TicketsNov. 5, 2008
BEARCATS BEGIN TWO-MATCH ROAD TRIP: Cincinnati prepares for its final conference road trip of the season when it travels to West Virginia and Pittsburgh for a pair of BIG EAST tilts this weekend. The Bearcats meet the Mountaineers at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 7, at WVU Coliseum, before heading north to play Pittsburgh at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 9, in Fitzgerald Field House.
BEARCATS CLINCH SPOT IN BIG EAST TOURNEY: With a three-set win over Georgetown on Sunday, Nov. 2, UC clinched a spot in the BIG EAST Tournament. The Bearcats and Louisville have officially clinched spots for the tournament, which will be held in Pittsburgh, Pa., Nov. 21-23.
HARPENAU EARNS THIRD FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK HONOR: Freshman Missy Harpenau was named BIG EAST Volleyball Freshman of the Week,the conference office announced on Monday, Nov. 3. It is the third time this season that Harpenau has been selected as the BIG EAST Volleyball Freshman of the Week. In Cincinnati's dramatic five-set come-from-behind win over USF on Friday, Oct. 31, Harpenau recorded 13 kills and 15 digs for her fifth kill-dig double-double of the season. Harpenau also registered three assists, three service aces, and four blocks against the Bulls. Against Georgetown, Harpenau posted nine kills, five digs, two blocks, two assists, and a service ace. For the week, the Cincinnati native averaged 2.75 kps, 2.50 dps, 0.75 bps, 0.62 aps and 0.50 sa/s.
HISTORY LESSON: Senior Jessie Nevitt solidified herself as the top blocker in the University of Cincinnati volleyball history during Cincinnati's wins over Syracuse and Marquette two weekends ago . Nevitt moved ahead of Stephanie Meinig (1997-00) on the career block assists chart and the total blocks chart and she currently owns 539 block assists and 613 total blocks. Nevitt recently eclipsed the 1,400 career kills plateau, making her just the second player in BIG EAST history to have over 1,400 kills and 600 total blocks in a career. The only other player to accomplish the feat was Notre Dame's Lauren Brewster (2002-05), who finished her career with 1,475 kills and 734 total blocks.
FREY TAKES SECOND: With 15 digs in a five-set win over USF on Friday, Oct. 31, junior Jaime Frey moved into second place on Cincinnati's all-time digs chart. Frey passed Julie DuPont (2001-04), who had 1,350 digs during her career. Frey currently has 1,365 career digs. The career digs leader at Cincinnati is Trish Ladusaw, who compiled 2,074 digs from 1999-02.
LEADING THE PACK: Senior Jessie Nevitt heads into the final three regular-season contests as the only player in the conference to rank in the Top 10 in the conference in hitting percentage, blocks, and kills in overall and conference-only contests. In overall contests, Nevitt ranks first in hitting percentage (.406), second in blocks (1.27), and ninth in kills (3.24). In conference-only matches, Nevitt sits in first in hitting percentage (.440), fourth in blocks (1.19), and ninth in kills (3.38).
DEJA VU: For the second time in three matches, UC defied the odds and completed a dramatic five-set comeback victory over USF on Friday, Oct. 31. On Friday, Oct. 24, at Syracuse, the Bearcats overcame fifth-set deficits of 8-1, 13-7, and 14-11, to win the final set 16-14. Against USF, Cincinnati found itself in the same position as it was in just one week earlier; trailing 14-11 in the fifth set. Down by three points, a USF service error followed by a Bull attack error brought the Bearcats within one point, 14-13. USF had an opportunity to close the deal, but a senior Jessica Elley solo block tied the match at 14-14. Tied at 15-15, Elley hammered down back-to-back kills to complete the dramatic come-from-behind triumph. The win improved UC to 3-1 in five-set matches.
ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA: The Mountaineers own a 7-17 overall record and 0-10 BIG EAST record coming into play this weekend. West Virginia is led by Kylie Armbruster's 2.42 kps, while Bonnie West averages a team-best 3.95 dps.
THE SERIES WITH THE MOUNTAINEERS: Cincinnati leads the all-time series 8-2 over West Virginia. The Bearcats are 4-0 when playing in Morgantown.
ABOUT PITTSBURGH: The Panthers enter this weekend with a 15-10 overall record and a 7-3 BIG EAST mark. Kelly Campbell averages a team-best 3.57 kps, while Michelle Rossi averages 4.20 dps to anchor the defense. Jessica Moses is the team's top blocker averaging 1.11 bps. Pittsburgh has played five five-set conference matches this season and the Panthers own an overall record of 6-2 in five-set matches.
THE SERIES WITH THE PANTHERS: Pittsburgh owns a 7-4 edge in the all-time series between the two schools, including a 2-1 advantage when playing in Pittsburgh. UC's lone win in Pittsburgh came in four sets on Nov. 5, 1983.