TicketsUC Opens C-USA Tournament Saturday
Bearcats face Saint Louis/USF winner
Contact: Shawn Sell
11/19/2004
Leslie Newell and the Bearcats open C-USA Tournament play on Saturday night. |
SETTING THE SCENE: The University of Cincinnati will open its 10th and final Conference USA Tournament as the No. 2 seed with a quarterfinal match on Saturday (Nov. 20) at 6 p.m. at Cardinal Arena in Louisville, Ky. The Bearcats (20-9, 10-3 C-USA) will square off against No. 7 Saint Louis, who survived a five-game battle with No. 10 USF on Friday night.
ABOUT THE TOURNAMENT: The field for the 2004 ChevronTexaco Conference USA Tournament is made up of the league?s top 12 teams with regular season champion and tournament host Louisville holding the No. 1 seed. Joining the Bearcats and Cardinals with first round byes are No. 3 Marquette and No. 4 TCU. The tournament kicks off on Friday with No. 9 East Carolina and No. 8 Houston meeting at 1 p.m. Other first round match-ups include No. 12 DePaul vs. No. 5 Memphis (3 p.m.), No. 10 USF vs. No. 7 Saint Louis (6 p.m.) and No. 11 Charlotte vs. No. 6 Tulane (8 p.m.). Quarterfinal matches are scheduled for Saturday at 1, 3, 6 and 8 p.m. ET. The semi-finals will kick off on Sunday at 5 p.m., with the second match scheduled for 7 p.m. The tournament will culminate with the championship match on Monday (Nov. 22) at 8 p.m. Fans from Ohio will be able to watch the finals on tape delay courtesy of Fox Sports Ohio on Tuesday, Nov. 23 at Midnight ET.
ABOUT SAINT LOUIS: The Billikens are the tournament?s No. 7 seed after finishing the regular season with a 6-7 Conference USA record and a 14-16 overall mark. Saint Louis dropped three of its last five conference matches and have been playing without the services of all-conference first team performer Aida Antanaviciute for the past two weeks. Antanaviciute leads the conference and ranks second nationally with 6.37 kills per game. In addition, Antanaviciute is averaging 2.77 digs and 0.75 blocks per game, while hitting .296. Alexis Cooley leads the SLU defense with 1.39 blocks per game, while Chrissy King adds a team-best 2.83 digs per game. Should UC and SLU meet in the tournament, it would mark just the second ever C-USA Tournament match between the squads. Saint Louis was the winner of a 1995 quarterfinal contest as the No. 5 seed, eliminating the fourth-seeded Bearcats.
ABOUT USF: The Bulls won a make-up non-conference match against Jacksonville on Tuesday to enter the tournament with a 9-18 record. USF finished the Conference USA portion of the schedule with a 5-8 record, but fell to the No. 10 seed after a series of tiebreakers. Flavia Silveira is the offensive leader with 4.29 kills per game, while adding a team-best 2.88 digs per game. USF also features C-USA Freshman of the Year Kristina Fabris who averages 3.05 kills per game, along with 1.52 digs and 0.67 blocks per game. A UC-USF match-up would be the fourth in C-USA Tournament history, with the Bulls holding a 2-1 edge, including a semi-final win in the last meeting in 2002.
HELLO BYE: For the 10th time in as many Conference USA Tournaments, Cincinnati will receive a first-round bye as one of the top four seeds. The Bearcats have been the top seed (1999, 2001, 03) and the four-seed three times each (1995, 96, 97) and the two-seed (2000, 04) and the three-seed (1998, 2002) twice apiece. They are 3-3 as the four-seed, 2-2 as the No. 3, 1-1 as No. 2 and 4-2 as the top seed.
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 C-USA Tournament with 983 to her credit. Newell will have a little more work to do to achieve the feat, as she enters the week with 928 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 11-3 record in its last 14 matches, the Bearcats have struggled during game three of the matches during that stretch. UC has a game three record of just 7-7 in the 14 matches, while hitting .250. Of the seven game threes the Bearcats have dropped, five have come with UC holding a two games to none advantage.
CONFERENCE HONORS: A total of three Bearcats were honored by the Conference USA coaches this week, as the league announced its annual postseason awards. For the second consecutive year, Julie DuPont was tabbed as the C-USA Player of the Year, joining just two other players as multiple recipients of the award. In addition, Rachel Torblaa (second team) and Myanna Hellsten (third team) were both recognized for their outstanding play. Torblaa was a third team choice in 2003, while Hellsten was named the league?s freshman of the year.
ANOTHER 20 WINS: With a win over East Carolina on Nov. 6, 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.
