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Bearcats Welcome No. 2 Stanford To Fifth Third Arena

Bearcats Welcome No. 2 Stanford To Fifth Third ArenaBearcats Welcome No. 2 Stanford To Fifth Third Arena

Sept. 11, 2007

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SETTING THE SCENE: Cincinnati takes on the challenging task of facing the nation's second-ranked team when the Bearcats return home to face Stanford on Wednesday night (Sept. 12) in Fifth Third Arena. Match time is set for 7:30 p.m. The Bearcats won two of their three matches at last weekend's Panther Invitational to claim runner-up honors and improve to 7-3 on the year. Stanford, last season's NCAA National Runner-Up is the highest-ranked opponent ever to play volleyball on Cincinnati's campus and is 7-0 for the year.

NOTING THE BEARCATS:

  • The Bearcats are led by two-time honorable mention all-American Jessie Nevitt, who ranks among the BIG EAST leaders in hitting, kills and blocks. The junior is third in both hitting (.366) and blocks (1.51 per game), while ranking seventh with 4.17 kills per game.
  • Libero Jaime Frey has come on strong of late, moving into a tie for third in the BIG EAST with 4.71 digs per game. Frey set a Panther Invitational record with 35 digs vs. Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Sept. 7).
  • Cincinnati has earned BIG EAST weekly awards in two of the first three weeks of the season. Jessie Nevitt was named player of the week on Aug. 27, while Annie Fesl picked up freshman of the week on Sept. 3.
  • Three freshmen-setter Fesl, outside hitter Stephanie Niemer and middle blocker Lindsay Upton-have joined the Bearcats starting line-up. The trio is combining for 5.37 kills, 3.49 digs, 0.91 aces and 1.40 blocks per game this season, while Fesl is averaging 13.83 assists per game.

NOTING THE CARDINAL:

  • The Cardinal offense features three players averaging over four kills per game, including reigning Pac-10 Player of the Week Foluke Akinradewo (4.09, .533 hitting). Alix Klineman (4.26) and Cynthia Barboza (4.17) are also over four kills per game.
  • Stanford's setter is Cincinnati native and St. Ursula graduate Bryn Kehoe. Kehoe is averaging 14.61 assists per game this year.
  • The Cardinal have defeated ranked teams in six of their seven matches this year and have lost only two games this season.

MAKING A FIRST IMPRESSION: The Bearcats' freshmen trio of Annie Fesl, Stephanie Niemer and Lindsay Upton have made quite the first impression during their first season of collegiate competition. A look at each's first taste of college:

  • Fesl has already won a BIG EAST Freshman of the Week award (Sept. 3) and ranks second in the league with 13.83 assists per game. Against TCU on Sept. 1, Fesl finished with career highs of 69 assists and five blocks.
  • Niemer has shown signs of greatness and ranks third on the team with 3.11 kills per game. The Erlanger, Ky. native has been stout of late, putting together two of her best performances of the season in the last two matches. Niemer exploded for career-highs of 19 kills and seven digs at Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Sept. 7 and came back the next day against Virginia Tech with 14 kills on a career-best .393 hitting.
  • Upton cracked the starting six against Maryland on Aug. 25 and has been a solid player in the middle opposite of Jessie Nevitt. She has reached double figures in kills three times and is averaging 1.91 kills, 0.77 digs and 0.49 blocks per game. In addition, Upton is second on the squad with a .314 hitting percentage and is tied for third with 10 aces.

CUSTER'S LAST STAND: Senior Jenny Custer has been a regular contributor during her Bearcat career and will try to save her best season for last in 2007. Now in her third year as a starter, Custer averaged over three kills and two digs per game in each of the last two years. She showed improved blocking ability in 2006 with a career-high 1.00 blocks per game. In the early stages of the 2007 season, Custer is listed fourth on the Bearcats with 2.62 kills per game, while adding 1.91 digs and 0.65 blocks per game. She is also listed in the BIG EAST with 0.59 service aces per game. After a recent cold stretch, Custer broke out for 16 kills on .308 hitting against Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Sept. 7.

HOME COURT HEROES: Cincinnati has enjoyed a strong home court advantage since the opening of Fifth Third Arena in 1989. In the 17-plus years the building has been in existence, the Bearcats have posted a 151-58 (.722) record at home and are 86-11 (.887) over the past eight-plus seasons. 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, 2006 snapped the Bearcats' 10-match home court win streak. The Bearcats ended last year with a 13-2 home mark.

EXPERIENCE MATTERS: For the Bearcats to succeed this season, UC will have to find a way to support all-American Jessie Nevitt offensively. One player with the experience to do that is junior outside hitter Jessica Elley. Elley enjoyed a breakout 2006 season and recently joined the top-10 on the UC career digs per game list with 2.89 per game. This season, Elley ranks second on the squad in both kills (3.12) and digs (3.24) per game. Already with six double doubles this year, Elley had a career-best 24 digs vs. Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Sept. 7, while adding a season-high 15 kills.

ON THE HORIZON: If all goes according to plan, head coach Reed Sunahara will add another milestone to his coaching resume this season. Now in his eighth-year as the Bearcat boss, Sunahara needs just 13 more victories to reach 200 for his career. Already the winningest coach in program history, Sunahara has guided UC to four NCAA Tournament appearances and three conference regular season titles.

TRYING FOR THREE STRAIGHT: Junior Jessie Nevitt is making a push for her third straight All-American honor with her play in 2007. A look at some of Nevitt's accomplishments this season:

  • Ranks among the BIG EAST leaders in hitting percentage (3rd-.366), blocks per game (3rd-1.51) and kills per game (7th-4.17).
  • Named MVP of the State Farm Bearcats Invitational and to the all-tournament team at the Panther Invitational.
  • Tabbed BIG EAST Player of the Week on Aug. 27 and to the weekly honor roll on Sept. 3 and Sept. 10.
  • Recorded a career-high 21 kills in just three games in UC's win over Bradley (Sept. 7). Has double figure kills in eight of the Bearcats' 10 matches this season.
  • Has five performances of at least five blocks in a match, including a season-best nine at Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Sept. 7).
  • Became the 22nd player in program history with 850 career kills during UC's win over Virginia Tech (Sept. 8).
  • Cracked the top-10 on the UC career block assists chart, rising to seventh place with 341.

PICKING UP THE "D": The Bearcats have picked up the defense as of late, particularly on the back line as they are averaging 17.36 digs per game in their last three matches. Libero Jaime Frey has been instrumental during the surge, averaging 6.45 digs per game to climb into a tie for third in the BIG EAST with 4.71 per game. On the blocks, the Bearcats are averaging 2.68 blocks per game in the last three contests, including two matches of 10 or more blocks. Jessie Nevitt and Jessica Elley have been the leaders, carding over one block per game apiece.

NEVITT NAMED TO PRESEASON ALL-BIG EAST SQUAD: Junior middle blocker Jessie Nevitt was Cincinnati's lone representative on the preseason all-BIG EAST squad, selected by the league coaches. A two-time first team all-league choice, Nevitt led the BIG EAST in blocks per game (1.68) last year and was second with a .367 hitting percentage.

BEARCATS PICKED SIXTH IN BIG EAST POLL: The 2007 preseason BIG EAST Conference coaches poll was a disappointment for Cincinnati as the Bearcats were selected to finish sixth in the league. The mark represented the lowest in-conference ranking the Bearcats have received since Reed Sunahara took over as head coach in 2000. UC finished last year tied for third in the BIG EAST and returns eight letterwinners, including four starters. Notre Dame was a one-point favorite to win the league title over Louisville, with St. John's, Pittsburgh and Marquette rounding out the top five.