TicketsNov. 16, 2005
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SETTING THE SCENE: The University of Cincinnati will compete in its first-ever BIG EAST Tournament when the fourth-seeded Bearcats take on No. 5 St. John's on Friday (Nov. 18) at 10 a.m. The eight-team tournament will be held at the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville, Ky. UC, which finished its inaugural BIG EAST campaign tied for fourth in the league at 9-5, will be out to snap a three-match losing streak that has dropped the squad's record to 18-11 overall. St. John's has won eight of its last 10 to climb to 23-8 on the year. The first round contest is a rematch of UC's first-ever BIG EAST contest on Sept. 23 that the Bearcats claimed in four games.
NOTES FROM SYRACUSE/MARQUETTE:
- With losses to Syracuse and Marquette, the Bearcats dropped back-to-back home contests for the first time since falling to Butler on Nov. 8, 1998 and Xavier on Sept. 1, 1999.
- Melissa Zenz moved to within 16 digs of Trish Ladusaw's single season record of 593.
ABOUT ST. JOHN'S: The Red Storm have been one of the BIG EAST's hottest teams, winning eight of its last 10 matches after a 1-3 start in league play. St. John's enters the BIG EAST Tournament seeded fifth with a 23-8 overall record and a 9-5 mark in conference play. Leading the St. John's offense this season has been senior Shameka Mitchell and freshman Hui Ping Huang. Mitchell, a transfer from South Florida, paces the team with 3.81 kills per game and is hitting .301. Huang is second at 3.45 kills per game, while holding a team-high .341 hitting percentage. Latoya Blunt chips in 3.22 kills per game for the Red Storm. On defense, libero Kathleen Yee leads the way with 4.13 digs per game, while Anicia Wood tops the blockers at 1.20 per game.
RECAPPING THE FIRST MEETING: 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 Sept. 23 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 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 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.
REGIONAL TALK: The latest regional rankings, compiled by college volleyball guru Rich Kern, have been released and the Bearcats are listed seventh in the Northeast Region. UC, which holds an RKPI ranking of 64 (similar to the RPI used in basketball), trails BIG EAST rivals Louisville and Notre Dame, America East-leading Albany, conference foe Syracuse, Ivy League frontrunner Cornell, and Atlantic 10-topping Dayton in the region.
THE NEXT QUEEN?: While she is still nearly 1,500 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 5.29 digs per game to rank second in the BIG EAST, has 20-plus digs in 15 matches and at least 10 in all 29. Zenz's career-high mark of 34 on Oct. 21 vs. West Virginia missed tying Ladusaw's single match record by just a single dig. 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. On the UC single season charts, Zenz is first in digs per game and second in total digs (577). She needs 17 more to pass Ladusaw for the top spot.
NEVITT A BIG EAST ALL-STAR: Redshirt freshman Jessie Nevitt has been the most decorated Bearcat this season, earning multiple awards from the BIG EAST Conference in her first season of collegiate competition. On five occasions, Nevitt has been tabbed the BIG EAST Rookie of the Week, with the most recent award coming on Nov. 7. Nevitt was also named to the BIG EAST Honor Roll on Oct. 3 and again on Oct. 16. Additionally, Nevitt was named to the All-Tournament Team at the State Farm Bearcat Invitational, presented by the Vernon Manor Hotel.
CLOSING IN: With her career at Cincinnati winding down, senior Maria Pongonis has already achieved one important career milestone and has the chance to tally two more. On Nov. 8 at Dayton, Pongonis became just the 11th player in program history to amass 1,000 career kills, entering the BIG EAST Tournament with 1,027 to her credit. On the UC career list, Pongonis ranks 10th, trailing Dani Peterson (1989-92) by just 13. Pongonis also has a shot at becoming only the 12th UC player ever with 1,000 digs, as she is 84 shy. Reaching the 1,000-1,000 club would make Pongonis just the sixth Bearcat ever to do so, joining Julie DuPont, Sonja Jackson, Trish Ladusaw, Peterson and Becky Tenkman.
