TicketsOct. 18, 2009
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - Freshman Jordanne Scott (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) posted a career-high 17 kills and hit .556 leading the University of Cincinnati volleyball team to a four-set BIG EAST Conference win over Seton Hall Sunday afternoon. Cincinnati (15-8; 6-1 BIG EAST) outblocked Seton Hall (8-15; 2-5 BIG EAST) 15.0 to 2.0, marking a season-high for blocks for the Bearcats.
Junior Annie Fesl (Arlington Heights, Ill./John Hersey) continued her strong play with a season-high tying four kills in addition to 52 assists, 10 digs, and five blocks. Fesl led the Bearcats to a .252 hitting percentage for the match, marking the third consecutive match that UC has hit above .250 as a team.
Tied at five early in the opening set, a pair of Scott kills coupled with a Seton Hall error helped the Bearcats open a three-point lead, 8-5. The UC lead reached as many as four points, 14-10, before the Pirates rallied to take eight of the next nine points to jump in front, 18-15. The Bearcats battled back to tie the set on five occasions and had two opportunities to capture the set, but a UC attack error followed by a Seton Hall kill saw Cincinnati fall 28-26 in the opening set.
Similar to the first set, both teams were neck-and-neck early until UC forced Seton Hall into four consecutive attack errors to take a 12-8 lead. A kill apiece by Fesl and sophomore Missy Harpenau (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mother of Mercy) and three kills by Scott helped the Bearcats reach their largest lead of the set, 20-15. With its five-point cushion still intact, 22-17, a three-point run from the Pirates cut the lead to two points, 22-20, forcing UC to call a timeout and regroup. Out of the timeout, a kill by freshman Emily Hayden (Louisville, Ky./Assumption), a kill by Scott, and a SHU attack error helped the Bearcats even the match with a 25-22 second-set triumph.
Following the 10-minute intermission, Cincinnati found itself in an early three-point hole, 7-4, but a series of mini runs helped the Bearcat knot the set at nine. Eight ties ensued, with the last at 22, placing a premium on the final points in the set. Freshman Becca Refenes (Westland, Mich./Lutheran Westland) and Harpenau rose to the occasion with consecutive kills before a block by Hayden closed out the 25-22 third-set win for the Bearcats.
Cincinnati got off to a great start in the fourth set as kills by Harpenau, junior Stephanie Niemer (Erlanger, Ky./St. Henry), and Hayden, and a Harpenau ace helped the Bearcats take a 4-0 lead. UC slowly extended its lead to six points, 13-7, off a pair of Refenes kills, before kills by Niemer and Fesl and another Harpenau ace widened the margin to 16-7. A Niemer kill doubled up the Pirates at 20-10, before Cincinnati took five of the final six points to cruise to the 25-11 victory.
Niemer recorded 13 kills and 12 digs for her eighth kill-dig double-double of the season, while Harpenau added 10 kills and 12 digs for her 11th kill-dig double-double. Hayden was a force at the net with a season-high eight blocks.
Cincinnati returns home on Friday, Oct. 23, when UC welcomes Louisville to Fifth Third Arena for a 7:30 p.m. contest.