TicketsAug. 27, 2006
CINCINNATI, Ohio---Despite a career-high 21 kills from Jessica Elley and a raucous crowd of 766, No. 10 UCLA proved too much for Cincinnati as the Bruins earned a hard fought four-game win over the Bearcats on Sunday afternoon at Fifth Third Arena. With the victory, the Bruins captured the team title of the State Farm Bearcats Invitational presented by the Vernon Manor Hotel.
The match was very evenly played through the first three games, before UCLA pulled away in the fourth game. Game scores for the match were 30-24, 29-31, 30-27, 30-21. UCLA improves to 3-0 on the young season, while Cincinnati is now 2-1. The defeat for the Bearcats marks the first since their home tournament was reinstated in 2003.
Nana Meriwether picked up tournament most valuable player honors and turned in an MVP performance against the Bearcats. The Bruin All-American tallied 15 kills on .406 hitting, while leading all players with seven blocks. Katie Carter led the Bruins with 17 kills, while Kaitlin Sather chipped in 16.
Elley, just a sophomore, turned in the top performance of her short career, erupting for a career-best 21 kills and adding 12 digs for her third straight double-double. Lindsey Peterson tacked on a double-double of her own with 12 kills and 10 digs, as did Jenny Custer with 10 and 13. UC struggled offensively hitting just .133, but stayed close throughout by limiting the Bruins to a .175 hitting clip.
"I thought we competed really well for the first three games, but in game four we were spectators," UC head coach Reed Sunahara stated. "I was pretty pleased with the way we played this weekend and it was a good tournament. I was glad UCLA came because it gave us a chance to see what a 10th-ranked team is all about."
The match couldn't have gotten off to a better start for the Bearcats as the home team roared out to a 4-0 lead, with the first two points coming on consecutive service aces by Noel Olson. The Bruins wouldn't stay down long as a 9-1 run forced Sunahara to burn an early timeout. Cincinnati crawled back into it, taking the lead at 11-10 on a kill by Jessie Nevitt. The score stayed close throughout, but UCLA went ahead for good when Carter connected on a kill at 17-16. UC fought to a tie at 22, but the Bruins scored eight of the last 10 points to pick up the game one victory.
The second game was close early, but the Bearcats applied the pressure, taking a 19-14 lead that forced a UCLA stoppage. The visitors fought back, tying the score at 26, before a service error, an Olson kill and an Elley block set up UC game point. The Bearcats couldn't take advantage of the situation, however as UCLA tied it up with three quick points. UC did come through in the end as a Carter error and a Custer kill tied the match up at a game apiece.
Game three was almost a mirror image of the frame prior as Cincinnati again jumped to a 19-14 lead that caused a UCLA timeout. This time, the Bruins rebounded in a hurry, using an 8-2 run to take a one-point lead they would not relinquish. Armed with a 28-24 lead, the Bruins saw the Bearcats score three of the next four to draw within two, but an Elley attack error ended the UC threat.
UCLA flexed its muscle and depth in the fourth game, jumping to a 10-4 lead and never looking back. The Bruins hit only .180 in the game, but limited UC to an .098 performance in wrapping up the victory.
The Bruins recorded 15.0 blocks as a team, with all-tournament member Rachell Johnson adding six to Meriwether's seven. Jordan Smith had 20 digs in just three games, while Colby Lyman added 10.
The Bearcats' defense got a match-high 26 digs from freshman Jaime Frey who was forced to take over the libero position when co-captain Natalie Dossman was injured midway through game one. Nevitt, UC's other all-tournament team member, had six blocks, while Olson added 11 digs to her 51 assists.
Cincinnati returns to the court next weekend playing at the Bradley Invitational in Peoria, Ill. UC opens play on Friday at 4:30 p.m. CT taking on Austin Peay. The Bearcats will also battle the host Braves and Western Illinois during the weekend.
All-Tournament Team
Brittany Kiehl-Maine
Laura Tyburski-Tennessee Tech
Jenifer Sulewski-Western Michigan
Jessie Nevitt-Cincinnati
Jessica Elley-Cincinnati
Rachell Johnson-UCLA
Nana Meriwether-UCLA (MVP)