TicketsOct. 31, 2006
CINCINNATI, Ohio---Myanna Hellsten topped 1,000 career kills and Jaime Frey tied a school record for digs, highlighting Cincinnati's important four-game win over Dayton on Tuesday night. The win, by scores of 30-27, 28-30, 30-25, 30-23, improves the Bearcats record to 18-5 and drops the Flyers mark to 20-7.
The victory was the Bearcats' fifth straight and will be a nice addition to the team's NCAA Tournament resume. Jenny Custer led a balanced offensive attack with 15 kills, while adding 10 digs and hitting .317. Jessica Elley had a double-double of her own, totaling 14 kills and 16 digs. Hellsten added 12 kills with a .417 hitting percentage, while Lindsey Peterson tacked on 11 kills.
The story for the Bearcats was defense, largely against Dayton All-American Faye Barhorst. Barhorst did tie for match-high honors with 15 kills, but a solid UC defensive game plan held the nation's third-best hitter to just .158 hitting. Cincinnati did lots of damage at the net, finishing with 15.5 team blocks, including nine by Jessie Nevitt. Along the backline, Frey tied Trish Ladusaw's school record for digs in a four-game match with 35, just two matches after breaking the latter's mark for three-game tilts.
"Tonight we competed and executed pretty well," UC head coach Reed Sunahara said. "Our blocking was good and we were able to limit a very good player in Faye Barhorst. The great thing was everyone contributed. We didn't just count on one or two players and that made the difference."
Game one was a nail-biter despite the Bearcats holding a significant .366 to .170 hitting cushion. The early advantage fell in the favor of Dayton, but wouldn't last as the Bearcats used a 7-2 run to go in front 16-13. The visitors marched back, tying the score as late as 23, before a 5-0 UC spurt pushed the hosts within two points of victory. Leading 28-23, Cincinnati had a tough time closing, allowing Dayton to crawl within a single marker. After four straight Flyer points, Peterson dropped a kill and Hellsten followed with one of her own to secure the victory.
The Bearcats looked like a different team in game two, hitting just .118 to the Flyers' .229. UC got off to a fast start as back-to-back Custer aces produced a UD timeout at 11-7. After the break, things went downhill for the Bearcats as Dayton plowed through a 13-5 run that opened a 20-16 advantage. Cincinnati fought back to go up 24-23 on a Noel Olson ace, but four straight Dayton points put the Flyers in control. UC retaliated with three of its own points to show a 27-all score. Barhorst and Custer then traded kills, but an error by the latter set up Dayton game point. Jamie-Lee Richards then delivered her ninth kill of the night and the match was even at a game apiece.
Cincinnati flexed its offensive muscle in game three; hitting an impressive .342 in a frame it led wire-to-wire. UC's outside hitting trio of Elley, Peterson and Custer came to life in the game, combining for 14 kills. The Bearcats went to work early, racing to a 9-3 lead, only to see Dayton cut it to 12-10. UC pulled away slightly at 18-13, but UD got within a point as late as 21-20. Four straight points put the hosts in the driver's seat and a Custer kill sealed the 30-25 triumph.
The question for the Bearcats in game four was where did the offense go, as UC hit only .156. There was no doubt the defense was strong as the Bearcats held Dayton to .033 hitting and recorded five blocks. The score was tight early, but the Bearcats drew to a comfortable 20-11 lead, only to see Dayton score four straight to make it a bit more uncomfortable. Later, UC set up match point on a kill by Olson, but Dayton stayed alive with three straight points. The Bearcats wouldn't be denied, however as Custer finished with her 15th kill on the final match point.
In addition to Barhorst's 15 kills, Dayton also got 15 from Jamie-Lee Richards, but the latter hit just .064. Robynne Green with 13 and Nicole Bateman with 11 also were in double figure kills for UD. Adrienne Green led the defense with 26 digs, while Robynne Green tacked on six blocks.
Cincinnati will try to keep its recent momentum rolling, traveling to Pittsburgh on Friday for an important BIG EAST match-up. Two of the three teams tied for fourth in the league will collide beginning at 7 p.m.
Notes
- Series record: Cincinnati leads, 20-17-1.
- Myanna Hellsten became just the 12th player in school history to accumulate 1,000 career kills, finishing the match with 1,009.
- Jaime Frey tied a UC four-game record for digs with 35. The mark was a career-high and equaled the most digs ever recorded by a Cincinnati player.
- Noel Olson topped the 4,000 assist mark for her career, becoming only the second UC player to achieve the feat.
- Jenny Custer (5th of season; 15th of career) and Jessica Elley (14th of season and career) each had double-doubles.
- Olson's four assists were a season-high.
- The Bearcats improved to 17-6 against teams from the state of Ohio during Reed Sunahara's coaching tenure.