TicketsSept. 5, 2009
CINCINNATI - In the finale of the 2009 Bearcats Invitational presented by the Marriott Kingsgate, the University of Cincinnati volleyball team defeated the College of Charleston Cougars, 3-1 (25-22, 27-25, 27-29, 25-19), to capture the 2009 Bearcats Invitational title. Following her 27-kill performance against the Cougars, junior Stephanie Niemer (Erlanger, Ky./St. Henry) was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, while freshman Jordanne Scott (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) and sophomore Missy Harpenau (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mother of Mercy) were named to the all-tournament team.
UC got off to a sluggish start against the Cougars and fell behind by as many as five points, 10-5. Trailing by four points, 11-7, a College of Charleston service error kicked off a six-point UC run, highlighted by two Niemer service aces, that gave the Bearcats their first lead of the set at 13-11. The Cougars tied the set on two more occasions, before the Bearcats slowly pulled away. Holding on to a two point lead, 23-21, Niemer delivered two kills, giving UC a 25-22 come-from-behind win.
In a role reversal from the first set, the Bearcats took an early 10-4 lead in the second set thanks in part to two freshman Becca Refenes (Westland, Mich./Lutheran Westland) service aces and two freshman Emily Hayden (Louisville, Ky./Assumption) kills. Despite the early lead, the Cougars fought back and eventually evened the set twice, with the last occasion at 25-25. A service error by the College of Charleston followed by a Harpenau kill off the block gave UC a 27-25 second-set triumph.
Cincinnati jumped out to an 11-7 lead in the third set, but the College of Charleston continued to fight back. After the Cougars captured a three-point lead, 20-17, it was the Bearcats turn to crawl back. Tied at 27, kills by the College of Charleston's Emily Sawin and Katie Robinson shut the door on Cincinnati's thoughts of a three-set sweep and sent the match to a fourth set.
Not wanting to go to a fifth set, strong serving from upperclassmen Jaime Frey (Cincinnati, Ohio/Roger Bacon) and Annie Fesl (Arlington Heights, Ill./John Hersey) led the Bearcats to an 8-4 lead. From that point, UC extended its lead to as many as eight points and cruised to a 25-19 fourth-set win.
Alongside Niemer's 27 kills and 14 digs, Harpenau added 15 kills and 11 digs and Hayden finished with 12 kills. Frey led all players with 21 digs, her first 20-plus dig performance this season.
The 2009 Bearcats Invitational All-Tournament team consisted of Youngstown State's Ruth Boscaljon, College of Charleston's Elyse Chubb, Evansville's Emily Wandersee and Brooke Maher, and Cincinnati's Missy Harpenau and Jordanne Scott. Stephanie Niemer was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.
Cincinnati begins a tough three-match stretch on Tuesday, Sept. 8, for the first of three consecutive matches over ranked opponents. The Bearcats head to Lexington, Ky., to take on the No. 18 Kentucky Wildcats at 7 p.m.