TicketsNov. 16, 2006
BIG EAST Championship Guide in PDF Format
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SETTING THE SCENE: Cincinnati will open its second BIG EAST Volleyball Championship taking on the team that ended its first when the Bearcats face Notre Dame on Friday, Nov. 17 at 6 p.m. The match, along with all of the Championship will be held in Fifth Third Arena on UC's campus. The Bearcats, seeded fourth for the event, enter the match having won three straight to improve to 21-6 overall. Notre Dame, after a three-match losing streak that included a defeat to UC, has now won three of its last four to bring a 16-11 mark into the tournament. Both teams were part of a four-way tie for third in the BIG EAST standings at 10-4.
NOTING THE BEARCATS:
- The Bearcats are 21-6 this season and finished in a four-way tie for third in the BIG EAST at 10-4.
- Cincinnati's win over Georgetown on Nov. 10 handed the Bearcats' their 12th consecutive 20-win season.
- Jessica Elley leads a balanced Bearcats offense, averaging a career-best 3.58 kills per game and adding 3.38 digs and 1.02 blocks per game. The sophomore is one of four UC players averaging over three kills per game.
- Jaime Frey ranks second in the BIG EAST in digs per game with 5.27. She is averaging 6.10 digs per game in BIG EAST play to rank first. Twice this season, Frey has made her mark in the UC record books, setting the mark for digs in a three-game match (33) and matching the four-game record (35). She has also established a BIG EAST record for most league matches collecting at least 20 digs with eight.
- The Bearcats rank fifth nationally with 3.51 blocks per game. Sophomore Jessie Nevitt leads three players averaging over a block per game, ranking sixth in the nation at 1.73 per game through matches of Nov. 12.
- Against Georgetown on Nov. 10, Hellsten claimed 10th place on the UC career kills list with 1,046. She passes Dani Peterson (1989-92). Next on the list is former teammate Maria Pongonis with 1,065.
- Jessie Nevitt has been hot of late, averaging 3.72 kills and 1.98 blocks per game, while hitting .434 in her last 12 matches. She has won two BIG EAST Player of the Week awards during the stretch.
- With two wins over the weekend, UC extended its home court winning streak to 10.
ABOUT THE FIGHTING IRISH:
- After a three-game losing streak to St. John's, Cincinnati and Louisville, the Fighting Irish won three of their last four BIG EAST matches for a 16-11 record.
- Freshman Christina Kaelin has been Notre Dame's top offensive player with 3.43 kills per game. Adrianna Stasiuk, an All-BIG EAST performer in 2005, is back from injury and averages 3.01 kills per game.
- The Notre Dame defense features one of the BIG EAST's best liberos in Danielle Herndon. The lone senior on the Irish roster averages 5.01 digs per game.
- At the net, Justine Stremick ranks sixth in the BIG EAST with 1.40 blocks per game.
OUT FOR REVENGE: Both Cincinnati and Notre Dame will be in search of revenge during Friday's meeting. Notre Dame will be looking for redemption after a sweep by the Bearcats on Oct. 28. UC was eliminated from the 2005 BIG EAST Championship in the semi-finals by Notre Dame.
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 award. This fall, Nevitt has been even better, ranking first in the BIG EAST in blocks per game (1.73) and second in hitting percentage (.373), with both marks representing career-bests. Nevitt has been strong both offensively (double figure kills 16 times) and defensively (at least five blocks 19 times) this fall. The Kennesaw, Ga. native has been on a tear lately, averaging 3.72 kills and 1.98 blocks per game, while hitting .434 in her last 12 matches. She has had a pair of huge matches during the stretch, one a 21 kill, 14 block outing against Seton Hall (Oct. 20) and the other a 16 kill, 13 block outing vs. Georgetown (Nov. 10).
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 147-57 (.721) record at home and are 82-10 (.891) over the past eight. 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. Currently, UC is enjoying a 10-match win streak.
KEEPING UP THE TRADITION: Cincinnati continues to build on its lengthy tradition, as its Nov. 10 win over Georgetown extended the program's streak of 20-win seasons to 12. With that goal out of the way, the Bearcats now have their sites set on returning to the NCAA Tournament after a three-year absence.
THE YOUNG GET YOUNGER: With Natalie Dossman lost for the season, an already young Bearcats' squad got younger with freshman Jaime Frey assuming the starting libero position. The Cincinnati native has held her own, averaging 5.29 digs per game to rank second in the BIG EAST. She has been even better in BIG EAST matches, averaging a league-leading 6.10 digs per game in conference play. The Cincinnati native has recorded at least 20 digs in eight of 14 BIG EAST matches to set a league record for most 20+ dig performances in league play. Frey's mark of 33 digs against Notre Dame on Oct. 28 set a school record for digs in a three-game match, as she 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. After the Notre Dame outburst, Frey did it again three days later, matching Ladusaw's four-game record with 35 digs against Dayton.
SUNAHARA GETS EXTENDED: The University of Cincinnati Department of Athletics and head volleyball coach Reed Sunahara have agreed to terms on a multi-year contract extension that will keep the seventh year coach in Clifton on the Bearcat sideline. The new deal will go into affect on July 1, 2007. Sunahara has been extremely successful during his nearly seven seasons at the helm of the UC program. Already the winningest volleyball coach in school history, Sunahara has guided the Bearcats to three conference championships, four NCAA Tournament appearances and at least 20 wins each season.
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 previous outside hitters, Julie DuPont and Maria Pongonis, Elley is leading the team with 3.58 kills per game, along with 3.38 digs and 1.02 blocks per game. She had a career-best 24 kills at Pittsburgh on Nov. 3 and recorded a career-high nine blocks on Nov. 10 vs. Georgetown. 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.
IN GOOD COMPANY: Myanna Hellsten joined an elite club on Oct. 31 against Dayton, registering the 1,000th kill of her career. Hellsten is just the 12th Bearcat ever to reach the milestone. With a total of 1,053 to her credit, Hellsten now holds 10th place on UC's career kills list. She trails former teammate Maria Pongonis by 12 kills.
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 12.80 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 (4,227) and is fifth in assists per game (9.52).
BEARCATS' BLOCK PARTY: Cincinnati has hosted a season-long block party, leading the BIG EAST and ranking near the top of the national leaderboards (fifth) with 3.51 blocks per game. The duo of Jessie Nevitt and Myanna Hellsten have led the charge, averaging 1.73 and 1.41 blocks per game, respectively. Nevitt is in the top spot in the BIG EAST, taking over a slot Hellsten held most of the season. Three times 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. Nevitt did it against vs. Georgetown on Nov. 10, tying the three-game match record with 13 total blocks.
CUSTER'S CONTRIBUTIONS: Junior Jenny Custer has been a solid contributor to UC's success this season, tying for third on the team with 3.07 kills per game and adding 2.50 digs. An improvement in blocking has also been key, as Custer is averaging a career-best 1.02 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 seven double-doubles this year to push her career total to 17.