TicketsDec. 3, 2008
BEARCATS RETURN TO BIG DANCE: After a four-year absence, Cincinnati returns to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2003 when it plays Western Kentucky at 5 p.m. (CT) on Friday, Dec. 5 in Champaign, Ill. The Bearcats are making their seventh NCAA Tournament appearance. The winner of the Cincinnati/Western Kentucky match will meet the winner of the No. 9 Illinois/UW-Milwaukee match-up at 7 p.m. (CT) on Saturday, Dec. 6.
UC AND THE NCAA TOURNAMENT: The Bearcats own a 1-6 record in six previous trips to the NCAA Tournament. Cincinnati played in its first NCAA Tournament match in 1981 after registering a 33-11 regular-season record. The Bearcats dropped their first tournament match to Penn State, 3-0. Seventeen years later, Cincinnati returned to the Big Dance in 1999 after winning the Conference USA Tournament. UC fell to Santa Barbara in four sets, but that tournament appearance began a string of five consecutive NCAA Tournament showings for Cincinnati. In 2001, UC recorded its first NCAA Tournament win with a four-set triumph over cross-town rival Xavier. Below is Cincinnati's match-by-match record in the NCAA Tournament.
12/6/1981 - at Penn State - L, 0-3 12/2/1999 - vs. Santa Clara - L, 1-3 12/1/2000 - vs. No. 20 Notre Dame - L, 0-3 11/30/2001 - vs. Xavier - W, 3-1 12/1/2001 - at No. 10 Ohio State - L, 1-3 12/6/2002 - vs. Arizona State - L, 2-3 12/4/2003 - vs. UCF - L, 2-3 FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING: With a three-set win over Rutgers and a St. John's loss at DePaul on Sunday, Nov. 16, Cincinnati earned a share of the program's first regular-season BIG EAST Championship. The regular-season championship is the third for the school, as the men's soccer team won a BIG EAST division championship in 2006 and the football team won a BIG EAST championship this season.ELLEY CLOSING IN: After recording a team-high 14 kills in a three-set sweep over UAB on Friday, Nov. 28, senior Jessica Elley moved within 16 kills of reaching 1,000 kills for her career. Elley would become just the 14th UC player to reach the 1,000 kills plateau.
LEADING THE PACK: Senior Jessie Nevitt finished the regular-season as the only player in the conference to rank in the Top 10 in hitting percentage, blocks, and kills in overall and conference-only contests. In overall contests, Nevitt ranks first in hitting percentage (.404), third in blocks (1.29), and 10th in kills (3.26). In conference-only matches, Nevitt ended in first in hitting percentage (.461), third in blocks (1.30), and sixth in kills (3.54).
HARDWARE SHOW: At the 2008 BIG EAST volleyball banquet, four UC volleyball players and head coach Reed Sunahara earned conference awards. Sunahara won the BIG EAST Coach of the Year award after leading Cincinnati to the program's first BIG EAST regular-season championship. Senior Jessie Nevitt and sophomore Stephanie Niemer took home first-team all-BIG EAST honors, while senior Jessica Elley and sophomore Annie Fesl were second-team all-BIG EAST selections. Nevitt joined Bonita Wise as the only two Bearcat players to earn four all-conference awards, while becoming the first UC player to earn four first-team all-conference awards. The first-team selection for Niemer was the first of her career, after earning second-team honors and Freshman of the Year honors last season. Elley and Fesl both earned their first all-conference honors.
NOTHING LIKE HOME: The Bearcats improved to 14-0 at home with a three-set win over Rutgers on Nov. 16. It is the second time in school history that the Bearcats have gone undefeated at home in a season. The 2003 UC team went 13-0 at home. The 14 home wins this season are also the most home wins in a single season in program history.