TicketsSept. 3, 2011
DENTON, TEXAS - The University of Cincinnati volleyball team defeated the Bearkats of Sam Houston State 3-1 Saturday afternoon in their second match of the North Texas Invite (25-10, 25-21, 25-8, 25-19).
Three Bearcats recorded double digit kills: juniors Megan Turner (13) (Ontario, N.Y./Wayne Central) and Jordanne Scott (10) (Indianapolis, Ind. /Lawrence North) and match leader senior Missy Harpenau (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mother of Mercy) who had 16 kills and a .483 percentage. Sophomore libero Emily MacIntyre (Muncie, Ind. /Yorktown) led the match with 13 digs. Freshman Caylin Mahoney (Fort Worth, Texas/Keller Central) led the match with 47 assists and a career-high 6 kills.
The fourth set started similar to the second with the Bearcats down 4-1. Kills by junior Becca Refenes (Westland, Mich. /Lutheran Westland), Harpenau and Mahoney brought a tie score at 4. A run on the serve of Refenes made the Bearcats pull ahead 10-7. The score continued to stay close, but the Bearcats were still ahead 16-12 after kills from Scott and junior Emily Hayden (Louisville, Ky. /Assumption). Another Mahoney kill out of her setter position added to the Bearcat lead 19-14. A Harpenau kill put the Bearcats two points away from the match 23-16. The Bearkats of Sam Houston continued to fight though as the score became 24-19. The set and match ultimately went to the Bearcats of Cincinnati 25-19.
Cincinnati started the third set with a run of 5-0, which was followed by a quick Sam Houston timeout. A Turner kill and a Refenes and Mahoney block kept the Bearcat lead 8-2. Mahoney then added a kill of her own to make the score 10-2 and lead to Sam Houston's last timeout of the set. An ace by Refenes continued the Bearcats' run with a score of 14-4. Harpenau slammed down a kill for a score of 17-8. Scott then added a booming kill of her own that hit off a Sam Houston player's shoulder to make the score 19-8. The run continued all the way to set point on the serve of MacIntyre, a dig by Mahoney, and a Turner kill and was finished off with a score of 25-8.
A cut shot out of the middle by Refenes started the Bearcats' points, but Sam Houston earned more with a score of 4-1. Sophomore Juliana Behrens (Honolulu, Hawai'i/Punahou School) came off the bench with a kill to bring the Bearcats closer 5-3. Miscommunication on Cincinnati's side put Sam Houston ahead even more 8-3. A timeout was called by Sunahara after a run by Sam Houston State at a score of 11-5. A kill out of the back row by Harpenau was not enough as the Bearcats continued to be in a deficit 13-8. A kill by Refenes and an ace by Turner brought the Bearcats closer with a score of 16-10. The ball was kept alive after a few rallies by sophomore Brianna Richey (Tiffin, Ohio/Hopewell-Loudin) and Harpenau secured a point with a kill for a score of 19-15. Freshman Me'Ashah Nicholson (Shiloh, Ill. /Belleville Althoff) and Scott teamed up for a block after a Turner kill to continue the Bearcats' climb 20-17. Two diving saves by MacIntyre was not enough in a late rally as Sam Houston was still on top 22-18. A Turner kill and Scott ace kept the Bearcats alive, but still down 24-22. The set went to the Bearkats of Sam Houston State 25-22.
The match started close with both teams keeping the ball in play with a score of 4-4. A Harpenau kill put the Bearcats ahead 8-5. Hayden added a kill, along with a Scott and Refenes block, to increase the Bearcat lead 13-7. Refenes then blocked another with Scott, but it was kept alive by Sam Houston, she ran to the other side of the net to put another block down with Turner for a score of 16-7. The run of MacIntyre's serve finally ended with a Sam Houston kill, but the Bearcats answered quickly with a Scott ace at 19-8. A long rally that was highlighted by diving defensive plays by MacIntyre and Turner ended in the Bearcats' favor 23-9. The set was ended with a Harpenau kill 25-10. The blocking and defense of Cincinnati forced Sam Houston to hit -.172 in set one, with only one player hitting a positive percentage.
Cincinnati will play North Texas in the final match of the North Texas Invite Tournament at 7:00 p.m.