TicketsOct. 11, 2009
CHICAGO - Behind a .356 team hitting percentage (41-9-90), the University of Cincinnati volleyball defeated DePaul University 3-0 Sunday afternoon at McGrath Arena. Freshman Jordanne Scott (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) paced UC with 13 kills and a .600 hitting percentage as the Bearcats improved to 13-8 overall and 4-1 in the BIG EAST.
Junior Annie Fesl (Arlington Heights, Ill./John Hersey) dished out 35 assists as six UC players tallied three or more kills in the win. Fesl also added five digs and two blocks against the Blue Demons.
Three kills and a block assist by Scott helped the Bearcats stay with the Blue Demons early in the opening set. Scott continued her solid first set with three more kills, and kills by junior Lindsay Upton (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame) and freshman Emily Hayden (Louisville, Ky./Assumption) helped UC take a commanding 17-11 lead. Leading 23-15, back-to-back service aces from Fesl finished off a 25-15 opening-set triumph for the Bearcats.
The Bearcats carried their momentum from the first set to the second as five different UC players registered kills helping Cincinnati capture a 10-4 lead. DePaul slowly cut into the Bearcats lead and eventually closed within one point, 17-16, but the serving of freshman Karen Onuki (Troy, Ohio/Troy) put the Blue Demons out of system and it resulted in a five-point run for the Bearcats that placed them back in front, 22-16. From that point, Cincinnati used kills from sophomore Missy Harpenau (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mother of Mercy), Upton, and Scott to seal the 25-18 second set win.
In the third set, UC dominated from the get-go. Tied at three, the duo of Harpenau and Hayden teamed up for three blocks and Harpenau put down three kills of her own to help open up a 10-3 lead. From that point, the lead proved to be insurmountable as Cincinnati cruised to a 25-11 third-set victory.
Harpenau finished with nine kills, six digs, and a team-high four blocks for the Bearcats, while junior Stephanie Niemer (Erlanger, Ky./St. Henry) hit at a .333 clip and posted nine digs. Senior Jaime Frey (Cincinnati, Ohio/Roger Bacon) led all players with 11 digs.
UC continues its four-match road swing Oct. 17-18, when the Bearcats travel to New Jersey to take on both Rutgers and Seton Hall. First, UC meets Rutgers on Saturday, Oct. 17, at 2 p.m., before heading to South Orange, N.J. to take on Seton Hall on Sunday, Oct. 18, at Noon.