TicketsOct. 14, 2008
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - On a night where four University of Cincinnati volleyball players tallied double-figure kills, it was the lone diving dig by senior Natalie Dossman (Indianapolis, Ind./Bishop Chatard) that was the turning point in the fourth set that propelled the Bearcats to a four-set (25-17, 25-19, 20-25, 25-23) win over Western Kentucky at E.A. Diddle Arena Tuesday evening. Cincinnati (16-5) was led by sophomore Stephanie Niemer's 13 kills, while Western Kentucky dropped to 14-6 overall.
Trailing by two points, 10-8, in the opening set, back-to-back kills from senior Jessie Nevitt (Kennesaw, Ga./Kennesaw Mountain) and sophomore Stephanie Niemer (Erlanger, Ky./St. Henry) followed by a Lady Topper attack error and a Bearcat block put Cincinnati on top, 12-10. Still in front by two points, 18-16, a kill by Niemer, a service ace by freshman Missy Harpenau (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mother of Mercy), and consecutive kills by Nevitt pushed the Bearcat advantage to six points, 22-16. With a 23-17 lead, sophomore Lindsay Upton (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame) put two balls to the floor off the Western Kentucky block to stamp shut a 25-17 opening set victory.
Sophomore Annie Fesl (Arlington Heights, Ill./John Hersey), Niemer and senior Jessica Elley (Gilbert, Ariz./Gilbert) came to play in the second set as the trio helped score 13 of the team's first 16 points in the second set as Cincinnati took a 16-12 lead, forcing a Western Kentucky timeout. With a four-point lead still intact, 18-14, a Harpenau kill followed by kills from Niemer and Elley gave Cincinnati its biggest lead of the set, 21-14. From there, the Bearcats took the second set, 25-19. Through the second set, Cincinnati connected on 31 kills on 54 attempts and made just three errors for a .519 team hitting percentage. The score was tied nine times in the beginning stages of the third set until a Lady Topper kill, a Bearcat attack error, and a Western Kentucky service ace put the Lady Toppers in front, 14-11. After Cincinnati fought back within one point, 15-14, Western Kentucky reeled off four consecutive points to take a 19-14 advantage. Cincinnati crawled back within two points on two occasions, with the last at 22-20, but the Bearcats were unable to get over the hump as Western Kentucky took the third set, 25-20.
The Bearcat block kept Cincinnati within striking distance in the fourth set until an Elley kill and three consecutive service aces by Niemer put the Bearcats in front, 11-9. After a Lady Topper kill halted the Cincinnati run, a kill by Elley, a block by Elley and Nevitt and an Upton service ace extended the Bearcat lead to four points, 14-10, and forced Western Kentucky to use its first timeout of the set. After a series of side outs, the Lady Toppers strung together two kills to force a Cincinnati timeout, making the score 20-18 in the Bearcats' favor. Trailing by one point, 22-21, the Bearcats kept their composure and used a kill down the line by Harpenau to tie the score at 22-22. During the next point, Dossman came up with a diving dig to keep the play alive, which resulted in a Fesl kill and put the Bearcats back on top, 23-22. After trading points, a Harpenau kill cemented a 25-23 set-four triumph.
Niemer posted a team-high 13 kills, while Elley and Nevitt finished with 12 kills and 10 kills, respectively, even though both players hit a .400 clip. Harpenau was the other Bearcat with double-digit kills, finishing with 10.
Cincinnati returns to BIG EAST action this weekend when Louisville comes to Fifth Third Arena for a 7:30 p.m. contest on Saturday, Oct. 18. Fans are encouraged to wear black in order to BLACK OUT Fifth Third Arena. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.