TicketsSept. 26, 2008
QUEENS, N.Y. - In its 2008 BIG EAST opener, the University of Cincinnati's volleyball team had its five-match winning streak snapped at the hands of reigning BIG EAST regular-season champion St. John's, 3-0 (25-22, 25-15, 25-21), Friday evening. Cincinnati (10-4; 0-1 BIG EAST) collectively hit .159, while St. John's (10-6; 1-0 BIG EAST) corralled 42 digs compared to Cincinnati's 31.
Neither team could separate from one another in the early stages of the first set until the Red Storm took an 11-8 lead. Behind the strong serving of sophomore Annie Fesl (Arlington Heights, Ill./John Hersey) the Bearcats clawed in front, 12-11. Ties ensued at 12-12, 15-15, and 16-16, before two St. John's kills and a Cincinnati attack error placed the Red Storm in front, 19-16. After an exchange of side outs made the score 20-17 in favor of St. John's, a kill by sophomore Stephanie Niemer (Erlanger, Ky./St. Henry) followed by two Bearcat blocks knotted the score again, 20-20. Tied at 21-21, The Red Storm took four of the next five points to take the first set, 25-22.
St. John's used the momentum gained from its first-set win to jump on top 7-2 in the second set. Trailing 12-4, back-to-back kills by senior Jessie Nevitt (Kennesaw, Ga./Kennesaw Mountain) and freshman Kelsey Brandl (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North) followed by a Cincinnati block brought the Bearcats within five points, 12-7. However, the Red Storm lead quickly ballooned to nine points, 17-9, and the Bearcats were unable to make a run as St. John's went up two games to none with a 25-15 set-two triumph.
The Bearcats found themselves in an early hole to begin the third set. Trailing by four points, 9-5, a kill by Niemer, a solo block by Fesl and a service ace from Nevitt brought Cincinnati within one point, 9-8, but St. John's took five of the next six points to re-establish a five-point cushion, 14-9. Another three-point Bearcat spurt kept Cincinnati within striking distance, 14-12, but the Red Storm slowly built a seven-point lead, 22-15. The seven-point deficit was insurmountable for Cincinnati as it dropped the third and final set, 25-21.
Niemer was the lone Bearcat that posted double-digit kills with 11, while junior Jaime Frey (Cincinnati, Ohio/Roger Bacon) notched a team-high 11 digs.
Cincinnati looks for a split during its opening weekend of conference action when it returns to the court at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 28 in Storrs, Conn., against the Connecticut Huskies.