TicketsSept. 12, 2006
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
SETTING THE SCENE: Cincinnati, in the midst of 10 of 11 matches on the road, returns home for a non-conference battle with Morehead State on Tuesday (Sept. 12) at 7:30 p.m. in Fifth Third Arena. UC has won five of its last six contests, including two last weekend at the Colorado Invitational to improve to 7-2 on the season. Morehead State is 7-3 after winning all three matches at its own tournament over the weekend. The match will also mark the first volleyball match broadcast on CATSVision All-Access. Join UC's Tommy Gelehrter as he brings all the action via GoBEARCATS.com.
NOTING THE BEARCATS:
- The Bearcats won two of their three matches over the weekend at the Colorado Invitational, with the only setback coming to the host Buffaloes. UC defeated former Conference USA foe Southern Miss and Central Connecticut State at the event.
- Jessica Elley leads the Cincinnati offense in kills, averaging a career-best 3.93 kills per game. Elley is also second on the squad with 3.41 digs per game.
- Jessie Nevitt is ranked sixth in the BIG EAST with a .377 hitting percentage after ranking third at .337 last season.
- The Bearcats lead the BIG EAST and rank second nationally with 4.21 blocks per game. Senior Myanna Hellsten leads four players averaging over a block per game, ranking first in the nation at 2.14 per game.
- Jenny Custer was named to her second consecutive all-tournament team, earning the honor at the Colorado Invitational.
- UC will be out to build a four-match win streak over Morehead State.
ABOUT THE EAGLES:
- Morehead State is 7-3 this season, after beating Western Carolina, Central Arkansas and Air Force in its own Comfort Inn Invitational over the weekend. The Eagles have already surpassed their win total of six from all of last season.
- Senior Laura Cox is MSU's top offensive threat, averaging a team-leading 3.60 kills per game. Defensively, libero Kristina Schoo is leading the squad with 4.28 digs per game, while Ashley Murphy is the top blocker at 0.97.
- The Morehead State roster features Cincinnati-area natives Katelyn Barbour (Florence, Ky.) and Kelsey Cronin (Fairfield).
- The Eagles were picked to finish eighth in the Ohio Valley Conference this season by the league's coaches, with sophomore Ashley Doscher named to the preseason all-conference second team.
BEARCATS' BLOCK PARTY: Cincinnati has hosted a season-long block party, leading the BIG EAST and ranking second nationally at 4.21 blocks per game. Senior Myanna Hellsten has been at the center, as she is atop the national leaderboard with 2.14 per game. In the BIG EAST rankings, UC places four in the top-10, including Hellsten, Jessie Nevitt (2nd-1.69), Jessica Elley (8th-1.31) and Jenny Custer (9th-1.28). UC was at its best during the Radisson Hotel Invitational (Sept. 1-2), averaging 5.33 blocks per game and setting or matching several school records. The weekend started with Custer and Hellsten each matching the school record for block assists in a three-game match with 10 against Austin Peay. A day later, Hellsten put her own stamp on the mark with a record 12 in a three-game sweep of Bradley. In the match, UC broke three-game marks for most total blocks (22.0) and block assists (36). Hellsten's 13 total blocks also matched a record for most in any match.
THE NEW KID IN TOWN: Sophomore Jessica Elley is on the fast track to stardom with her play in 2006. Following in the footsteps of her predecessors at outside hitter, Julie DuPont and Maria Pongonis, Elley is averaging a team-best 3.93 kills per game, along with 3.41 digs and 1.31 blocks per game. She had a career-best 21 kills against UCLA on Aug. 27 and nearly had a triple-double against Bradley on Sept. 2 with 13 kills, 11 digs and seven blocks. Elley was named to the all-tournament team at the State Farm Bearcats Invitational and was tabbed the MVP of the Radisson Hotel Invite, along with a BIG EAST Player of the Week award on Sept. 2.
IN GOOD HANDS: The setter position is once again in good hands with senior Noel Olson in her third-year as a starter. The preseason All-BIG EAST selection has shown steady improvement each year and is averaging 11.97 assists per game this season, to rank fifth in the BIG EAST. Olson will go down as one of the top setters in program history, as she ranks fourth in school history in career assists (3,396) and sixth in assists per game (8.91). Her assists total is 108 back of Mindy Backus (1986-88) for third place.
NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP: As a redshirt freshman last season, Jessie Nevitt was outstanding, earning first team All-BIG EAST honors and winning the league's rookie of the year. This fall, she has shown no signs of a sophomore slump, as she ranks among the BIG EAST leaders in blocks (2nd-1.69) and hitting percentage (6th-.377). She has also added 2.62 kills per game. She has been an intergal part of UC's nationally-ranked blocking, totaling over five in a match six times. Offensively, Nevitt has reached double figures in kills three times, while hitting over .400 five times. For her play this year, Nevitt has been named to the all-tournament teams at the State Farm Bearcats Invitational and the Radisson Hotel Invitational.
THE YOUNG GET YOUNGER: With Natalie Dossman lost for the season, an already young Bearcats' squad gets younger with freshman Jaime Frey now assuming the starting libero position. The Cincinnati-native has proven she can hold her own since taking the starting nod, averaging 3.66 digs per game. She was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Aug. 28 after a career-best 26 digs against No. 10 UCLA.
CUSTER'S CONTRIBUTIONS: Junior Jenny Custer has been a solid contributor to UC's success this season, ranking second on the team with 2.97 kills per game and adding 1.79 digs. An improvement in blocking has also been key, as Custer ranks ninth in the BIG EAST at 1.28 per game. She turned in the biggest blocking outing of her career on Sept. 1 against Austin Peay, tying a then-school record with 10 block assists in a three-game match. Offensively, Custer has contributed double-figure kills in six of UC's nine matches this season, including a season-high 13 against Western Michigan on Aug. 25.
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 137-56 (.710) record at home and are 72-10 (.878) over the past seven-plus 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 win streaks, including a school-record 23 match string that ended in 2004. At the time the streak was snapped, it represented the third-longest active streak in the nation.
BEARCATS TABBED THIRD IN BIG EAST POLL: The 2006 preseason BIG EAST Conference coaches poll was good to Cincinnati as the Bearcats were tabbed third. After a 20-12, 9-3 BIG EAST campaign that saw UC finish tied for fourth in the league, the Bearcats were picked one spot higher for the 2006 season, while also garnering one first place vote. Notre Dame was a narrow choice to win the league title by eight points over Louisville. The Fighting Irish earned eight first place votes to six for the Cardinals. St. John's and Pittsburgh round out the top-five.
BEARCATS DOMINATE PRESEASON ALL-BIG EAST SQUAD: A total of three Bearcats earned spots on the preseason All-BIG EAST squad, giving UC a league-high total. Redshirt sophomore Jessie Nevitt, last season's conference rookie of the year, was a unanimous choice for the team. She ended last season averaging 3.11 kills and 1.38 blocks per game and hitting .337. Joining her on the team were senior setter Noel Olson and junior right-side hitter Jenny Custer. Olson finished second in the BIG EAST last season averaging 12.63 assists per game. Custer enjoyed a career-year with personal highs of 3.13 kills and 2.00 digs per game.