TicketsOct. 19, 2006
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
SETTING THE SCENE: Cincinnati, in need of a BIG EAST win to climb back into the top-five in the league standings, continues a five-match homestand on Friday, hosting Seton Hall at 7:30 p.m. The Bearcats hold an overall record of 14-5, but are tied for seventh in the BIG EAST with a 4-3 league mark. Seton Hall comes into the match on a modest two-game win streak to improve to 13-9 overall. The Pirates have lost four of their last five league matches for a 2-4 league record. Live audio for the match will be available on GoBEARCATS.com, as Tommy Gelehrter will have the call beginning with the pre-game show at 7:15 p.m.
NOTING THE BEARCATS:
- The Bearcats are 14-5 this season, but have slipped into a tie for seventh in the BIG EAST at 4-3.
- Jessica Elley leads the Cincinnati offense, averaging a career-best 3.61 kills per game and adding 3.31 digs and 0.98 blocks per game. After a strong performance in wins over Villanova and Rutgers on Oct. 7-8, Elley has been limited to just 14 kills in the last two matches.
- Jaime Frey ranks seventh in the BIG EAST in digs per game with 4.56. She is averaging 5.64 digs per game in BIG EAST play to rank second.
- The Bearcats rank fifth nationally with 3.48 blocks per game. Senior Myanna Hellsten leads three players averaging over a block per game, ranking 15th in the nation at 1.59 per game. Jessie Nevitt is 19th nationally with 1.52 blocks per game, through matches of Oct. 15.
- Against IUPUI on Tuesday night, Noel Olson took over second place on the UC career assists list, passing Paige Pees. Olson finished the evening with 3,859, eight better than Pees' total.
- Jessie Nevitt has been Cincinnati's most steady player as of late, averaging a team-high 4.00 kills and 1.58 blocks per game, while hitting .494 in her last three matches.
ABOUT THE PIRATES:
- Seton Hall is tied for eighth in the BIG EAST with a 2-4 league mark, but a two-game win streak has improved the Pirates' record to 13-9 overall.
- The Pirates' roster features a trio of Ohio natives, including sophomore Tricia Meyers of Cincinnati's Mother of Mercy High School. Jessica Pompei (Fairview Park) and Kelly Widders are also Buckeye natives.
- Meyers leads SHU in kills (3.88) and hitting (.370) and adds 1.07 blocks per game.
MALDO'S BACK: UC fans received a surprise at Tuesday night's match against IUPUI as junior Erin Maldo made her first start of the year. Maldo recorded five digs in her first live action since off-season shoulder surgery.
BEARCATS WITH THE ACE: The Bearcats used an alternative scoring weapon in their win over IUPUI on Tuesday, recording a season-high 15 aces in three games. Jenny Custer and her jump serve stymied the Jaguars for a career-best seven aces, while Myanna Hellsten and Noel Olson added three apiece. The total was the most recorded by the Bearcats since burning Washington State for 17 on Sept. 10, 2004.
HERE TODAY, GONE TOMORROW: Cincinnati's hitting over the last five matches has been a model of inconsistency, with the team hitting over .300 three times, but also hitting just .091 at St. John's on Oct. 1 and .167 at Louisville on Oct. 13. During the stretch, the Bearcats are hitting a combined .236.
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. One more win will give the Bearcats 13 straight years with 15 wins. 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.
BEARCATS' BLOCK PARTY: Cincinnati has hosted a season-long block party, leading the BIG EAST and ranking near the top (fifth) nationally with 3.48 blocks per game. Senior Myanna Hellsten has been at the center, as she is atop the BIG EAST leaderboard with 1.56 per game. In the BIG EAST rankings, UC has two in the top-five with Hellsten and Jessie Nevitt (4th-1.55) ranked. UC set or matched several blocks records on Sept. 2 at Bradley as Hellsten recorded a record 12 in a three-game sweep of the Braves. 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 climbed to second on UC's career total blocks (516) and block assists (456) lists, but has struggled lately, totaling just four blocks in the last three matches.
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 3.61 kills per game, along with 3.31 digs and 0.98 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.
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 (4th-1.55) and hitting percentage (6th-.354). She has also added a career-high 3.00 kills per game. She has been an integral part of UC's nationally-ranked blocking, totaling over five in a match 13 times. Offensively, Nevitt has reached double figures in kills 11 times, while hitting over .400 on 10 occasions. Nevitt has been the steadiest Bearcat as of late, averaging a team-high 4.00 kills and 1.58 blocks per game, while hitting .494 in her four matches.
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. Setter Noel Olson has been outstanding in the matches, averaging 13.94 assists per game in the four contests.
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 12.66 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 second in school history in career assists (3,859) and sixth in assists per game (9.28).
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 141-57 (.712) record at home and are 76-10 (.884) 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.
CUSTER'S CONTRIBUTIONS: Junior Jenny Custer has been a solid contributor to UC's success this season, ranking second on the team with 3.03 kills per game and adding 2.38 digs. An improvement in blocking has also been key, as Custer is averaging a career-best 1.03 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. Custer was at her best with a career-high 22 kills 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.
NOTRE DAME MATCH EARLY: The Bearcats' match against Notre Dame, scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 28, will begin at 10 a.m. as part of UC's Homecoming festivities.
THE YOUNG GET YOUNGER: With Natalie Dossman lost for the season, an already young Bearcats' squad got younger with freshman Jaime Frey now assuming the starting libero position. The Cincinnati native has held her own, averaging 4.56 digs per game to rank seventh in the BIG EAST. She has been even better in BIG EAST matches, averaging 5.64 digs per game in conference play to rank second. The Cincinnati native has recorded at least 20 digs in four BIG EAST matches, including a career-high 29 in consecutive contests against Connecticut and Syracuse. On Aug. 28, Frey was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll after recording 26 digs against No. 10 UCLA.
OH WHAT A DAY: Sept. 24 turned out to be a very good day for four members of the UC roster as Jenny Custer, Jaime Frey, Myanna Hellsten and Noel Olson all recorded career-highs. Custer (22) and Hellsten (17) each had personal-bests in kills, due in part to a career-high 67 assists from Olson. Frey anchored the defense with 29 digs, three higher than her prior best.