TicketsSept. 22, 2005
Contact: Shawn Sell
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
SETTING THE SCENE: Cincinnati opens its first season of BIG EAST Conference volleyball with a pair of home contests this weekend in Fifth Third Arena. The Bearcats, at 5-5 and winners of four of their last five contests, will welcome St. John's (14-3) to town on Friday (Sept. 23) at 7:30 p.m., with Connecticut (5-5) visiting two days later. That match-up is slated for a 2 p.m. start.
NOTES FROM MARSHALL:
- Jessie Nevitt added her name to the UC record books once again as she recorded a school record 13 total blocks. The mark, which surpassed the previous best of 12 in a five-game match, was formerly held by Beth Buerhaus and Stephanie Meinig.
- After recording 11 double-doubles last year, Maria Pongonis picked up her eighth in just 10 matches this season vs. the Herd. Pongonis finished the match with 18 kills and 15 digs.
- The Bearcats' 16.5 team blocks were a season-best. In addition to Nevitt's career-high 13, Pongonis also recorded a new personal-best with six total blocks.
- UC's loss to Marshall was the second in a row to the Herd after winning seven of the first eight contests.
ABOUT ST. JOHN'S: The RedStorm, picked to finish 14th in the 15-team BIG EAST prior to the season, have won six in a row to improve to 14-3 on the year. St. John's won all three of its matches at last weekend's Bucknell Invitational, before sweeping a home contest with Fordham earlier this week. The leader of the St. John's offense is a familiar face to the Bearcats, as former South Florida standout Shameka Mitchell leads the team with 3.69 kills per game and a .343 hitting percentage. A total of three SJU players average over three kills per game, while four regulars are hitting at least .300. On the defensive side, Kathleen Yee paces the squad with 4.18 digs per game, while Anicia Wood's 1.02 blocks is also tops.
ABOUT CONNECTICUT: The Huskie have dropped three of their last four contests to see their record evened at 5-5. UConn beat host Rhode Island at last weekend's tournament, but took losses to No. 20 Arizona and North Carolina. Chosen to finish seventh in the BIG EAST this year, the Huskies are hitting just .229 as a team. Heather Ashley is the team's top offensive threat, averaging 4.19 kills per game. Megan Crawley has also been solid, turning in 3.47 kills per game. On defense, libero Julie Pickard is tops with 3.81 digs per game, while Crawley shows the way with a team-high 1.06 blocks per game.
STRONG AT THE NET: Redshirt freshman Jessie Nevitt has proven to be a force at the net during the early stages of 2005 and has twice written her name into the UC record books. On Sept. 3 vs. New Mexico State, Nevitt set a new mark with 11 block assists in a four-game match. Her 11 total blocks also matched the mark held by current Bearcat Myanna Hellsten and former UC standout Rachel Torblaa. Nevitt went one step better in UC's Sept. 20 contest at Marshall as she recorded 13 total blocks, setting a record for most in a five-game contest and most ever by a UC player. For the season, Nevitt is leading the BIG EAST with 1.64 blocks per game.
BALANCE, BALANCE: For the first time this season, the Bearcats placed all five of their primary hitters in double figure kills in UC's Sept. 16 win over Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Maria Pongonis led the way with 17 kills, while Jenny Custer and Erin Maldo each tacked on 15. Jessie Nevitt had 13 vs. UWM and Myanna Hellsten contributed 11. The Bearcats accomplished the same feat three times last season with the most recent outburst coming in a four-game win at Tulane on Oct. 30, 2004.
NEVITT EARNS BIG EAST AWARD: Jessie Nevitt has been tabbed the BIG EAST Conference Rookie of the Week for her play during the State Farm Bearcat Invitational presented by the Vernon Manor Hotel. Nevitt helped UC to the team title at the Bearcat Invitational for the third straight year with victories in all three matches. For the tournament, Nevitt averaged 2.82 kills and 1.36 blocks per game, while hitting .351. She earned a spot on the all-tournament team for her efforts. Nevitt had 13 kills in UC's tournament-clinching win over Wisconsin-Milwaukee and added 10 kills on .500 hitting and seven total blocks in a victory over Jacksonville State. The award marks the first BIG EAST accolade for the Bearcat volleyball program.
