TicketsOct. 7, 2006
CINCINNATI, Ohio---Cincinnati shook off a recent hitting slump, finishing at a .310 clip as the Bearcats swept Villanova to earn a key BIG EAST win on Saturday afternoon at Fifth Third Arena. The victory came on the strength of 30-21, 30-20, 30-25 victories for the Bearcats. UC now stands at 12-4 overall and 3-2 in the BIG EAST with the triumph.
The victory was an important one for the Bearcats, who vault from a tie for sixth into a tie for fourth in the BIG EAST standings. Villanova falls to 9-10 overall and 3-2 in the BIG EAST with the setback.
Balance was the name of the game for the Cincinnati offense as four Bearcats finished in double figure kills, but none had more than 11. Jessie Nevitt took team-high honors with 11 on .556 hitting and added five blocks. Jessica Elley, Myanna Hellsten and Lindsey Peterson each had 10 kills, with Elley adding a match-best 12 digs for her 10th double-double of the year.
"Today was good for us getting back on the winning track," UC head coach Reed Sunahara stated. "It feels good to get revenge on them for last year too. I thought we came out strong and fought hard. An important key too was our outside hitters doing a better job with their attacks."
Cincinnati came out hot and never trailed in game one, hitting .386 on its way to a 30-21 win. The Bearcats struck early, jumping out to a 6-1 lead, with a pair of Nevitt kills spurring the early run. UC flirted with a double-digit lead many times during the frame, but could never get a lead of more than nine. A kill by Peterson ran the Cincinnati lead to 26-18 and forced the Wildcats second timeout of the game. Down the stretch, Hellsten was the dominant player, carding three of her four first game kills in the Bearcats' final four points of the game.
Game two was more of the same as the Bearcats trailed only once at 1-0. Cincinnati would score 11 of the next 15 points and held a 14-9 lead when Villanova burned its first timeout. For the balance of the game, the Bearcats would continue to build on their lead, building it a game-high 10 at the final with Elley's kill closing out the 30-20 win.
The finale would prove to be more of a challenge for the Bearcats as they hit just .226, but still took the 30-25 win. UC led early at 8-4 when Villanova called time out, but the Wildcats scored four of the next five points to force a Sunahara timeout. The score would remain close, getting to 17-15 Bearcats, when a 5-2 UC spurt ended just after a Villanova timeout. A quick 4-1 run by Villanova brought the visitors to within 26-23 as Sunahara again was forced into a stoppage. Cincinnati would recover out the break, getting a trio of Villanova miscues and a kill by Nevitt to seal the Bearcats' third BIG EAST triumph of the year.
Cincinnati, the nation's third-ranked blocking team, did little to hurt the average finishing with 9.5 team blocks in three frames. In addition to Nevitt's five, Noel Olson added four, while Jenny Custer and Elley each added three. Libero Jaime Frey ran her streak of consecutive matches in double figure digs to five, finishing with 10.
Kacy Sellers led the Villanova defense with five blocks, while Amy Guylas tacked on nine digs. UC's Olson won the battle of the setters with 35 assists, one better than the Villanova duo of Chelsea Graman and Jenna Link's combined mark.
The Bearcats return to Fifth Third Arena tomorrow afternoon, hosting Rutgers at 2 p.m. It will be White Paw White Out Day at the arena, with all fans encouraged to wear white to show their Bearcat pride.
Notes
- Series record: Tied, 2-2.
- Cincinnati's .310 hitting percentage was the squad's best since hitting .323 against Central Connecticut State on Sept. 9.
- Jessica Elley recorded her 10th double-double of the season and of her career.
- Jenny Custer (four) and Laurie Weber (two) each had season-highs in service aces.