TicketsSept. 10, 2010
The Game
· The Cincinnati Bearcats moved to 7-1 on the season after knocking off No. 16 Kentucky, 3-0, in Fifth Third Arena on Tuesday, Sept. 7.
· The 7-1 start is UC’s best since beginning the 2003 season with the same record. That season the Bearcats finished with record of 27-6 and 12-1 in Conference USA and appeared in the NCAA Tournament.
· Cincinnati’s victory over No. 16 Kentucky on Tuesday was its first against a ranked opponent since beating then-No. 16 St. Louis, 3-0, on Sept. 12, 2009 as part of a tournament hosted by Illinois.
Series Histories
· UC is 1-0 vs. the College of Charleston, winning the first match-up between the two last season, 3-1, in the final match of the 2009 Bearcats Invitational.
· Saturday’s match-up will be the first between Cincinnati and Oregon State.
· Since the series began in 1996, Auburn leads the all time series vs. Cincinnati, 3-1.
In Regular-Season Tournament Play
· The Bearcats own a record of 21-9 (.700) in tournament play since 2008. During that span, UC has won its home tournament, the Bearcats Invitational all three years.
· Cincinnati opened 2010 at the Aztec Invitational where it posted a record of 2-1 with wins over Northern Colorado (2-1) and Cal State Northridge (3-0). The loss was in three sets to host San Diego State.
Harpenau BIG EAST Player of the Week
· Outside hitter Missy Harpenau (Cincinnati, OH/Mother of Mercy) earned her first career BIG EAST Conference Player of the Week honor, the league office announced this week.
· Harpenau earned the honor after helping the Bearcats to a 4-0 record this past week, including three wins to capture the title at the 2010 Bearcats Invitational. The junior was named MVP of the tournament, leading the team with a .394 hitting percentage. Harpenau had a pair of 15-kill matches against both Kent State (15 kills, 9 digs) on Sept. 3 and James Madison (15 kills, 12 digs) on Sept. 4. She averaged 3.75 kills and 2.75 digs per set for the week.
Bearcats Picked to Win BIG EAST Conference
· After finishing in a tie for first place and a tie for second place in the BIG EAST Conference regular-season standings in 2008 and 2009, respectively, the University of Cincinnati volleyball team was forecasted to continue that trend in 2010 after being unanimously picked to finish first by conference coaches in the annual BIG EAST Volleyball Preseason Coaches’ Poll.
· The Bearcats earned 196 points, including 14 first-place votes, followed by Louisville with 176 points.
Up Next
· Following UC’s three games in the Holiday Inn Riverview Classic, the Bearcats hit the road again the next weekend to Louisville, Ky. where they will take part in the BIG EAST/Big Ten Challenge. Cincinnati will face Illinois in the first match on Friday, Sept. 17 and Purdue on Saturday, Sept. 18.