TicketsSept. 13, 2008
TEMPE, Ariz. - The University of Cincinnati's volleyball team concluded the ASU Sheraton Invitational with a four-set win over Montana Saturday morning, 25-12, 25-19, 23-25, 25-15. Senior Jessie Nevitt (Kennesaw, Ga./Kennesaw) led the Bearcats (6-3) with a season-high 19 kills, while junior Jaime Frey (Cincinnati, Ohio/Roger Bacon) added a season-best 19 digs. Cincinnati recorded 13 service aces compared to just one service ace for Montana (4-6).
Three kills by Nevitt, a kill and a service ace from freshman Kelsey Brandl (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North) and a kill by freshman Missy Harpenau (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mother of Mercy) helped the Bearcats take a commanding 7-1 lead out of the gates. Later in the opening set, a kill by senior Jessica Elley (Gilbert, Ariz./Gilbert), a kill by Nevitt and Brandl's second service ace of the set gave Cincinnati a 10-point advantage, 20-10. From there, the Bearcats cruised to a 25-12 set-one win.
Unlike the first set, the second set remained tight as late as 9-9. A string of Montana miscues allowed the Bearcats to jump ahead, 16-11, but a series of Cincinnati errors brought the Grizzlies back within three points, 17-14. However, that was as close as the Grizzlies got as the Bearcats took the second set, 25-19. With a one-point lead in the third set, 10-9, kills by sophomore Stephanie Niemer (Erlanger, Ky./St. Henry) and Brandl coupled with two Montana attack errors and a sophomore Annie Fesl (Arlington Heights, Ill./John Hersey) service ace put the Bearcats on top, 15-9. Montana kept fighting and eventually tied the set at 22-22, before a set of Bearcat errors and a Montana kill gave the Grizzlies a 25-23 set-three win, extending the match to a fourth set.
Montana used the momentum gained from its come-from-behind win in the third set to catapult itself to a 6-2 lead at the start of the fourth set. The Bearcats battled back to tie the set at 12-12 and they took their first lead of the set as kills by Niemer, Nevitt and Harpenau and a service ace by Brandl gave Cincinnati a 16-12 cushion. With its four-point lead still intact, 18-14, a four-point Bearcat spurt put Cincinnati in the driver's seat, 22-14. After a Montana kill, three straight kills by Nevitt cemented a 25-15 fourth-set win.
Nevitt paced the Bearcats with 19 kills, while Niemer added 10 kills.
Cincinnati returns to the Midwest next weekend when it will participate in the IU Credit Union Tournament in Bloomington, Ind. The Bearcats begin the tournament against Ball State at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 19, before playing George Mason later that day at 5:30 p.m. Cincinnati rounds out the IU Credit Union Tournament against tournament host Indiana at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 20.
Nevitt and Elley were named to the ASU Sheraton Invitational All-Tournament team for their play throughout the weekend. On the weekend, Nevitt averaged 4.18 kps, 1.27 bps and hit at a .359 clip. Elley hit .315 for the weekend and averaged 2.09 kps and 0.91 bps