TicketsSept. 23, 2005
Contact: Shawn Sell
CINCINNATI, Ohio---Jenny Custer's fifth double-double of 2005 helped Cincinnati grab a victory in its first-ever BIG EAST volleyball contest, as the Bearcats topped St. John's in four games on Friday night at Fifth Third Arena. UC was victorious in the match by scores of 28-30, 30-21, 30-26, 30-22.
Custer led the Bearcats (6-5, 1-0 BIG EAST) with 17 kills, while adding 12 digs and a career-high five service aces. Jessie Nevitt and Maria Pongonis chipped in with 10 kills apiece, while Noel Olson recorded a career-high six from her setter position. Olson also tallied 46 assists for the night.
St. John's (14-4, 0-1 BIG EAST) got an outstanding performance from Hui Ping Huang, as she led all players with 18 kills on .429 hitting, along with 13 digs and five blocks. Former South Florida standout Shameka Mitchell added 14 kills, while Latoya Blunt had 10.
The evening started out with St. John's outhitting the Bearcats .385-.324 in taking a 30-28 win. The hard fought game featured 18 ties and three lead changes and saw the Red Storm score the last three points of the game to take the win. The score was back and forth throughout and saw the Bearcats knot the score at 27 on a kill by Custer. Nevitt followed with a kill of her own giving UC a one-point edge and forcing a St. John's timeout. The break was just what the Red Storm needed as Huang and Mitchell tallied kills, just before the duo combined to block Custer and seal the win.
"St. John's switched their line-up and caught us by surprise," said Bearcat head coach Reed Sunahara. "We didn't make the adjustments that we needed to and when you have zero blocks in a game, it's really hard to win."
After hitting well in game one, the Bearcats slipped to just .214 in game two, but a .000 performance by St. John's keyed the Bearcat win. UC trailed early in the frame, but steadily pulled away from the Red Storm as the points clicked off. The Bearcats' lead reached seven on Nevitt's ace at 26-19 and a kill by Myanna Hellsten sealed the triumph for UC.
Game three was another nip and tick battle with the final count showing 11 ties and three lead changes. Cincinnati found itself down 13-9 and after a timeout started to shift the momentum in its favor. Freshman Lindsey Peterson provided the spark for the Bearcats as she served three straight points and went on to record two kills and one dig in the game.
"Lindsey came in and did a good job for us," Sunahara added. "She got a couple of kills in crucial situations that we really needed."
The Bearcats still found themselves trailing when they launched a 5-0 run that pushed them to a 22-18 advantage they wouldn't relinquish. UC built its lead to as much as six down the stretch and Hellsten's kill ended the 30-26 Bearcat victory.
The final game of the evening was never in doubt as the Bearcats led from start to finish. UC hit a match-best .345 in game four with its lead reaching its highest point at the 30-22 final count.
The Cincinnati defense got 14 digs from libero Melissa Zenz and 12 from Custer. St. John's Kathleen Yee led all players with 16 digs, while Huang and Patti Hardiman each added 13.
UC will try to build on its winning start to BIG EAST play with a Sunday visit from Connecticut. Match time in Fifth Third Arena is set for 2 p.m.