TicketsOct. 30, 2006
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SETTING THE SCENE: The University of Cincinnati volleyball team opens a busy week with a tough, non-conference challenge when the Bearcats entertain Dayton on Tuesday, Oct. 31 at 7:30 p.m. The Bearcats have won four straight matches, including the team's first-ever win over Notre Dame, to improve to 17-5 this season. A pair of league wins allowed the Bearcats to jump into a three-way tie for fourth in the BIG EAST at 7-3. Dayton leads the Atlantic 10 this season with a 20-6 overall record and a 10-1 mark in league play.
NOTING THE BEARCATS:
- The Bearcats are 17-5 this season and have climbed to a tie for fourth in the BIG EAST at 7-3.
- Jessica Elley leads the Cincinnati offense, averaging a career-best 3.62 kills per game and adding 3.32 digs and 0.97 blocks per game.
- Jaime Frey ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in digs per game with 4.95. She is averaging 6.14 digs per game in BIG EAST play to rank first.
- The Bearcats rank third nationally with 3.47 blocks per game. Sophomore Jessie Nevitt leads three players averaging over a block per game, ranking 10th in the nation at 1.64 per game. Myanna Hellsten is 20th nationally with 1.46 blocks per game, through matches of Oct. 22.
- Jessie Nevitt has been red hot as of late, averaging a team-high 4.32 kills and 1.89 blocks per game, while hitting .468 in her last eight matches.
- In UC's win against DePaul on Oct. 29, head coach Reed Sunahara earned the 175th victory of his coaching career.
- Frey set a school record against Notre Dame, accumulating 33 digs in three games. The mark is nine better than the previous best set by Trish Ladusaw in 2000.
ABOUT THE FLYERS:
- Dayton has won 11 of its last 12 matches, with the only blemish a loss to Xavier last Thursday. The Flyers stand at 20-6 overall and 10-1 in the Atlantic 10 Conference.
- Faye Barhorst is Dayton's top player both offensively and defensively, averaging a team-best 3.90 kills and 1.29 blocks per game. Barhorst, the 2005 A-10 Player of the Year, is among the nation's leaders with a .459 hitting percentage.
- Libero Adrienne Green is also sharp on defense, averaging a team-leading 4.50 digs per game.
HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?: If Cincinnati wanted balance in its offense, then it got it against Notre Dame and DePaul over the weekend. In the two matches, the trio of Jessica Elley, Myanna Hellsten and Jessie Nevitt had the same amount of kills in each match. Against Notre Dame, the threesome totaled 13 each and followed it up with 11 apiece a day later against DePaul.
FREY EARNS BIG EAST NOD: Freshman Jaime Frey was recognized for her record breaking performance over the weekend as she was named the BIG EAST Rookie of the Week. In UC's two weekend matches, Frey averaged an astounding 8.67 digs per game. She played the best game of her short career in UC's first-ever win over Notre Dame, a school record 33 digs in three games. She added 19 digs a day later in the Bearcats victory over DePaul.
NOTRE DAME WIN A BIG ONE: Cincinnati earned one of its most impressive wins of the Reed Sunahara era on Oct. 28 as the Bearcats swept Notre Dame. The win was big on two fronts, as it was UC's first-ever against the Irish and was also Notre Dame's 11th BIG EAST loss since joining the conference 11 years ago. Notre Dame was 149-10 in 10+ seasons in the BIG EAST prior to the match.
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, tying for first the BIG EAST in blocks per game (1.64) and ranking second in hitting percentage (.372), with both marks representing career-bests. Nevitt was been strong both offensively (double figure kills 13 times) and defensively (at least five blocks 15 times) this fall. The Kennesaw, Ga. native has been on a tear lately averaging a team-high 4.32 kills and 1.89 blocks per game, while hitting .468 in her last six 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.
BEARCATS' BLOCK PARTY: Cincinnati has hosted a season-long block party, ranking near the top of the BIG EAST (third) and national leaderboards with 3.47 blocks per game. The duo of Jessie Nevitt and Myanna Hellsten have led the charge, averaging 1.64 and 1.46 blocks per game, respectively. Nevitt is now tied for the top spot in the BIG EAST, taking over a slot Hellsten has held all season. The latter now ranks fourth. 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.
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 4.95 digs per game to rank fourth in the BIG EAST. She has been even better in BIG EAST matches, averaging a league-leading 6.14 digs per game in conference play. The Cincinnati native has recorded at least 20 digs in six of 10 BIG EAST matches, including a career-high 33 in a win over Notre Dame. The mark against the Irish also set a school record for digs in a three-game match, as Frey shattered Trish Ladusaw's six-year old record of 24. For her efforts, she was named BIG EAST Rookie of the Week on Oct. 30.
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 12.73 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 (3,991) and is fifth in assists per game (9.37).
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 144-57 (.716) record at home and are 79-10 (.888) 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.
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.
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 3.62 kills per game, along with 3.32 digs and 0.97 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.
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.
BEARCATS WITH THE ACE: The Bearcats have seen an increased productivity from the service line lately as they have registered 35 in the last four matches. Jenny Custer and her jump serve have been working well as the junior has 16 to move her into first place in the BIG EAST with 0.59 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. Three days later vs. Seton Hall, Custer tied a school three-game record with seven aces in a sweep of the Pirates.
CUSTER'S CONTRIBUTIONS: Junior Jenny Custer has been a solid contributor to UC's success this season, ranking fourth on the team with 2.91 kills per game and adding 2.35 digs. An improvement in blocking has also been key, as Custer is averaging a career-best 1.05 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.