TicketsNov. 13, 2010
Cumulative Stats in PDF Format
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - For the second time in a week, the No. 19-ranked University of Cincinnati volleyball team needed five sets to defeat a BIG EAST opponent on the road, this time downing Syracuse University (19-25, 23-25, 25-21, 25-23, 15-10) on Friday, Nov. 12.
Facing a 2-0 match deficit, Cincinnati got defensive in the third set, recording five team blocks and holding Syracuse to a .054 hitting percentage. With the score deadlocked at 13, the Bearcats went on a 3-0 run, capped by a Becca Refenes (Westland, Mich./Lutheran Westland) block and an Annie Fesl (Arlington Heights, Ill./John Hersey) service ace to put UC in front 16-13. Syracuse came back to close the gap to within one at 22-21, but UC got a kill from Stephanie Niemer (Erlanger, Ky./St. Henry) and another block from Refenes before finishing off the Orange 25-21 in the third set and extending the match.
Still facing elimination down 2-1 heading into the fourth set, the Bearcats needed another strong defensive performance to continue their comeback. UC delivered, holding the Orange to a .103 hitting percentage while finishing with a .212 rate of its own. After falling behind 10-7, Cincinnati came back to tie the score at 11, before taking a 16-13 lead after a Megan Turner (Ontario, N.Y./Wayne Central) kill. A Jordanne Scott (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) kill made UC's lead 22-16, but SU closed the score to within 23-22 before two Niemer kills ended the set 25-23.
After the winning the previous two games to force a decisive fifth set, momentum was on Cincinnati's side. The Bearcats took an early 5-2 lead and increased it to 9-4. With the score 10-7, a Fesl dump shot and back-to-back Niemer kills pushed the lead to 12-7. Fesl converted another dump shot to end the math 15-10.
For the match, Niemer led the Bearcats with her third consecutive double-double performance with 22 kills and 11 digs. Fesl had a season-high 62 assists, while Scott (14 kills) and Missy Harpenau (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mother of Mercy) (13 kills) were the only other Bearcats to reach double figure kills. Freshman libero Emily MacIntyre (Muncie, Ind./Yorktown) led UC with 18 digs.
The Bearcat attack was slowed in the first set by 10 attack errors, as well as a Syracuse defense that recorded six team blocks and held UC to a .108 hitting percentage. After Cincinnati jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead the Orange came back and tied the score at 5-5. SU gradually increased its lead and took the set 25-19. Junior outside hitter Missy Harpenau (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mother of Mercy) paced UC with five kills in the set on a .667 hitting percentage, while Fesl added 12 assists.
UC's offense did not see significant improvement in the second set, recording 17 attack errors and a .167 hitting percentage. With the score tied at 13, Cincinnati went on a 5-0 run capped off by a Refenes service ace and an Emily Hayden (Louisville, Ky./Assumption) kill to give UC an 18-13 lead. However, the Orange's defense continued to slow down Cincinnati's offense, blocking another 4.5 shots in the set and edging the Bearcats with a 25-23 set score and 2-0 match lead.
With the win, coupled with Marquette's five-set victory over Louisville on Friday, Cincinnati (25-4, 12-1) has a chance to win the BIG EAST regular season championship outright when it faces the Golden Eagles on Sunday, Nov. 14, at 3 p.m. EST in Milwaukee, Wis.