TicketsDec. 1, 2006
Final Notes and Updated Bios in PDF Format
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SETTING THE SCENE: The 2006 season for the University of Cincinnati volleyball team will be remembered as a succesful one, as despite a disappointing finish, the Bearcats posted a 22-7 record, finishing tied for third in the BIG EAST. While fielding a young team-four starters had one year or less of significant experience-head coach Reed Sunahara still guided his charges to the program's 12th consecutive 20-win season. With five of seven starters joining a strong recruiting class, the 2007 season, and those beyond should contain continued success for Cincinnati Volleyball.
NOTING THE BEARCATS:
- The Bearcats posted a 22-7 record and finished in a four-way tie for third in the BIG EAST at 10-4. UC fell in the quarterfinals of the BIG EAST Championship to Notre Dame.
- Cincinnati's win over Georgetown on Nov. 10 handed the Bearcats their 12th consecutive 20-win season.
- Jessica Elley led a balanced Bearcats offense, averaging a career-best 3.54 kills per game and adding 3.37 digs and 0.99 blocks per game.
- Jaime Frey ranked first in the BIG EAST in digs per game with 5.43. She averaged 6.10 digs per game in BIG EAST play to also rank first. Three times this season, Frey made her mark in the UC record books, setting the mark for digs in a three-game (33) and five-game match (37) 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 10th nationally with 3.41 blocks per game. Sophomore Jessie Nevitt led three players averaging over a block per game, ranking sixth in the nation at 1.68 per game through matches of Dec. 3.
- Nevitt (first team) and seniors Myanna Hellsten and Noel Olson (both second team) earned All-BIG EAST honors.
- The Bearcats set or matched a total of seven different single-match individual or team blocks records.
- Cincinnati held a 13-2 record at home, losing only to No. 10 UCLA and in the BIG EAST Championship quarterfinals to Notre Dame. In between, UC won 10 straight in Fifth Third Arena.
- The Bearcats held a record of 7-2 against regional rivals, including the program's first-ever win over Notre Dame.
- Hellsten joined exclusive company, becoming just the 12th player in school history with 1,000 career kills. She finished her career with 1,071, ranking ninth in UC's annals.
- The Bearcats participated in the Dig for a Cure program on Nov. 12, raising over $900 for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
BEARCATS EARN BIG EAST HONORS: Led by Jessie Nevitt's first team selection, a trio of Cincinnati players were named to the All-BIG EAST squads. Nevitt was joined on the All-BIG EAST teams by seniors Myanna Hellsten and Noel Olson, who both received second team laurels. Nevitt became just the sixth UC player ever to earn all-conference first team honors at least twice during her career. Hellsten was an all-conference selection for the second time in her career, with Olson being honored for the first time.
NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP: As a redshirt freshman in 2005, Jessie Nevitt was outstanding, earning first team All-BIG EAST honors and winning the league's rookie of the year award. In 2006, Nevitt was even better, again earning first team All-BIG EAST honors and ranking first in the conference in blocks per game (1.68) and second in hitting percentage (.367). Nevitt was a force both offensively (double figure kills 18 times) and defensively (at least five blocks 21 times). The Kennesaw, Ga. native finished the season on a tear, averaging 3.74 kills and 1.82 blocks per game, while hitting .409 in the last 14 matches of the year. She 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).
KEEPING UP THE TRADITION: Cincinnati continued to build on its lengthy tradition, as its Nov. 10 win over Georgetown extended the program's streak of 20-win seasons to 12. UC will enter next season, just one victory shy of the 750th win in program history.
HOME COURT HEROICS: Cincinnati has enjoyed a strong home court advantage since the opening of Fifth Third Arena in 1989. In the 17 years the building has been in existence, the Bearcats have posted a 148-58 (.718) record at home and are 83-11 (.883) over the past eight seasons. 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. UC's loss to Notre Dame in the BIG EAST Championship on Nov. 17 snapped the Bearcats' 10-match home court win streak.
THE YOUNG GET YOUNGER: When Natalie Dossman was lost for the season in the third match of the year, an already young Bearcats' squad got younger with freshman Jaime Frey assuming the starting libero position. The Cincinnati native held her own, averaging a BIG EAST-best 5.38 digs per game. She was even better in BIG EAST matches, averaging a league-leading 6.10 digs per game in conference play. The Cincinnati native 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. After a career-best 37 dig performance against Notre Dame on Nov. 19, Frey now holds or shares the UC records for most digs in a three-game (33 vs. Notre Dame, Oct. 28), four-game (35 vs. Dayton, Oct. 31) and five-game (37 vs. Notre Dame, Nov. 17) match. She was also named the BIG EAST Rookie of the Week on Oct. 30.
THE NEW KID IN TOWN: Sophomore Jessica Elley is on the fast track to stardom after her play in 2006. Following in the footsteps of previous outside hitters, Julie DuPont and Maria Pongonis, Elley led the team with 3.54 kills per game, while adding 3.37 digs and 0.99 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. She also posted the first 15 double-doubles of her career. 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 1,071 to her credit, Hellsten finished her career ranked ninth on UC's career kills list.
IN GOOD HANDS: Senior setter Noel Olson wrapped up a steady career with a season to remember in 2006. The second team All-BIG EAST selection showed steady improvement each year and averaged a BIG EAST-best 12.71 assists per game this year. Olson will go down as one of the top setters in program history, as she ranks second in school history in career assists (4,345) and is fifth in assists per game (9.57).
BEARCATS' BLOCK PARTY: Cincinnati hosted a season-long block party, ranking near the top of the BIG EAST (third) and national (ninth) leaderboards with 3.41 blocks per game. The duo of Jessie Nevitt and Myanna Hellsten led the charge, averaging 1.68 and 1.37 blocks per game, respectively. Nevitt held the top spot in the BIG EAST, taking over a slot Hellsten held most of the season. Three times this season, UC set or matched several blocks records. On Sept. 2 at Bradley, Hellsten posted 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 was a solid contributor to UC's success this season, ranking third on the team with 3.02 kills per game and adding 2.43 digs. An improvement in blocking was also key, as Custer averaged a career-best 1.00 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. She also finished the season ranked third in the BIG EAST with 0.51 service aces per game.