TicketsOct. 9, 2011
South Orange, N.J. - The University of Cincinnati volleyball team saw their undefeated conference season slip away as the team lost in straight sets to the Seton Hall Pirates Sunday afternoon (25-19, 25-23, 25-23).
The Pirates blocking was the ultimate demise of the Bearcats. They recorded 12 blocks in the three sets to put Cincinnati in an offensive drought.
The team was led by junior Emily Hayden (Louisville, Ky. /Assumption), who recorded 11 kills and a .471 hitting percentage. Fellow junior Jordanne Scott (Indianapolis, Ind. /Lawrence North) was close behind with 10 kills. Sophomore Emily Macintyre (Muncie, Ind. /Yorktown) led the team with 12 digs.
Junior Karen Onuki (Troy, Ohio/Troy) also put up a solid defensive effort with 11 digs. Freshman Caylin Mahoney (Fort Worth, Texas/Keller Central) set up the attack with a team-high 33 assists.
Seton Hall was led by Meghan Matusiak, who put down 16 kills and a .378 hitting percentage.
Head coach Reed Sunahara called a quick timeout in set three when the Bearcats made several errors and the Pirates blocked well for a score of 9-3. Two kills from Hayden and block from senior Missy Harpenau (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mother of Mercy) gave the Bearcats energy and shortened the deficit 10-5. The Pirates' lead diminished even more as the Bearcats played better defense, recorded three blocks and a kill from Scott to come within two 12-10. Sophomore Juliana Behrens (Honalulu, Hawai'i/Punahou School) came up with a clutch kill to pull the Bearcats within one 17-16. Two kills from Hayden and a kill from Mahoney gave the team their first lead of the set 19-17. Defensive plays by MacIntyre and Onuki a long rally going until Scott ended it with a kill to tie the score again at 22. The set and the match ended with a Seton Hall block 25-23.
After errors from the Bearcats and execution by the Pirates, the team again was behind 7-5 in second set. Kills from junior Becca Refenes (Westland, Mich. /Lutheran Westland), Scott, and Harpenau brought glimpses of momentum to the Bearcats but the lead continued to change throughout the middle of the set. Seton Hall used a 4-0 run to get ahead 18-14. The serve of Turner and a kill from Harpenau brought the Bearcats back up to a tie at 18. Refenes and Harpenau teamed up for a block to put the team ahead 22-21. A controversial kill from Harpenau placed in the back corner tied the score at 23. A kill from the Pirates put the Bearcats down two sets to none with a set loss 25-23.
The blocking of Seton Hall was affecting the Bearcats' offense throughout the first set. Even with kills from Hayden, Scott, Harpenau and Refenes, the Bearcats found themselves behind 15-12. The Pirates continued their momentum with several kills from across the net to stay ahead 20-16. The teams traded points back and forth until the set ultimately went to the Pirates 25-19.
The Bearcats are faced with a tough opponent on the road in undefeated Louisville Friday, October 14 at 7 p.m.