HOT HITTING: Twice this season, Jessie Nevitt has put her mark on the UC single-match hitting records with a pair of top-five performances. On Oct. 1 vs. Rutgers, Nevitt hit .654, recording 18 kills with just one error on 26 swings, for the fourth-highest single match performance in program history. She nearly repeated the feat on Nov. 4 vs. South Florida, as she tallied 16 kills with just one error on 23 attempts for a .652 mark. Annisa Blosser holds the record after hitting .793 in 1994.
TOURNEY TALK: Cincinnati's move to the BIG EAST Conference this season marks the fourth conference the Bearcats have competed in since 1983. Dating back to UC's fourth year in the Metro Conference, the Bearcats hold a record of 20-23 in conference tournaments, including a 4-5 mark under Sunahara. UC's number four seed this season marks the Bearcats lowest since holding the same spot at the 1997 Conference USA Tournament.
CONFERENCE KILLERS: Since the beginning of BIG EAST play, the Bearcats' offensive numbers have taken a vast jump up from the performance during the non-conference slate. A comparison of UC's conference vs. non-conference statistics:
Stat BIG EAST play Non-conference play
K/G 15.92 14.95
A/G 14.65 13.31
Hit % .223 .226
UC also has several players among the BIG EAST leaders in the conference-only stats.
- Noel Olson leads the conference in assists per game with 13.35.
- Jessie Nevitt is sixth in hitting percentage (.353) and ninth in points per game (4.37).
- Melissa Zenz ranks second in digs per game with 5.08.
- Jenny Custer is tied for eighth with 0.36 service aces per game.
MOST IMPROVED: Sophomore right-side hitter Jenny Custer has been the team's most improved player this season with a stellar second collegiate season. This year, Custer is averaging 3.28 kills, 2.08 digs and 0.85 blocks per game, while hitting .268 and tallying the first 10 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 in UC's win over Western Kentucky on Oct. 5, recording a career-high 19 kills and hitting .484. She also leads the team with 42 service aces and is sixth in the BIG EAST with 0.42 per game.
AT THE CONTROLS: Junior Noel Olson has been solid in her second year as the Bearcats' setter, ranking second in the BIG EAST with 12.78 assists per game. She had one of the finest performances of her career on Oct. 23 vs. Pittsburgh nearly missing a triple-double as she set career-highs with eight kills and 14 digs and added 53 assists. This year, Olson has climbed to fifth on UC's career assists list and sixth on the assists per game chart . Olson is averaging 8.58 assists per game in two-plus seasons of action and has registered 2,926 assists to become just the seventh player in school history with 2,000 assists. Olson will next challenge for fourth on the assists chart as she is 134 behind Annie Gant's (1998-99) 3,060.
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 135-55 (.711) record at home and are 70-9 (.886) over the past seven years. 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 winning 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. UC's defeats on Nov. 11 and 13 to Syracuse and Marquette marked the first time the Bearcats had dropped back-to-back home contests since falling to Butler on Nov. 8, 1998 and Xavier on Sept. 1, 1999.
WINNING TRADITION: Cincinnati entered this season hoping to stretch its streak of 20-win seasons to 11 and achieve the feat for the sixth time under head coach Reed Sunahara. By virtue of the Bearcats' win over Western Kentucky on Oct. 5, UC earned its 10th win of the year, stretching that streak to 14 consecutive seasons. UC put another stamp on its winning tradition, capturing the 725th win in program history at DePaul on Oct. 28.
IN-STATE SUCCESS: Since Reed Sunahara took over as head coach in 2000, UC has enjoyed great success against in-state rivals, holding a record of 16-6 (.727). Ohio State has been the Bearcats' biggest nemesis, winning all three contests. UC has been at its best against Dayton, winning five of six meetings with the Flyers under Sunahara, until UD's Nov. 8 victory. A look at UC vs. the state of Ohio with Sunahara as head coach: Bowling Green (0-1), Dayton (5-0), Kent State (1-0), Miami (3-0), Ohio (0-1), Ohio State (0-3), Wright State (4-0), Xavier (3-0).
