Bearcats Close BIG EAST Schedule Seeking No. 3 Seed

Nov. 7, 2007

• Complete Release in PDF Format

FIRST SERVE: With a berth in next week's BIG EAST Conference Championship already secured, Cincinnati wraps up league play on the road this weekend with a pair of matches. UC, at 17-9 overall and 8-4 in the BIG EAST, enters the weekend tied for third in the conference standings with Villanova and is one of just three squads that has clinched a BIG EAST berth. The Bearcats open the weekend at Notre Dame (11-12, 7-5 BIG EAST) on Friday (Nov. 9) with a 4 p.m. contest. UC wraps up league play on Sunday (Nov. 11) against DePaul (7-19, 2-10 BIG EAST) in a 2 p.m. CT meeting.

NOTING THE BEARCATS:

• Cincinnati is tied for third in the BIG EAST with Villanova, but the Wildcats hold the tiebreaker after an Oct. 13 victory. Villanova takes on Syracuse and Marquette this weekend who are both battling for the No. 8 and final seed in the tournament.
• 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 fifth in blocks (1.33 per game), sixth in hitting (.347) and eighth in kills (3.76).
• Three freshmen-setter Annie Fesl, outside hitter Stephanie Niemer and middle blocker Lindsay Upton-are staples in the Bearcats' starting line-up. The trio is combining for 5.72 kills, 3.78 digs, 0.94 aces and 1.63 blocks per game this season, while Fesl is averaging 13.25 assists per game.
• Nevitt is making a charge towards becoming the second player in UC history with 1,000 career kills and 500 career blocks, a feat accomplished only by current assistant coach Myanna Hellsten. Nevitt became the 13th player in school history to reach the 1,000 kill plateau at Louisville (Oct. 20) and has 460 blocks.
• Cincinnati is one of the top serving teams in the BIG EAST, ranking second with 1.82 aces per game. Niemer and senior Jenny Custer are the leaders, ranking second and sixth in the BIG EAST, respectively, in aces. Custer is one of the top servers in school history, ranking fourth in career aces with 156.
• Niemer's 29 kills against Seton Hall on Oct. 14 are the second-most by a BIG EAST freshman this year and the sixth-best mark nationally. The count is the most by a Bearcat since Julie DuPont registered 33 at Butler on Sept. 25, 2004.
• In just her first year as a Bearcat, freshman setter Fesl is already ranked among the top setters in program history. With 1,232 assists this year, Fesl is ranked ninth on UC's career list.

NOTING THE FIGHTING IRISH:

• Notre Dame has endured an up and down year since being chosen to win the BIG EAST title in the preseason. Injuries has hurt the Irish, including the loss of 2006 all-BIG EAST first team selection Mallorie Croal who has played in just 11 games this year. Notre Dame is 11-12 overall and is tied for fifth in the BIG EAST at 7-5.
• Sophomore Serinity Phillips leads the Fighting Irish offense with 3.41 kills per game, while Justine Stremick (1.40 blocks per game) and Kellie Sciacca (1.14 blocks per game) are the top defenders.

NOTING THE BLUE DEMONS:

• DePaul endured a nine-match losing streak earlier this year and has lost six of its last eight contests. The Blue Demons are 7-19 overall and in 13th place in the BIG EAST at 2-10.
• Freshman middle blocker Jacie Fiedler has been DePaul's best player this year, leading the team in kills (3.43) and hitting (.310) and ranking second in blocks per game (0.70).

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 (6th-.347), kills per game (8th-3.76) and blocks per game (5th-1.33).
• Became the 13th player in program history with 1,000 career kills during the Louisville match on Oct. 20.
• 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, Sept. 10 and Nov. 5.
• Recorded a career-high 21 kills in just three games in UC's win over Bradley (Sept. 7). Has double figure kills in 22 of the Bearcats' 26 matches this season.
• Has 16 performances of at least five blocks in a match, including a season-best nine at Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Sept. 7) and again vs. St. John's (Oct. 7). Nevitt had six blocks in game one of the St. John's match alone.
• Cracked the Top 10 on the UC career block assists (5th-403) and total blocks (9th-460) charts. Ranks fourth on the blocks per game list with 1.46.
• Is on the fast track to becoming the second UC player ever with 1,000 kills and 500 blocks in her career. Nevitt holds current totals of 1,000 kills and 460 blocks.

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 won a BIG EAST Freshman of the Week award (Sept. 3) and is ranked second in the league with 13.25 assists per game. Against TCU on Sept. 1 and again vs. Seton Hall on Oct. 14, Fesl finished with a career high 69 assists. Her first career match against Southern Miss on Aug. 24 was a good one, as she finished just three assists shy of a UC three-game record with 55 assists. Through matches of Nov. 4, Fesl is listed 14th nationally in assists per game. Fesl has also done a solid job defensively with 1.96 digs and 0.54 blocks per game, including highs of 13 digs (twice) and five blocks (twice).
• Niemer also has a BIG EAST Freshman of the Week award (Sept. 24) and ranks second on the team with 3.59 kills per game. She has been at her best in BIG EAST play, ranking sixth in the league with a team-leading 3.98 kills per game, including three 20+ kill performances Niemer posted a career-high and the fourth-highest total by a freshman in the nation this season with 29 at Seton Hall on Oct. 14. She has also been outstanding from the service line, holding the team lead with 47 aces (including seven at Villanova on Oct. 13) and ranking second in the BIG EAST with 0.51 per game.
• 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 seven times and is averaging 1.80 kills, 0.72 digs and 0.66 blocks per game. Twice this year, Upton has tallied a career-high with 12 kills offensively and six blocks at the net.

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 157-60 (.724) record at home and are 92-13 (.876) since Reed Sunahara took over as head coach in 2000. The Bearcats ended last year with a 13-2 home mark and completed this season 9-2, with their only losses coming to No. 2 Stanford (Sept. 12) and No. 18 St. John's (Oct. 7).

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 three 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.

CUSTER'S LAST STAND: Senior Jenny Custer has been a regular contributor during her Bearcat career and is having another solid campaign in 2007. This year, Custer is listed third on the Bearcats with 2.89 kills per game, while adding 1.81 digs and 0.56 blocks per game. She is also listed sixth in the BIG EAST with 0.40 service aces per game. In UC career annals, Custer has moved into fourth place on the service aces list with 156. Against Syracuse on Sept. 30, Custer finished with 19 kills on .417 hitting, missing her career-high of 22 set last year against the same Orange team.

UP NEXT: The 2007 BIG EAST Championship kicks off on Friday, Nov. 16 at the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee, Wis.