TicketsAug. 25, 2006
CINCINNATI, Ohio---Behind a balanced attack that put five players in double figure kills, including a career-high 15 by sophomore Lindsey Peterson, Cincinnati earned a hard fought four-game win over Western Michigan on Friday night in Fifth Third Arena. The contest, the third of the State Farm Bearcats Invitational presented by the Vernon Manor Hotel, was the season opener for UC and finished with scores of 27-30, 30-25, 30-25, 30-28.
Cincinnati shook off a tough game one defeat and a resilient comeback by the Broncos in the finale to earn the program's first-ever win over WMU. UC also stretched its winning streak in season openers to four consecutive years.
"This is a good way to start the year, getting a victory like this," said UC head coach Reed Sunahara. "We played well in spurts after getting a pretty good lead in the first game. From there, we just got complacent and tentative and let them off the hook. I was happy to see us come back and make some key plays down the stretch."
Peterson bounced back from a slow start that saw her tally just two kills in the first two games. She rebounded with 13 in the final two frames, hitting .342 for the evening. Jessie Nevitt had a big night with 17 kills and five blocks, while Jenny Custer tacked on 13 kills. Myanna Hellsten added 12 and Jessica Elley had 11. It was a career night for Elley as she matched her previous high in kills and tallied a team-leading and personal-best 21 digs, along with five blocks. Noel Olson dished out 56 assists from her setter position.
"I thought Pete (Lindsey Peterson) was key for us," Sunahara continued. "After only getting two kills in the first two games, she came in and made some plays. If she continues to perform like that, she will enjoy a great year."
Cincinnati looked crisp in the early and middle stages of game one, mounting a lead of 18-13. UC was still comfortably in front at 22-18, when the Broncos reeled off seven straight points to take its first lead of the contest. The Bearcats fought hard to erase a 26-23 deficit, tying the game with three straight markers. But the hosts would get no closer as Western Michigan closed the game with four of the final five points to take the game one decision.
After totaling six kills in the first game, Nevitt stayed hot in the second frame, recording seven more as UC hit .302 in the win. The Bearcats exploded out of the gates, running to a 12-4 lead that forced a WMU time-out. The stanza then took on much the same tone as the opener as the Broncos marched back to knot the score at 18. Later, UC used a Hellsten kill and three straight Bronco errors to open a five-point advantage before bringing home the victory to even the match.
Game three was close all the way to the end with the scoreboard showing a 19-all tie late in the goings. Cincinnati would proceed to score seven out of the next 11 to force Western into a timeout down 26-23. Leading 27-25, the Bearcats got kills from Elley and Custer before the latter and Hellsten combined to seal the deal with a block.
The Bearcats once again grabbed the advantage in game four, forcing a stoppage at 17-11 after a kill by Custer. Western Michigan would fight back, getting as close as one point on several occasions, but never drawing in front. UC looked to be in a solid position after Kathryn Babcock and Custer traded kills to put the Bearcats up 29-26. But Western Michigan had one more push left as Jenifer Sulewski and Babcock produced consecutive kills to draw within one. Western went right back to Babcock looking for the tie only to see the Bearcat senior duo of Hellsten and Olson block the Bronco standout for match point for the home team.
Babcock had an outstanding match in defeat, turning in 24 kills, nine digs and five blocks. Sulewski had a strong all-around performance with six kills, 53 assists and 17 digs. The star for the Broncos might have been libero Caitlin Strimel as the freshman broke the WMU four-game dig record with 36.
The State Farm Bearcats Invitational presented by the Vernon Manor Hotel continues at 10 a.m. tomorrow with No. 10 UCLA taking on Tennessee Tech. The Bearcats are back on the court at 5 p.m., hosting Maine.