BALANCE, BALANCE: Balance has become the name of the game for the Bearcat offense in 2005 as they have put five hitters into double figure kills five times. In four of the contests, Jenny Custer, Myanna Hellsten, Erin Maldo, Jessie Nevitt and Maria Pongonis all reached double digits, with Lindsey Peterson replacing Pongonis in the most recent outburst on Oct. 23 vs. Pittsburgh. Pongonis (twice), Custer and Nevitt (once each) have each taken a turn as team-high honoree, with Custer and Maldo sharing the honor vs. Pitt. In the five matches, UC is averaging 16.91 kills per game and hitting .265, while setter Noel Olson is averaging 13.32 assists per game.
DEFENSE, DEFENSE: After twice breaking school records for most points scored earlier this season, Cincinnati established a new defensive mark in its Oct. 12 win over Morehead State by allowing the Eagles just 46 points in three games. The total matched the effort of a Sept. 14, 2002 win over Austin Peay that set the mark for fewest points allowed in a three-game match since the inception of rally scoring. The -.044 hitting by Morehead also marked the second time this year UC had held an opponent under zero hitting (-.017 vs. Texas-Pan American, Sept. 2). The Bearcats backed up the Morehead effort by holding Wright State to .017 hitting on Oct. 18.
STRONG AT THE NET: Redshirt freshman Jessie Nevitt has proven to be a force at the net during the 2005 season and she 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 fifth in the BIG EAST with 1.36 blocks per game and has recorded at least five blocks in 15 of 29 contests.
BLOCKING IT OUT: Lost in the disappointment of the Bearcats' setback to Notre Dame on Oct. 30 was the dominance showed at the net by UC. For the match, the Bearcats totaled 14 blocks, easily the squad's highest total in a three-game contest this year and the most since recording 18.5 against Saint Louis in last year's Conference USA Tournament.
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 3681 kills per game. After missing most of the West Virginia and Pittsburgh matches, Pongonis returned to the line-up to spark UC's win over DePaul on Oct. 28. Pongonis has reached double figure kills in all but four matches in which she has played this season, including a season-high 19 against Texas-Pan American, Tulsa and Rutgers and has also added 20 double-doubles. She had one of her best performances on Nov. 4 at South Florida, finishing with 16 kills and 10 digs and hitting a season-high .405. Pongonis has also shown her defensive prowess by twice recording a career-best 23 digs, including in UC's BIG EAST triumph over Connecticut. She ranks second on the squad with 3.45 digs per game.
YOUTH IS SERVED: With Maria Pongonis nursing an injury, sophomore Erin Maldo and freshman Lindsey Peterson stepped into the forefront with outstanding performances in UC's wins over West Virginia (Oct. 21) and Pittsburgh (Oct. 23). In the two matches, the duo averaged 3.67 and 2.33 kills per game, respectively, with each adding the first double-double of their careers. Against WVU, Maldo turned in one of the best performances of her short career, setting a career-high with 17 kills on .324 hitting, then following it up with 16 kills and 10 digs vs. Pitt. Peterson had four aces and four blocks in the WVU match, then came back with career-highs of 13 kills and 12 digs vs. Pitt.
BIG EAST HONOREES: A total of four Bearcats have been named to the BIG EAST's Weekly Honor Roll in UC's first season in the league. A look at the honorees and their performances:
- Jenny Custer (Sept. 19)-4.00 kills, 1.91 digs, 0.64 blocks per game, .441 hitting; 17 kills vs. Jacksonville State; two .500 hitting performances.
- Jessie Nevitt (Oct. 3)-3.58 kills, 1.25 blocks, 0.92 digs per game, .420 hitting; 16 kills, eight blocks vs. IUPUI; 18 kills on .654 hitting vs. Rutgers.
- Nevitt (Oct. 17)-3.86 kills, 1.00 blocks, 0.71 digs per game, .511 hitting; 19 kills on .455 hitting vs. Louisville.
- Erin Maldo (Oct. 31)-4.83 kills, 1.17 blocks, 0.83 digs per game, .387 hitting; 16 kills vs. Notre Dame; 13 kills on .435 hitting vs. DePaul.
- Maria Pongonis (Nov. 7)-5.33 kills, 4.00 digs, per game, .287 hitting; 16 kills, 10 digs on .405 hitting vs. South Florida; 16 kills, 14 digs vs. Georgetown.
TOURNAMENT HONORS: A total of four 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.