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 29 matches this year, UC has a record of 20-9, compared to a 26-3 mark last year. The team?s hitting has dropped nearly 40 points from last season, down to .247 currently, after being at .284 in 2003. The team?s kills (17.55 to 15.93), assists (16.02 to 14.29) and digs (16.26 to 14.29) have also dropped from last year. Only the team?s blocking numbers (2.87 to 2.62) have shown little drop off, while this year?s team is allowing opponents to hit .171, compared to .172 last year. UC has 21 more service aces at this point in the season than it did last year.
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 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, and a C-USA Tournament quarterfinal win in 2002.
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 61-9 record against Conference USA schools. Since Newell is a fifth-year senior, the mark dates back to the 2000 season, Newell?s freshman year.
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.
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. DuPont was also lauded for her outstanding academic and athletic success, as she was named to CoSIDA?s Academic All-District first team for the third straight year. Her name will now appear on the All-American ballot, with that team being revealed on Dec. 2.
DUPONT STREAKING: With 15 kills on Nov. 12 at Louisville, senior Julie DuPont extended her streak of consecutive matches with at least 10 kills to 38. The current streak is tied for the sixth-longest in the country, trailing Stacey Gordon (Ohio State-103), Ogonna Nnamani (Stanford-54), Leah Ratzlaff (Creighton-48), Tera Lobdell (Northern Illinois-45) and Erin Heffner (Alabama-41). DuPont is tied with Sarah Meek of Idaho at 38 matches.
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.
THE BEST OF THE BEST: Current senior Julie DuPont and former Bearcat great Laura Lauder were each named to Conference USA?s All-Decade Team, announced by the league office in conjunction with its 10th anniversary. DuPont and Lauder were among 10 C-USA standouts honored on a team that was voted on by the conference?s current head coaches.
IMPACT PLAYER: During the last 18 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 2.71 kills and 0.94 blocks per game, while hitting .369, helping the Bearcats win 15 of the 18 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 .339. Newell also has a chance to reach the 1,000 kill club, as she enters this week with 928.
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 eight matches, UC has reached double figures in team blocks in six of the eight matches, averaging 2.66 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 1.52 and 1.00 blocks per game during the stretch. Leslie Newell and Julie DuPont have added 0.97 and 0.84 blocks per game, respectively. The recent run has moved the Bearcats up to second in Conference USA in team blocks (2.62 per game), while Hellsten (1.32) ranks fifth individually.
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 2,078 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.
COMING ON STRONG: Rachel Torblaa has given the Bearcats another viable offensive weapon this season and through the last 18 matches, she has been nothing short of outstanding. For the stretch, Torblaa is averaging 3.15 kills per game, while hitting .336. Against Memphis on Oct. 22, Torblaa matched her career-high with 20 kills, while hitting .359 for the match. In the 18-match stretch, the senior middle blocker has reached double-figure kills 15 times, including 10 of the last 12. Torblaa is also closing in on the 1,000 kill plateau for her career. She enters the week needing just 17 more kills to become only the 10th player in school history to achieve the feat. Against Louisville on Nov. 12, Torblaa passed former UC assistant coach Stephanie Meinig for 10th place on the school?s career list with 983 kills.
BEARCATS IN C-USA: The Bearcats wrapped up their final regular season during their 10-year association with Conference USA with a Nov. 12 match at Louisville. In the 10 years of Conference USA play, the Bearcats posted a record 116-29 for an .800 winning percentage, ranking second in both, trailing only Louisville. The Bearcats won 80 of their last 96 matches against C-USA opponents, with six of the 16 losses coming to Louisville, and four against USF. The marks exclude C-USA Tournament play.
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 707-440-8 (.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 (688), Memphis (686) and Louisville (624) getting close.
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. 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 2.91 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 (tied-second), 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 at Louisville on Nov. 12, Torblaa ranks third in school annals with 421. Torblaa is now just 10 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 (tied, fifth-479). In the Conference USA career rankings, Torblaa is listed seventh 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 12.28 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 2,078 kills and 1,303 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 (1.31) and ranked seventh in hitting percentage (.293). Olson ranks eighth in assists per game with 6.21, while also being shown eighth with 1,353 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 136-82 (.624) in his coaching career, with an even more impressive 117-42 (.736) 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 Saint Louis? Colleen Hunter and Memphis? Heather Watts in number of career Player of the Week awards.
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.
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 fifth in the latest C-USA rankings. Much of the damage was done in the Sept. 10 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 aces. Maria Pongonis is the current leader in aces with 40 and the junior is tied for sixth in C-USA with 0.41 aces per game.
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. At the Furama Hotel Invitational hosted by Loyola Marymount University, Torblaa was the Bearcats? sole representative on the all-tournament team. She earned the honor after averaging 3.00 kills and 1.00 blocks per game and hitting .379 for the tournament. Hellsten earned a second 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.