TicketsOct. 3, 2006
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SETTING THE SCENE: After playing 11 of its last 12 matches on the road, the University of Cincinnati volleyball team returns home this weekend for a pair of BIG EAST matches. UC, tied for seventh in the league, needs two wins to stay in the hunt for a top seed in next month's conference tournament. The Bearcats are 11-4 overall and 2-2 in league play after splitting at Connecticut (win) and St. John's (loss) last weekend. UC will host Villanova (9-9, 3-1 BIG EAST) on Saturday at 1 p.m., with Rutgers (5-9, 2-2 BIG EAST) paying a visit on Sunday at 2 p.m.
NOTING THE BEARCATS:
- The Bearcats are 11-4 this season, but have split four BIG EAST matches to sit in a four-way tie for seventh in the league standings.
- Jessica Elley leads the Cincinnati offense, averaging a career-best 3.67 kills per game and adding 3.31 digs and 1.00 blocks per game.
- Jenny Custer has come on strong as of late, averaging 3.89 kills per game in her last five matches, including a career-high 22 at Syracuse on Sept. 24.
- Jaime Frey has climbed to third in the BIG EAST in digs per game with 4.56. She is averaging a league-leading 7.00 in BIG EAST play.
- The Bearcats rank second nationally with 3.86 blocks per game. Senior Myanna Hellsten leads four players averaging over a block per game, ranking second in the nation at 1.89 per game. Nevitt is 17th nationally with 1.60 blocks per game in matches through Sept. 24.
- In the Bearcats' win at Connecticut on Sept. 29, head coach Reed Sunahara earned his 150th victory at Cincinnati. Sunahara is UC's winningest coach with a mark of 150-60.
- UC will be seeking redemption against a Villanova team that swept the Bearcats last season. The Bearcats will look for their second win over Rutgers since joining the BIG EAST in 2005.
- Myanna Hellsten reached a trio of milestones last weekend, topping the 900 plateau in career kills, going over 500 total blocks and 450 block assists.
ABOUT THE WILDCATS:
- Villanova is tied for third in the BIG EAST at 3-1 after defeating West Virginia dn Pittsburgh last weekend. The Wildcats have won eight of their last nine games to even their record at 9-9 for the year.
- Alona Cherkez has been an offensive star for the Wildcats, averaging 4.13 kills per game to rank sixth in the BIG EAST. Adrian Semrau adds 3.51 kills per game for VU.
- Defensively, Villanova ranks last in the league in digs per game. At the net, Semrau averages a team-leading 1.02 blocks per game.
ABOUT THE SCARLET KNIGHTS:
- After a loss to Pittsburgh on Friday, Rutgers earned a BIG EAST win against West Virginia to improve to 5-9 overall and 2-2 in the BIG EAST.
- Lora Yankauskas, a preseason All-BIG EAST selection, ranks third in the league with 4.31 kills per game, while adding 3.33 digs and 0.58 blocks per game.
- The defense gets 3.62 digs per game from Brittani Rendina and 0.87 blocks per game from Mallory McEnroe.
BEARCATS SPORTS FESTIVAL: This weekend will be a busy one on UC's campus as the first-ever Bearcats Sports Festival will be held. In addition to two volleyball matches, UC will also host Akron in football, two women's soccer matches and a first-place men's soccer showdown with USF. For full details on the Bearcats Sports Festival, check out GoBEARCATS.com.
SLOW START: Cincinnati's second BIG EAST campaign has gotten off to a tough start, as the Bearcats sit 2-2, the program's worst start in conference play since 1998. Despite ranking fourth in conference-only matches with 16.31 kills per game, UC is hitting only .177 in BIG EAST matches thus far. UC's defense is second in the league with 18.75 digs per game, but is just eight in blocks at 2.50 per game.
KEEPING UP THE TRADITION: UC's win on Sept. 24 at Syracuse pushed the Bearcats to the 10-victory plateau for the season, marking 15 consecutive years the program has reached the feat. The next two goals are stretching the program's string of 20-win seasons to 12 straight and returning to the NCAA Tournament after a three-year absence.
SCHEDULE CHANGES: A pair of adjustments have been made to the Bearcats' upcoming schedule for matches against Louisville and Notre Dame. The date for the Louisville match has been moved up one day to Friday, Oct. 13, with start time at 7:30 p.m.. The shift was made to avoid conflict with the UC-UofL football game. In addition, the start time for UC's home match against Notre Dame on Oct. 28 has been set for 10 a.m.
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 12.62 assists per game this season to rank second in the BIG EAST. Olson will go down as one of the top setters in program history, as she ranks third in school history in career assists (3,705) and sixth in assists per game (9.17). Her assists total is 146 back of Paige Pees (1988-91) for second place.
BALANCE IS GOOD: Cincinnati has enjoyed balance in its offensive attack this year, with four players averaging over two kills per game. On four occasions this season, Cincinnati has put all five of its hitters into double figure kills in the same match. The list includes: Western Michigan, Aug. 25; Marquette, Sept. 22; Syracuse, Sept. 24; and Connecticut, Sept. 29.
BEARCATS' BLOCK PARTY: Cincinnati has hosted a season-long block party, leading the BIG EAST and ranking near the top (second) nationally with 3.68 blocks per game. Senior Myanna Hellsten has been at the center, as she is atop the BIG EAST leaderboard with 1.79 per game. In the BIG EAST rankings, UC is dominating the top with Hellsten and Jessie Nevitt (1.54) ranked 1-2. UC set or matched several blocks records on Sept. 2 at Bradley as Hellsten recorded 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 senior has also climbed to second on UC's career total blocks (507) and block assists (458) lists.
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-1.60) and hitting percentage (8th-.317). She has also added 2.83 kills per game. She has been an integral part of UC's nationally-ranked blocking, totaling over five in a match 10 times. Offensively, Nevitt has reached double figures in kills seven times, while hitting over .400 on six occasions.
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 leading the team with 3.67 kills per game, along with 3.31 digs and 1.00 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.
CUSTER'S CONTRIBUTIONS: Junior Jenny Custer has been a solid contributor to UC's success this season, ranking second on the team with 3.25 kills per game and adding 2.40 digs. An improvement in blocking has also been key, as Custer is averaging a career-best 1.06 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 averaged 3.89 kills per game in her last five matches, including a career-high 22 at Syracuse on Sept. 24, including six during the final nine points of UC's deciding game four victory. Custer also has four double-doubles this season to push her career total to 14.