TicketsSept. 19, 2008
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Behind another stellar offensive performance, the University of Cincinnati's volleyball team defeated George Mason, 3-0, in its second match of the TIS Bookstore Invitational hosted by Indiana University. Sophomore Annie Fesl (Arlington Heights, Ill./John Hersey) distributed 42 assists and five Bearcat players recorded seven-plus kills en route to a .380 team hitting percentage.
Three kills and a service ace from freshman Kelsey Brandl (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North) and two service aces by sophomore Stephanie Niemer (Erlanger, Ky./St. Henry) kick started the Cincinnati (8-3) offense in the first set as the Bearcats jumped out to an 8-3 lead. Following a Bearcat service error, which cut the UC lead to 8-4, Cincinnati rallied off four straight points that expanded its lead to 12-4 and forced a George Mason (4-8) timeout. Holding on to a 14-8 lead, the Bearcats took seven of the next nine points to open up a 21-11 lead. From that point, Cincinnati cruised to a 25-17 win in the opening set. Senior Jessica Elley (Gilbert, Ariz./Gilbert) and Brandl combined to score nine of Cincinnati's final 12 points in the opening stanza. Brandl finished the first set with six kills and hit at a .556 clip.
Niemer and Brandl continued their strong play early in the second set as they registered two kills apiece to help Cincinnati take a 6-1 advantage. George Mason closed its deficit to one point, 8-7, but that was as close as it would get as Cincinnati used a series of two-, three- and four-point spurts to take a 19-11 lead. A kill by senior Jessie Nevitt (Kennesaw, Ga./Kennesaw Mountain) cemented a 25-14 set-two victory and put UC up two games to none over George Mason.
After the teams traded nine side outs to begin the third set, back-to-back kills by freshman Missy Harpenau (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mother of Mercy), a block by Nevitt and Fesl, and a service ace by Elley pushed the Bearcats on top, 8-5. Still holding on to a three-point lead, 16-13, a Patriot service error and a Niemer kill put Cincinnati in the driver's seat, 18-13. Cincinnati won seven of the next nine points to finish off the third set, 25-15.
Niemer led the way with 15 kills, while Brandl added 11 kills and hit .562 for the match. Harpenau was the other Bearcat that recorded double-digit kills with 10.
The Bearcats return to the floor at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 20 against tournament host Indiana. Cincinnati and Indiana will play their match in Assembly Hall.