SCORING RECORD: The Bearcats' Sept. 15 match with Jacksonville State provided a memorable moment as UC recorded a 44-42 game two win over the Gamecocks. Since the inception of rally scoring in 2001, the 44 points scored by the Bearcats was the most a UC team had ever scored. UC's 104 total points in the match was also a school record for a three-game contest. Both of the previous highs (39 points in one game and 99 points for the match), occurred in UC's win over Wright State on Sept. 14, 2002.
NEW LEADER: With the graduation of four-year mainstays Julie DuPont, Leslie Newell and Rachel Torblaa, Maria Pongonis has stepped forward as a team leader for the 2005 season. The only senior on the Bearcat roster, Pongonis leads the squad with 3.90 kills per game. Pongonis has reached double figure kills in all but one match this season, including a season-high 19 against both Texas-Pan American and Tulsa, and has also added eight double-doubles. Against Cal State Northridge on Sept. 10, Pongonis recorded a career-high 23 digs.
TOURNAMENT HONORS: A total of four different Bearcats have earned all-tournament honors as UC competed in three tournaments to open the 2005 season. A look at the award winners and their performances:
- Maria Pongonis (Las Cruces Hilton Classic)-4.82 kills and 3.00 digs per game; 19 kills against both Texas Pan-American and Tulsa.
- Melissa Zenz (Waikiki Beach Marriott Challenge)-6.17 digs per game; three 20-plus dig performances, including career-high 29 vs. Cal State Northridge.
- Jenny Custer (State Farm Bearcat Invitational MVP)-4.00 kills, 1.91 digs, 0.64 blocks per game, .441 hitting percentage; hit .500 twice with 17 kills and 11 digs vs. Jacksonville State.
- Jessie Nevitt (State Farm Bearcat Invitational)-2.82 kills, 1.36 blocks, 0.64 digs per game, .351 hitting percentage; 10 kills, eight blocks, .500 hitting vs. Jacksonville State.
- Pongonis (State Farm Bearcat Invitational)-3.36 kills, 4.09 digs, 0.73 blocks per game; 17 kills, 22 digs vs. Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
THE NEXT QUEEN?: While she is still nearly 2,000 digs away from the school record, freshman libero Melissa Zenz may be the next UC player to challenge the program's "Queen of Digs," Trish Ladusaw. This season, Zenz has averaged a BIG EAST leading 5.62 digs per game and has 20-plus digs in six of this year's 10 matches, including a career-high 29 twice. In recording 28 digs vs. Tulsa and 26 vs. New Mexico State, Zenz became the first Bearcat since Ladusaw in 2002 to total over 20 digs in two consecutive matches. Her six 20-plus dig efforts are the most by a Bearcat since Ladusaw had nine in 2002.
MOST IMPROVED: Sophomore right-side hitter Jenny Custer has been the team's most improved player thus far after a stellar start to her second collegiate season. This season, Custer is averaging 3.28 kills, 2.15 digs and 0.77 blocks per game, while tallying the first four double-doubles of her career. Custer was at her best during the State Farm Bearcat Invitational presented by the Vernon Manor Hotel as she earned MVP honors. She turned in one of her most brilliant performances against Jacksonville State, racking up 17 kills on .500 hitting and adding 11 digs.
HOME COURT HEROICS: Cincinnati has enjoyed a strong home court advantage since the opening of Fifth Third Arena in 1989. In the 16 years the building has been in existence, the Bearcats have posted a 126-52 (.708) 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 the Arena at both the former Laurence Hall and, more recently, at St. Ursula Academy. During the program's time in Fifth Third, it has enjoyed two lengthy win streaks, including a school-record 23 match string that ended last season. At the time the streak was snapped, it represented the third-longest active streak in the nation.
UNFAMILIAR FACES: The Bearcats' move into the BIG EAST this year will give the squad a whole net set of rivals to meet up with. Of the 14 BIG EAST schools UC will face, three are new opponents (Connecticut, St. John's and Seton Hall). With the exception of Conference USA holdovers DePaul, Louisville, Marquette and South Florida, it's been awhile since UC has faced any of the new look BIG EAST members. A look at the last time UC faced each of the league schools:
Georgetown 1990 W, 3-1
Notre Dame 2002 L, 0-3
Pittsburgh 1989 L, 0-3
Rutgers 1996 W, 3-0
Syracuse 1990 L, 0-3
Villanova 1991 L, 1-3
West Virginia 1995 W, 3-2