TicketsNov. 6, 2009
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The University of Cincinnati volleyball team had its seven-match win streak snapped after falling 3-0 to Georgetown Friday evening at McDonough Arena. Cincinnati could not overcome 21 attack errors and 10 serving errors as it fell to 19-9 overall and 9-2 in the BIG EAST.
UC fell behind early as five Bearcats errors allowed Georgetown (13-14; 3-8 BIG EAST) to take a four-point lead, 13-9. Cincinnati closed within one point on six different occasions before knotting the score at 22 on a block by junior Annie Fesl (Arlington Heights, Ill./John Hersey) and freshman Emily Hayden (Louisville, Ky./Assumption). Despite the comeback, the Hoyas bounced back and used a Kortney Robinson kill to take the first set, 25-23.
The woes continued for Cincinnati in the second set as a four-point surge, which featured consecutive service aces by Ashley Malone, placed Georgetown in front, 8-5. Still trailing by three points, 17-14, freshman Megan Turner (Ontario, N.Y./Wayne Central) provided a spark with a kill and an ace, which helped tie the set at 17, forcing a Hoyas timeout. Another four-point run by Georgetown placed the Hoyas back on top, 21-17, and from that point UC could not muster another rally and fell 25-19 to enter the 10-minute intermission behind two sets to none.
Kills by junior Stephanie Niemer (Erlanger, Ky./St. Henry) and freshman Jordanne Scott (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) and a service ace by junior Lindsay Upton (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame) lifted the Bearcats to a 3-0 lead out of the intermission, but the Hoyas responded by taking nine of the next 10 points to take a 9-4 advantage. Kills by Scott and Turner coupled with a senior Jaime Frey (Cincinnati, Ohio/Roger Bacon) ace helped UC cut the deficit to two points, 10-8, but the Hoyas slowly pulled away and extended its lead to six points, 22-16. Against a series of set points, a kill by Niemer and two aces by Harpenau helped Cincinnati chip the lead to three points, 24-21, but a Cincinnati ball-handling error gave the Hoyas a 25-21 third-set triumph.
Niemer led the Bearcats with eight kills, while Hayden collected a team-high five blocks, including a career-high two solo blocks.
Cincinnati continues its road swing on Sunday, Nov. 8, when the Bearcats take on USF in Tampa, Fla.