TicketsNov. 4, 2009
FINAL CONFERENCE ROAD TRIP: Cincinnati will hit the road for the final time in BIG EAST action when it heads to Georgetown and USF this weekend for a pair of crucial conference tilts. The Bearcats open the weekend in Washington, D.C., on Friday, Nov. 6, with an 8 p.m. match against Georgetown in McDonough Arena, before moving south to Tampa, Fla., to take on USF on Sunday, Nov. 8, at 2 p.m.
VOLLEYBALL FEATURED ON BEARCATS SPORTS WEEKLY WITH BRIAN KELLY: On Thursday, Nov. 5, the UC volleyball team will be the focus of a segment on Bearcats Sports Weekly with Brian Kelly, which will air at 6 p.m. on Fox Sports Ohio. In the segment, head coach Reed Sunahara, and juniors Annie Fesl and Stephanie Niemer give their insight on UC volleyball and the 2009 season.
ABOUT THE HOYAS: Georgetown comes into the weekend with a 12-14 overall record and a 2-8 BIG EAST Conference mark. The Hoyas snapped a six-match losing skid on Nov. 1 with a four-set win at Villanova. GU has four players averaging over 2.00 kps, led by Vanessa Dorismond's 2.97 kps. Defensively, Victoria Rezin leads the team in digs with 4.17 dps. Georgetown ranks second in the conference in service aces with 168 as five players have recorded 20-plus aces on the season.
THE SERIES WITH GEORGETOWN: Friday's meeting with the Hoyas will be the seventh all-time with the Bearcats owning a 6-0 lead in the all-time series.
ABOUT THE BULLS: USF comes into the week with a 15-6 overall mark and a 7-3 conference record after reeling off five consecutive victories. Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year Marcela Gurgel leads the team in kills averaging 3.91 kps. On the other side of the net, Alli Arbogast leads the team and the conference, and ranks second nationally in blocks rejecting 1.61 attacks per set. USF's 2.9 blocks per set as a squad ranks fifth nationally.
THE SERIES WITH USF: Sunday's match-up in Tampa, Fla., will be the 18th meeting between the two schools with USF holding a 9-8 edge in the series. Cincinnati defeated USF in five sets last year in Fifth Third Arena and has won five consecutive matches over the Bulls.
DEFENDING HOME: With a three-set win over Marquette and a four-set win against Syracuse on Oct. 30 and Nov. 1, respectively, Cincinnati extended its home winning streak to 25 matches, breaking the previous school record of 23 matches which spanned from Nov. 17, 2002 to Oct. 24, 2004. The Bearcats' home winning streak dates back to 2007, where they won their final two home matches of the season, before finishing 14-0 at home last season and starting out 9-0 at home this season. The Bearcats own the second longest home winning streak in the country, trailing only the No. 1 team in the country and back-to-back National Champions Penn State Nittany Lions. Below are the five longest home winning streaks in the country.
Team.................. Home Court Consecutive Home Wins
Penn State ........... Rec Hall............................. 68
Cincinnati ............. Fifth Third Arena................. 25
North Dakota St. .. Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse... 18
Texas ................. Gregory Gymnasium............ 15
Washington .......... Bank of America Arena........ 13
FESL TAKES HOME WEEKLY HONOR: After leading the University of Cincinnati volleyball team to a perfect 3-0 record last week, junior setter Annie Fesl was named the BIG EAST Volleyball Player of the Week, the conference office announced on Nov. 2. Fesl, a Preseason All-BIG EAST Team selection, keyed Cincinnati to three wins last week and averaged 10.30 assists per set while helping UC to a .321 team attack percentage in conference contests. She totaled 11 kills, 103 assists, four service aces, 34 digs and two blocks in 10 sets last week, which included back-to-back assist-dig double-doubles in wins against Marquette and Syracuse. Fesl becomes the second setter and the second UC player to win the weekly award this season. Notre Dame setter Jamel Nicholas took home the honor on Oct. 12, one week after fellow UC junior Stephanie Niemer was named Player of the Week on Oct. 5.
UC SECURES SPOT IN BIG EAST TOURNEY: With wins over Marquette and Syracuse last weekend, Cincinnati secured a spot in the 2009 BIG EAST Conference Tournament that will be played in Louisville, Ky., Nov. 20-22. The Bearcats are one of three teams to clinch a spot in the tournament joining Notre Dame and Pittsburgh.
YOUNG GUNS: Cincinnati freshmen Jordanne Scott, Emily Hayden, and Becca Refenes all rank in the Top 10 in the BIG EAST in hitting percentage in conference-only matches entering the week. Scott sits in third hitting .379, while Hayden is ninth hitting at a .320 clip, while Refenes is 10th with a .299 hitting percentage.
NATIONAL RANKINGS: In the most recent release of NCAA statistics, two UC players rank in the Top 30 nationally in four statistical categories. Junior Annie Fesl leads the way ranking 11th in the country in assists per set (11.57), which also ranks first in the BIG EAST. Additionally, fellow junior Stephanie Niemer ranks in the Top 30 nationally in three statistical categories. Niemer ranks 19th in the nation in service aces per set (0.46 sa/s), 20th in the nation in points per set (4.95), and 29th in kills per set (4.23 kps).
X-FACTOR: One of the keys to success for Cincinnati this season has been its serving. In wins, UC is averaging 1.74 service aces per set compared to just 0.79 sa/s in losses. In its 19 wins, Cincinnati has collected 113 of the team's 140 service aces and the Bearcats have recorded at least four service aces in 17 of its 19 wins. On the other hand, the Bearcats have tallied fewer than four service aces in five of its eight losses. In wins, junior Stephanie Niemer and sophomore Missy Harpenau have combined for 71 of the team's 113 service aces (62.8 percent).
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.