TicketsSept. 1, 2007
ORONO, Maine--Cincinnati overcame a two games to none deficit but couldn't complete a game five comeback as the Bearcats dropped their first match of the year to TCU on Saturday at the Maine Invitational. UC fell by scores of 27-30, 28-30, 30-18, 30-25, 10-15 in slipping to 5-1 on the season.
The Bearcats came out of the gates slow, hitting a combined .170 in the first two frames. UC roared back to life in games three and four, hitting a two-game percentage of .397, only to disappear in the finale to the tune of .050 hitting.
Jessie Nevitt did her part for the Bearcats, finishing with 20 kills and six blocks, while hitting .325. Lindsey Peterson came off the bench to match her career-high with 15 kills, while Jessica Elley and Jenny Custer ended with 14 apiece. Lindsay Upton turned in a career-high 12 kills on .500 hitting.
What Cincinnati didn't have an answer for was TCU sophomore outside hitter Lauren Otto who scorched the Bearcats for 20 kills on .390 hitting. LeMeita Smith added 14 kills, but needed 50 attempts and finished hitting just .140.
The first game was a barn burner that showed in Cincinnati's favor as big as 16-13. After the Horned Frogs assumed the lead at 18-17 on a Smith kill, the Bearcats tried to play catch-up for the remainder of the frame. Late in the going, kills by Elley, Stephanie Niemer and Custer drew the Bearcats within 27-26, but TCU scored three of the last four points to take game one.
The second stanza was more of a see-saw battle then the first, with the final count showing 14 tie scores and seven lead changes. Nevitt broke the 12th tie of the game with a kill that put the Bearcats in front 27-26. Smith and Otto answered with kills that pushed the Frogs back up one, but Nevitt again tied it with a kill. Otto came back with another one and then she combined with Devon Kirk on a block of Upton to send TCU to a 30-28 victory.
The Bearcats turned game three into a runaway with a 10-0 run that pushed the lead to 27-14. The Frogs did nothing to help themselves during the spurt, committing five errors. Two kills by Upton and one by Peterson aided in the Bearcat attack. UC closed game three with a kill by Custer for the 30-18 victory.
Cincinnati led from start to finish in game four, but had to stave out a late TCU rally to even the match at two. Already leading by six, the Bearcats doubled their lead with a 6-0 run that pushed the advantage to 21-9. UC needed just two more points for victory at 28-16, when the Frogs burst back into the game with seven straight points to cut the deficit to five. TCU gave the Bearcats game point with a service error, but kills by Christy Hudson and Kirk kept the Horned Frogs alive. Peterson finally stopped the bleeding for UC when she buried a kill to set up game five.
With the momentum on its side following two straight game victories, UC seemed to have the advantage headed to game five, but TCU had other plans as it hit .429 for the game. The Bearcats took their final lead at 3-2, only to see the Frogs score nine of the next 11 points to open a comfortable 11-5 edge. TCU got to match point at 14-6 on a Kirk ace, but Cincinnati stayed alive with four straight points. Kourtney Edwards then handed TCU the win when she dropped her ninth kill of the match.
Annie Fesl had another strong performance from her setter position for UC, dishing out 69 assists, posting nine digs and adding a career-high five blocks. Elley turned in her fourth double-double of the year and the 20th of her career with 14 kills and 19 digs. Custer had her second double-double of the year and her 20th career, adding 10 digs to her 14 kills. Jaime Frey led all players with 19 digs for the Bearcats.
Otto paced the TCU defense with 18 digs, while Edwards had a match-best seven blocks.
The road gets no easier for the Bearcats who must travel to Dayton on Tuesday night for a 7 p.m. match. The Flyers enter Saturday with a 4-0 record after sweeping No. 17 Purdue on the Boilermakers' home floor on Friday night.