TicketsAug. 28, 2009
SALT LAKE CITY - Trailing by one set in its opening match of the 2009 season, the University of Cincinnati volleyball team rallied and fought off a tough University of California-Riverside squad, 3-1 (25-27, 25-18, 25-19, 27-25), in the opener of the Utah Classic Friday evening at Crimson Court on the University of Utah campus. Cincinnati (1-0) had three players record double-digit kills, led by junior Stephanie Niemer's (Erlanger, Ky./St. Henry) 19 kills, while Dominique Cowling led UC-Riverside (0-1) with 14 kills.
Niemer put down nine kills and hit .500 in the final set, and finished the evening with a match-high 19 kills and a .360 hitting percentage. "I think Stephanie got off to a slow start but came on strong at the end and had some big kills for us," said 10th year head coach Reed Sunahara.
"I could tell that Annie (Fesl) wanted to set me and whenever a setter wants to set you, it gives you more confidence," said Niemer. "UC-Riverside was a really scrappy team and they dug up everything that we thought would fall, but I think we rallied hard and kept our composure."
UC got off to a slow start in the opening set but a series of kills by Niemer and a timely block by freshmen Megan Turner (Ontario, N.Y./Wayne Central) and Becca Refenes (Westland, Mich./Lutheran Westland) gave the Bearcats their first lead of the set, 9-8. Tied at 20 late in the set, two UC errors coupled with a UC-Riverside block placed the Highlanders in front, 23-20. With UCR in front 24-21, The Bearcats rallied to tie the set at 24, but a pair of errors in the final points helped the Highlanders capture set one, 27-25.
Cincinnati came alive in the second set and used kills by Niemer and sophomore Missy Harpenau (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mother of Mercy) and a service ace by Turner to take a 6-2 lead. With its four-point cushion intact at 11-7, the serving of Harpenau paced a six-point run that pushed the UC lead to 10 points, 17-7. From that point, Cincinnati cruised to a 25-18 second-set triumph, tying the match at one set apiece.
In the pivotal third set, Harpenau's three kills helped UC jump in front 10-6. UC-Riverside slowly chipped away at the deficit and was within one point on six occasions, before a Highlander error, a Harpenau ace, a kill by Refenes, and a UC block pushed the Bearcats in front, 20-15. Down the stretch, kills by freshman Jordanne Scott (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) led UC to a 25-19 third-set victory.
Leading by as many as five points at one point in the fourth set, the Bearcats looked to be on their way to an easy win in the fourth set, but UCR continued to fight and eventually tied the set at 19. Four ties ensued, with the last at 25, before a Highlander service error and a Niemer's ninth kill of the set cemented a 27-25 win.
Harpenau finished the match with 12 kills and nine digs, while Scott opened her career with a 10-kill performance. Refenes led UC in blocking with five block assists, while senior Jaime Frey (Cincinnati, Ohio/Roger Bacon) notched a match-high 13 digs.
Cincinnati wraps up the Utah Classic on Saturday, Aug. 29 with matches against Arizona State and No. 17 Utah. The Bearcats play ASU at 2 p.m. EDT and Utah at 9 p.m. EDT.