bearcats have gone 116-28 for an .806 winning percentage, ranking second in both, trailing only Louisville. The Bearcats have now won 80 of their last 95 matches against C-USA opponents. Five of the 15 losses have been to Louisville, while four have come against USF. The marks exclude C-USA Tournament play.
DEFENSIVELY SOUND: While she has struggled at times offensively this season, junior Maria Pongonis has proven to be one of the Bearcats? most valuable defensive players this season. Twice this season, Pongonis has established a new career-best in digs, with the newest mark of 18 coming on Oct. 24 against Saint Louis. Pongonis ranks third on the team in digs per game (2.69) and has reached double figures 14 times this season. She also has nine double-doubles this season and 20 for her career. Offensively, Pongonis set a career-best in kills on Sept. 10 when she burned Washington State for 23. Her 2.88 kills per game average ranks third on the team entering the week.
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 (4.70), has 2,063 kills during her career. She also ranks in the UC annals in attempts (first), digs (fourth), block assists (fifth), digs per game (seventh) and total blocks (eighth). DuPont is also on the verge of cracking the top-10 in service aces and games played.
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 four block assists last weekend, Torblaa ranks third in school annals with 417. Torblaa is now just 14 block assists behind former teammate Bontia Wise (431) for second. 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 (seventh-1.26) and total blocks (sixth-475). In the Conference USA career rankings, Torblaa is listed 11th in total blocks.
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. Four times this season, Olson has registered new career-highs in assists, including a best of 66 against Southern Miss on Oct. 29. 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 fifth in Conference USA averaging 12.23 assists per game and has 50-plus assists in seven of 12 C-USA matches 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 2,063 kills and 1,292 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 150 games this season at Western Kentucky on Oct. 5. Already, Hellsten is listed in two categories, ranked fifth in blocks per game (1.32) and tied for sixth in hitting percentage (.294). Olson ranks eighth in assists per game with 6.10, while also being shown eighth with 1,311 career assists. Pongonis broke onto the charts in kills per game, listed ninth with 3.17 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 117 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 136-81 (.627) in his coaching career, with an even more impressive 117-41 (.741) 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.