TicketsOct. 25, 2006
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
SETTING THE SCENE: Cincinnati continues a five-match homestand this weekend, hosting Notre Dame and DePaul in BIG EAST action at Fifth Third Arena. The Bearcats have been victorious in four of their last five matches, improving to 15-5 overall and 5-3 in league play. UC will be looking to improve on its seventh place standing in the BIG EAST with victories this weekend. Notre Dame (13-8, 7-1 BIG EAST), the preseason favorite to win the BIG EAST, will visit at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 28, with the match against DePaul (5-19, 0-8 BIG EAST) a day later at 2 p.m.
NOTING THE BEARCATS:
- The Bearcats are 15-5 this season, but are seventh in the BIG EAST at 5-3.
- Jessica Elley leads the Cincinnati offense, averaging a career-best 3.59 kills per game and adding 3.19 digs and 0.99 blocks per game.
- Jaime Frey ranks fifth in the BIG EAST in digs per game with 4.62. She is averaging 5.62 digs per game in BIG EAST play to rank third.
- The Bearcats rank third nationally with 3.56 blocks per game. Sophomore Jessie Nevitt leads three players averaging over a block per game, ranking 10th in the nation at 1.66 per game. Myanna Hellsten is 20th nationally with 1.53 blocks per game, through matches of Oct. 22.
- Jessie Nevitt has been red hot as of late, averaging a team-high 4.46 kills and 2.15 blocks per game, while hitting .500 in her last four matches.
ABOUT THE FIGHTING IRISH:
- Notre Dame has lost three of four, including two to No. 15 Hawai'i and one to BIG EAST-leading St. John's to fall to 13-8 overall. The Irish are tied for second in the conference standings at 7-1.
- Freshman Christina Kaelin leads the Irish with 3.71 kills per game, while preseason all-conference choice Adrianna Stasiuk adds 3.21. Danielle Herndon (5.16 digs per game) and Justine Stremick (1.42 blocks per game) lead the defense.
ABOUT THE BLUE DEMONS:
- DePaul has lost 12 of its last 13 to fall to 5-19 and are last in the BIG EAST at 0-8. The Blue Demons will be trying to snap a four-match losing streak to the Bearcats.
- Morgan Ingersoll has enjoyed a solid campaign, tying for sixth in the BIG EAST with 4.06 kills per game. Defensively, Ellen Hayes leads the team in digs (3.88 per game), while Stacy Pando adds 0.72 blocks per game.
BEARCATS WITH THE ACE: The last two matches have seen an increased productivity from the service line for the Bearcats as they have registered 28 in the last two matches. Jenny Custer and her jump serve have been working well as the junior has exactly half of the total to move her into first place in the BIG EAST with 0.62 per game. Against IUPUI on Oct. 17, UC tallied 15, the most recorded by the Bearcats since burning Washington State for 17 on Sept. 10, 2004.
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, Nevitt has been even better, leading the BIG EAST in blocks per game (1.66) and ranking second in hitting percentage (.369), with both marks representing career-bests. Nevitt was been strong both offensively (double figure kills 11 times) and defensively (at least five blocks 14 times. The Kennesaw, Ga. native has been on a tear lately averaging a team-high 4.46 kills and 2.15 blocks per game, while hitting .500 in her last four matches. She had a huge match vs. Seton Hall on Oct. 20, setting a career-high with 21 kills and breaking three school records with 14 blocks.
KEEPING UP THE TRADITION: UC's win on Oct. 20 against Seton Hall pushed the Bearcats to the 15-victory plateau for the season, marking 13 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.
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 a BIG EAST-best 12.63 assists per game. Olson will go down as one of the top setters in program history, as she ranks second in school history in career assists (3,908) and is tied for sixth in assists per game (9.30).
BEARCATS' BLOCK PARTY: Cincinnati has hosted a season-long block party, leading the BIG EAST and ranking near the top (third) nationally with 3.56 blocks per game. The duo of Jessie Nevitt and Myanna Hellsten have led the charge, averaging 1.66 and 1.53 blocks per game, respectively. Nevitt now holds the top spot in the BIG EAST, taking over a slot Hellsten has held all season. The latter now ranks third. Twice this season, UC has set or matched several blocks records. On Sept. 2 at Bradley Hellsten recorded a record 12 and the Bearcats set marks for most total blocks (22.0) and block assists (36) in a three-game match. On Oct. 20 vs. Seton Hall, Nevitt set four-game records for block assists (12) and total blocks (14), with the second mark equalling the highest in any match by a UC player.
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 142-57 (.714) record at home and are 77-10 (.885) 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.
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 4.62 digs per game to rank fifth in the BIG EAST. She has been even better in BIG EAST matches, averaging 5.62 digs per game in conference play to rank third. The Cincinnati native has recorded at least 20 digs in five of eight 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.
CUSTER'S CONTRIBUTIONS: Junior Jenny Custer has been a solid contributor to UC's success this season, tying for third on the team with 2.97 kills per game and adding 2.31 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. 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.
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 3.59 kills per game, along with 3.19 digs and 0.99 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.
A BAD DAY AT THE OFFICE: Cincinnati's last meeting with Notre Dame was a forgettable one as the Irish bumped the Bearcats from the 2005 BIG EAST Tournament. UC hit -.057 during the match, with Jessie Nevitt's 10 kills and six blocks the only bright spot. Nevitt's performance served as redemption for her as she has held to one kill and -.333 hitting in the regular season meeting between the schools.