TicketsNov. 2, 2008
CINCINNATI - The University of Cincinnati's volleyball team extended its winning streak to 12 matches with a three-set sweep over Georgetown Sunday afternoon at Fifth Third Arena. Cincinnati (22-5; 9-2 BIG EAST) recorded a .391 hitting percentage for the match, while holding Georgetown (12-11; 5-5 BIG EAST) to a .186 clip.
Three kills and a service ace by senior Jessie Nevitt (Kennesaw, Ga./Kennesaw Mountain) coupled with a series of Georgetown errors helped UC grab hold of a 12-8 lead in the third set. Kills by sophomore Lindsay Upton (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame), Nevitt, senior Jessica Elley (Gilbert, Ariz./Gilbert), and freshman Missy Harpenau (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mother of Mercy) helped the Bearcats reach 20 points first, 20-14. From that point, Cincinnati cruised to a 25-18 third set win.
The score was tied several times in the second set until a kill and a service ace by Harpenau gave UC some breathing room at 16-13. Georgetown battled back to tie the set at 18-18, before a Hoya attack error and an Upton kill gave the Red and Black a 20-18 lead and forced Georgetown to use its second timeout of the set.
The Hoyas retaliated by taking four of the next five points to jump on top, 22-21. A block by Nevitt and Harpenau, followed by a Hoya attack error and a Harpenau kill put Cincinnati one-point away from going up two sets to none, 24-22. Georgetown spoiled one set point, but a Hoya miscue during the next point gave UC a 25-23 win in set two.
A pair of errors hindered UC in the early stages of the opening set as the Hoyas took a 7-3 lead. After the Bearcats used a series of kills to tie the set at 9-9, Georgetown quickly responded and used a four-point spurt to re-establish a four-point cushion, 13-9.
Trailing 16-13, two kills by Harpenau, a kill by sophomore Annie Fesl (Arlington Heights, Ill./John Hersey), and a block by Nevitt and Fesl gave Cincinnati its first lead of the set, 17-16. After a Georgetown side out evened the score at 17-17, a kill by Nevitt, another block by Fesl and Nevitt, and a sophomore Stephanie Niemer (Erlanger, Ky./St. Henry) kill widened the Bearcat margin to three points, 20-17. Down the stretch, a pair of Niemer kills, a Nevitt service ace, and a Hoya attack error propelled UC to a 25-19 win in the opening set.
Nevitt led the UC offense with 11 kills, while Fesl distributed 36 assists and finished with seven digs.
Cincinnati hits the road for a pair of BIG EAST tilts at West Virginia and at Pittsburgh. UC plays at West Virginia at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 7, before taking on Pittsburgh at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 9.