TicketsSept. 22, 2008
BEARCATS PLAY FINAL TUNE-UP BEFORE CONFERENCE PLAY: Cincinnati heads into a mid-week match against IUPUI after claiming the TIS Bookstore Invitational hosted by Indiana University last weekend. The Bearcats play IUPUI at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 23, before kicking off conference play on Friday, Sept. 26. To open BIG EAST action, Cincinnati travels to St. John's to meet the Red Storm at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 26, prior to concluding its opening conference weekend at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 28, at Connecticut.
NIEMER NAMED BIG EAST PLAYER OF THE WEEK: After taking home all-tournament honors at the TIS Bookstore Invitational, sophomore Stephanie Niemer was selected as the BIG EAST Player of the Week, the conference announced on Monday, Sept. 22. At the TIS Bookstore Invitational, Niemer averaged 5.11 kps and 5.89 pps. It was the first time in Niemer's career that she was named BIG EAST Player of the Week. Niemer hit .442 for the week, including a career-high .538 versus Ball State.
TIS BOOKSTORE INVITATIONAL RECAP: Behind a strong offensive performance throughout the entire weekend, the Cincinnati Bearcats earned their second tournament title of the season after completing three-set sweeps over Ball State, George Mason and Indiana. Sophomores Stephanie Niemer and Annie Fesl took home all-tournament honors, while senior Jessie Nevitt was named tournament Most Valuable Player. In the opening match of the tournament against Ball State, Niemer put down a team-high 14 kills on 26 attempts without making an error en route to a career-high .536 hitting percentage. Niemer averaged 5.11 kps and hit .442 for the weekend, while Fesl orchestrated the offense to perfection as she led the team to a .372 hitting percentage and averaged 13.33 aps. Nevitt took home MVP honors after averaging 2.44 kps and 1.56 bps, which included five solo blocks.
ON THE NATIONAL SCENE: In the most recent NCAA statistics, Cincinnati ranks in the Top 55 nationally in five of six team statistical categories. The Bearcats rank 16th nationally in service aces (1.93 sa/s), 18th in kills (14/10 kps), 36th in assists (12.53 aps), 46th in blocks per set (2.53) and 52nd in hitting percentage (.249). Three Cincinnati players also rank in the Top 65 nationally in four stastical categories. Sophomore Annie Fesl ranks 29th in assists (10.83 aps), while senior Jessie Nevitt ranks 38th in blocks (1.25) and 55th in hitting percentage (.364). Sophomore Stephanie Niemer rounds out the group ranking 62nd in kills (3.75 kps).
MOVING UP THE CHARTS: Senior Jessie Nevitt is closing in on current assistant coach Myanna Hellsten, who played at UC from 2003-06, for second place on UC's block assists chart. Nevitt has 472 career block assists and is 18 block assists away from passing Hellsten.
ABOUT IUPUI: The Jaguars enter their mid-week contest against the Bearcats with an 8-5 overall mark and a 1-0 Summit League record. IUPUI has won consecutive matches over inner-state rival Butler, 3-2, and Centenary, 3-0. Lauran Thompson leads the offensive attack, averaging 2.97 kills per set, while Chelsea Bastin anchors the back row averaging 4.48 digs per set. IUPUI only averages 0.86 blocks per set, but the Jaguars make up for it averaging 15.11 digs per set.
THE SERIES WITH THE JAGUARS: Cincinnati owns a 4-0 all-time record over IUPUI, which includes a 3-0 win over the Jaguars during the last meeting in 2006. Cincinnati is 3-0 against IUPUI under the tuteledge of head coach Reed Sunahara, and the Bearcats also are 2-0 against the Jaguars when playing in Clifton.