TicketsSept. 7, 2007
MILWAUKEE---Jessie Nevitt had an all-American performance with 21 kills and seven blocks, leading Cincinnati to a sweep of Bradley on Friday in the opening contest of the Panther Invitational. A two-time honorable mention all-American, Nevitt hit a match-best .571 in UC's 31-29, 30-27, 30-28 victory, snapping a two-match losing streak along the way.
The Bearcats (6-2) had to overcome a pesky Bradley (1-7) squad that limited UC to a team hitting percentage of just .157. Cincinnati's defense was up to the task, however, limiting the Braves to .137 hitting, marking the fifth UC opponent this year to hit sub-.200. Jessica Elley and Stephanie Niemer added four blocks apiece, while Jaime Frey dug a season-best 21 balls.
Cincinnati got off to a slow start, taking a timeout trailing 14-10 in game one. The Bearcats then work to work, mostly at the net, scoring eight of the next 10 points to force a Braves' stoppage at 18-16. Nevitt was the star of the run, combining with teammates for three blocks and adding two kills. Late in the going, Bradley crept within two at 27-25 on a Bearcat service error. A kill by Nevitt and a Bradley service error set Cincinnati up for game point at 29-27 before a Braves' timeout. Out of the break, UC struggled to close; committing a service error and watching Bradley's Amy Reichel bury a kill to knot the score at 29. After UC's second timeout, Niemer dropped her third kill of game one and a Bradley error gave the Bearcats a hard fought 31-29 win.
After holding a .140 to .079 hitting advantage in game one, the Bearcats heated up in the second game, jumping to .293. Bradley also saw its hitting improve to .220. The outset of the game was tight, until a 9-2 Bearcat run pushed their lead to 18-11. Cincinnati would go on to stretch its lead as high as 21-12, until Bradley scored four straight to force a Bearcat stoppage at 21-16. Bradley continued fighting, however and came all the way back to tie the score at 24. The tie score seemed to bring the Bearcats to life, though as three kills by Nevitt aided a 6-3 surge that put UC up two games to none.
Bradley controlled the going midway through game three, opening a cushion of 18-14. A block and two kills by Nevitt brought the Bearcats within a point and forced the first of two Braves timeouts. The second Bradley stoppage came just a bit later as an ace by Annie Fesl put the Bearcats in front to stay at 23-22. Things got interesting late as a kill by Nevitt set up match point for UC at 29-25. Bradley scored the next three points, but Nevitt buried her 21st kill of the match to end the Braves' comeback thoughts. UC watched its hitting drop to .071 in the final frame.
Melissa Collins led the Bradley offense with 11 kills, while Kaitlyn Comiskey had 17 digs on defense. Bradley finished the match with 11 team blocks, including five by Emily Austin.
The Bearcats have little time to rest as they must gear up to take on host Wisconsin-Milwaukee tonight at 7 p.m. CT.