TicketsSept. 24, 2010
Setting the Stage
· The Cincinnati Bearcats (11-3; 0-0-0 BIG EAST) return home following a six-match road trip where they posted a record of 4-2, including a 3-2 upset of No. 5 Illinois on Sept. 17 at the BIG EAST/Big Ten Challenge. UC's current four-match winning streak has propelled the Bearcats into the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top 25 for the first time since 2003.
· This past Tuesday, UC completed its non-conference schedule with a 3-0 victory at Morehead State. Senior outside hitter Stephanie Niemer led the charge with a .567 hitting percentage, 18 kills, six digs, and four blocks.
· The Bearcats open BIG EAST Conference play this weekend at home taking on Seton Hall on Friday, Sept. 24 at 7:30 p.m. and Rutgers on Sunday, Sept. 26 at 2 p.m. Both matches take place in Fifth Third Arena.
Series History
· Since joining the BIG EAST in 2005, the Bearcats are 4-1 vs. Seton Hall, including a 3-1 win last year in South Orange, N.J. Then-freshman Jordanne Scott posted a career-high 17 kills and hit .556. UC outblocked the Pirates 15.0 to 2.0, marking a season-high for blocks for the Bearcats.
Bearcats Crack AVCA Top 25
· The University of Cincinnati's volleyball team claimed the No. 25 spot in this week's American Volleyball Coaches Association Poll.
· The Bearcats were last ranked in the AVCA Top 25 on Nov. 17, 2003 when they were No. 23, three spots behind the all-time highest ranking of No. 20, the week prior.
· This is just the fifth time UC has appeared in the coaches poll since it started in 1982.
· UC owns a record of 11-3 this season, including a pair of wins vs. Top 25 squads. The wins vs. No. 16 Kentucky on Sept. 7 and No. 5 Illinois on Sept. 17 mark the first time in the program's 37-year history Cincinnati has knocked off two ranked teams in the same season. The 3-0 win over Illinois this past weekend also marks the highest-ranked team the Bearcats have beaten.
Niemer AVCA Division I National Player of the Week
· Senior outside hitter Stephanie Niemer (Erlanger, Ky./St. Henry), who was named BIG EAST Player of the Week for the second consecutive week on Monday, garnered the AVCA Division I National Player of the Week award on Tuesday.
· Niemer, the Most Valuable Player at the BIG EAST/Big Ten Challenge last weekend, earned the honor after posting a combined 60 kills, five service aces, 23 digs, and five blocks and hitting .391 in the victories.
· In the upset of No. 5 Illinois, she notched her seventh double-double of the season with 28 kills and 15 digs, but it was in UC's three-set sweep of Purdue Niemer posted her strongest performance of the year, putting away a BIG EAST season-best 32 kills. It was her second 30-kill performance in Cincinnati's last three matches. She also totaled eight digs, three blocks, and two service aces vs. the Boilermakers.
Bearcats Picked to Win BIG EAST Conference
· The University of Cincinnati volleyball team was unanimously picked to finish first in the BIG EAST Conference by leaque coaches in the annual BIG EAST Volleyball Preseason Poll. The Bearcats earned 196 points, including 14 first-place votes, followed by Louisville with 176 points.
In the NCAA National Rankings
· As a team, Cincinnati is ranked 10th in assists per sets (13.43), 37th in hitting percentage (.264), and 21st in kills per set (14.19).
· Individually, OH Stephanie Niemer is third in points per set (6.07) and kills per set (5.19). Setter Annie Fesl is eighth nationally in assists per set (11.83).