TicketsSept. 25, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format
BEARCATS KICK OFF CONFERENCE PLAY: Cincinnati extended its winning streak to five matches with a 3-0 win over IUPUI on Tuesday and the Bearcats now turn their focus to conference play. Cincinnati opens BIG EAST action when it 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, 5.89 pps and hit .442. It was the first time in Niemer's career that she was named BIG EAST Player of the Week, despite earning Freshman of the Week honors once in 2007.
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.
HITTING ON ALL CYLINDERS: During Cincinnati's five-match winning streak, the Bearcats have been extremely efficient. As a team, the Bearcats are hitting .313 compared to .101 for its opponents. Four Cincinnati players are hitting .325 or above over the last five contests, led by senior Jessie Nevitt's .367 clip. Sophomore Stephanie Niemer is hitting .364 over that time frame, while senior Jessica Elley and freshman Kelsey Brandl are hitting .338 and .325, respectively. Nevitt and Brandl are also getting it done on the other side of the net. Nevitt is averaging 1.50 bps, while Brandl is averaging 1.25 bps.
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 statistical 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 476 career block assists and is 15 block assists away from passing Hellsten.
ABOUT ST. JOHN'S: The Red Storm have won four straight matches and enter their first match of conference play with a 9-6 overall mark. St. John's has five players averaging over 2.40 kps, led by Valeria Kovaleva's 3.15 kps. The Red Storm are strong defensively averaging 1.72 bps and 16.31 dps as a team. Lena Yee anchors the back row with 4.44 dps.
THE SERIES WITH RED STORM: The series between St. John's and Cincinnati is tied at 2-2. Cincinnati won the first two meetings between the schools in 2005, but has dropped the last two matches, including a 1-3 loss to the Red Storm in 2007. The Bearcats are 0-1 when playing in Queens.
ABOUT CONNECTICUT: Connecticut enters the weekend with a record of 9-4. Four Husky players are hitting over .300 on the year, led by Rebecca Murray's .392 hitting clip. Chauntay Mickens leads the team with 2.79 kps, while Jessica Isaac leads the defense with 3.79 dps.
THE SERIES WITH THE HUSKIES: Cincinnati owns a 3-0 record over Connecticut, including a 3-1 win over the Huskies in Fifth Third Arena last season. Cincinnati won its lone trip to Connecticut, a 3-1 victory during the 2006 season.