TicketsSept. 17, 2009
WILDCAT CLASSIC: Cincinnati takes its three-match winning streak on the road when it travels to Evanston, Ill., to compete in the Wildcat Classic Sept. 18-19. The Bearcats open the tournament with Long Island University on Friday, Sept. 18, at 5:30 p.m. EDT, before completing the tournament with matches against Akron and tournament host Northwestern at 11 a.m. EDT, and 8 p.m. EDT, respectively, on Saturday, Sept. 19.
ABOUT THE FIELD: Akron, Cincinnati, Long Island, and Northwestern comprise the 2009 Wildcat Classic Tournament field. Akron enters the weekend with a 7-4 overall record and the Zips are led offensively by Brionna Patterson, who averages 4.00 kps. Entering the week, Akron ranks 52nd nationally in assists per set (12.3). Long Island makes its way to Evanston with a 3-7 overall record. The Blackbirds got off to a 0-6 start, but have rebounded by winning three of their last four contests, which includes wins over Siena, Colgate, and BIG EAST foe Seton Hall. Sveltana Simic averages a team-best 4.25 kills per set, which ranks 28th nationally. Northwestern competes in its final weekend of non-conference play before entering Big Ten action next week. The Wildcats are 6-3 on the season and rank in the Top 75 nationally in five statistical categories. Northwestern is hitting .273 as a team, which ranks 25th nationally, and the Wildcats are led by Sabel Moffett's .441 hitting percentage, which ranks 11th in the country.
THE SERIES WITH THE FIELD: Friday's meeting between UC and Long Island will be the first meeting between the schools. UC and Akron square off for the 12th time on Saturday, with Cincinnati owning a 9-2 lead in the series. The Bearcats and Wildcats have met just twice previously, with Northwestern winning both meetings in 1980. The Zips and Bearcats last met in 1994, with Akron winning in three sets.
NIEMER GETS TO 1,000: Coming in to the 2009 season, Stephanie Niemer needed 200 kills to become the 15th player in UC history to reach 1,000 career kills. In the second set against Western Kentucky on Sept. 15, Niemer put down her 1,000th career kill tying her with Becky Tenkman as the second-fastest player in school history to reach the milestone. Niemer also becomes the eighth player in program history to reach 1,000 career kills as a junior.
Name (Yrs. Played) No. of Matches to Reach 1,000 Kills Career Kills
Julie DuPont (2001-04)... 66 matches.......................... 2,137
Stephanie Niemer (2007-pr.)....................... 76 matches 1,010
Becky Tenkman (1995-98) 76 matches........................ 1,843
Chrissy Smith (1994-97). 78 matches.......................... 1,546
Jessie Nevitt (2005-08).. 78 matches......................... 1,498
Bonita Wise (1999-02)... 88 matches.......................... 1,534
Trish Ladusaw (1999-02) 92 matches......................... 1,465
Cathy Guye (1987-90)... 97 matches.......................... 1,636
UPSET SPECIAL: Trying to avoid its third consecutive loss to a ranked opponent in as many matches, Cincinnati came out and defeated the No. 16 Saint Louis Billikens, 3-0 (27-25, 25-23, 25-17), in its second match of the Illinois State Farm Classic on Sept. 12. The Billiken loss marked the first time this season that they have lost to a team not ranked in the Top 25 (Four other losses include: No. 1 Penn State, No. 2 Texas, No. 4 Hawai'i, No. 14 Illinois). The UC triumph marks the highest-ranked opponent that the Bearcats have defeated in program history, and it was the first ranked opponent that Cincinnati had defeated since Oct. 10, 2003, when it beat No. 17 Louisville. The win over Saint Louis has sparked a three-match winning streak.
NATIONAL ATTENTION: After winning matches against No. 16 Saint Louis and Illinois State to close out last week, Cincinnati received votes in the Sept. 14 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Coaches' Poll (see right column). UC owns a 7-4 record and three of its four losses have come to ranked opponents -- No. 17 Utah, No. 17 Kentucky, and No. 14 Illinois.
NCAA RANKINGS: In the initial release of NCAA statistics on Sept. 14, Cincinnati has two players ranked in the Top 25 in three individual statistical categories, while ranking in the Top 30 in two team statistical categories. Junior Stephanie Niemer ranks fifth in the country in kills per set (4.97) and points per set (5.59), and fellow junior Annie Fesl ranks 12th nationally in assists per set, dishing out 11.66 assists on average. It is no coincidence that Cincinnati therefore ranks 18th nationally in assists per set (13.00) and 27th in kills per set (13.87) as a squad.
UC CAPTURES TOURNAMENT TITLE: With three-set wins over Youngstown State and Evansville, and a four-set win over the College of Charleston, Cincinnati captured the 2009 Bearcats Invitational tournament crown. For their stellar play at the tournament, junior Stephanie Niemer, sophomore Missy Harpenau, and freshman Jordanne Scott were all named to the all-tournament team with Niemer taking home MVP honors.
OH SO CLOSE: Junior Stephanie Niemer could not be stopped during UC's match against No. 17 Utah at the Utah Classic. The Erlanger, Ky., native posted a career-high 34 kills, which tied her for second place on Cincinnati's single-match kills list with UC Hall of Famer Sonja Jackson, who put down 34 kills against Dayton on Nov. 5, 1986. Niemer's 34 kills are the most since 2003, when Julie DuPont had 33 kills at Butler on Sept. 25, 2004. Heather Augustine owns the UC single-match kills record with 36 kills against Marquette on Nov. 22, 1991.
FOLLOW UC VOLLEYBALL AND HEAD COACH Reed Sunahara ON TWITTER: Fans can follow the Cincinnati volleyball team and head coach Reed Sunahara on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Cincinnativball and www.twitter.com/ReedSunahara.