TicketsOct. 1, 2005
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J.---Jessie Nevitt had a career-high 18 kills and all five of Cincinnati's primary hitters reached double figure kills as the Bearcats retained a share of first place in the BIG EAST with a four-game win over Rutgers on Saturday afternoon. By virtue of the 30-20, 23-30, 30-26, 34-32 victory, UC stands at 9-5 overall and 3-0 in conference play.
For the third time this season and second time in less than a week, Cincinnati's balanced offensive attack registered five players in double digit kills. Maria Pongonis matched her season-high with 19, just one better than Nevitt's count. Jenny Custer turned in 13 kills, while Myanna Hellsten and Erin Maldo each tacked on 11.
UC hit .317 for the match, representing its second-highest total of the year. That mark was aided by a .654 outing by Nevitt, which ranks as the fourth-best single match hitting performance in school history. The Bearcat attack was also aided by a season-best 63 assists from setter Noel Olson.
Rutgers (6-10, 1-2 BIG EAST) got a match-high 26 kills on .352 hitting from Lora Yankauskas. Kyra Thompson also reached double digits with 12 kills for the Scarlet Knights.
"We just never gave up today and kept getting side outs when we needed them most," commented UC head coach Reed Sunahara. "We got some big blocks towards the end and I am proud of the kids for stepping up to the challenge. It's always important to win in conference on the road. We got a good win today."
Cincinnati breezed through game one, using an early 5-0 spurt to snap a three-all tie and take a lead it would not let hold of. The Bearcats hit a blistering .667 for the frame, but saw Rutgers hit .310. The UC lead reached double digits for the first time on a Tamarie Macon ball handling error that made it 20-10. The Bearcats grabbed their largest lead of game one on a block by Pongonis that set up game point at 29-18. Rutgers stayed alive with back-to-back Yankauskas kills, but Pongonis' fifth kill of the game closed out the 10-point Bearcat triumph.
The Bearcats couldn't take the fire of game one into the second frame as Rutgers jumped out to a 9-2 lead and never looked back. UC hit a match-low .027 in the game, while the Scarlet Knights swung .355. The visitors managed to close within 23-20, but a 5-0 Rutgers run sparked the 30-23 win for the Knights.
After the break, the Bearcats got back on the right track, holding a .324 to .294 hitting advantage in the hard fought 30-26 win. Cincinnati finally took the lead for good at 13-12, but couldn't shake the pesky Scarlet Knights. UC built a four-point cushion on Hellsten's kill to make it 28-24 and following a Yankauskas kill, Custer dropped one of her own to set up game point. Yankauskas kept Rutgers alive with a kill, but Pongonis put down her 13th kill of the day to end game three.
Game four saw UC open an early 14-9 lead, but again Rutgers hung with the Bearcats until the end in an effort to force game five. The Bearcats looked to be in good shape when Custer's kill put them ahead 28-24. But Rutgers had other plans as a 4-0 spurt knotted the score at 28. UC set up match point on a Hellsten kill, but couldn't hold it as the teams traded the next seven points. With the game tied at 32, Maldo set up match point number four with a kill, then combined with Hellsten on a block to close out UC's fourth straight victory.
Cincinnati's defense put three players in double figure digs, with Pongonis (12) and Custer (10) each recording double-doubles. Libero Melissa Zenz had 12 digs, while Pongonis recorded a career-high with three solo blocks.
The Bearcats will face a tough test on Sunday when they travel to Villanova to meet the 12-4 Wildcats. VU which entered the weekend tied for first in the conference, dropped a three-game decision to No. 6 Louisville on Saturday afternoon.