TicketsDec. 6, 2008
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - In her final match as a Bearcat, senior Jessica Elley (Gilbert, Ariz./Gilbert) finished with 10 kills to become the 14th Bearcat to eclipse 1,000 career kills, but it was not enough as the University of Cincinnati volleyball team fell to the ninth-seeded Illinois Fighting Illini in three sets (24-26, 20-25, 25-22) Saturday evening in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Huff Hall in Champaign, Ill. Sophomore Stepahnie Niemer (Erlanger, Ky./St. Henry) led the Cincinnati (27-7) with 12 kills, while Lauren DeBruler paced Illinois (26-7) with 17 kills.
A series of errors early in the first set allowed the Fighting Illini to jump on top, but two kills apiece by senior Jessie Nevitt (Kennesaw, Ga./Kennesaw Mountain), and sophomores Lindsay Upton (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame) Niemer kept UC within striking distance at 14-10.
Trailing 15-10 at the media timeout, a kill by Nevitt, followed by two Illinois errors brought the Bearcats within two points, 15-13, forcing the Fighting Illini to burn their first timeout of the set. Still facing a two-point deficit, 21-19, back-to-back rejections by the Bearcats tied the set at 21-21, forcing Illinois to use its second timeout of the set.
Two more ties ensued, with the last at 24-24, before a DeBruler kill and a Bearcat miscue gave Illinois a hard-fought 26-24 first-set win.
Illinois held a 15-14 lead heading into the media timeout in the second set, but neither team held a lead of more than two points to that point. Freshman Missy Harpenau (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mother of Mercy) paced UC in the second set, recording four kills up to the timeout.
Out of the second-set media timeout, the Fighting Illini took advantage of two Cincinnati errors to widen its lead to three points, 19-16, resulting in a UC timeout. The Bearcats tied the set at 20-20 off an Elley kill, but a five-point Illini spurt gave Illinois a 25-20 second-set win, sending Cincinnati into the locker room trailing two sets to none.
Cincinnati came out strong after the 10-minute intermission and it was an Elley kill that put UC in front, 11-8, forcing an Illini timeout. That kill by Elley gave her 1,000th career kill, making her the 14th player in UC history to reach that milestone.
Out of the timeout, Illinois reeled off seven straight points to capture a four-point lead, 15-11. Cincinnati closed to within two points on two occasions, with the last at 16-14, before Illinois pushed its lead out to 23-17.
UC never stopped fighting though as kills by Harpenau and Nevitt coupled with a few Illini errors brought the Bearcats within two points, 24-22. However, a DeBruler kill gave Illinois the 25-22 third-set win.
Alongside Niemer's 12 kills and Elley's 10 kills, Nevitt finished with five kills and five blocks in her final match in the Red and Black. Junior Jaime Frey (Cincinnati, Ohio/Roger Bacon) finished with a team-best 11 digs, while Harpenau added nine kills and nine digs.
Cincinnati's 27 wins this season are the most wins since recording 28 wins during the 1999 campaign.