TicketsOct. 2, 2011
CHICAGO - The University of Cincinnati volleyball team defeated the DePaul Demons 3-0 Sunday afternoon (25-11, 25-10, 25-17).
The Bearcats were led by junior Jordanne Scott (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North), who recorded 16 kills and a .609 hitting percentage. She also had five digs from the back row. Senior Missy Harpenau (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mother of Mercy) was also a huge asset to the win with 11 kills (.588 percentage), a match-high 13 digs and a season-high 6 aces.
Freshman Caylin Mahoney (Fort Worth, Texas/Keller Central) recorded a match-high 38 assists in the win. She also had two aces and was second on the team with five digs. Junior Becca Refenes (Westland, Mich./Lutheran Westland) also had an impressive night with three aces and 9 kills for a .571 hitting percentage. Even though the Bearcats were out-blocked (DePaul 7 Cincinnati 3), they were still able to put down 45 kills and a .432 hitting percentage overall. The team also had 36 digs compared to DePaul's 23.
The third set started a little closer in score 4-4. Mahoney then saw the DePaul block on the other side and pushed the set out to Harpenau who had a one-on-one opportunity and put down the kill. Even with two more kills from Scott, the Bearcats found themselves behind 9-8. Harpenau tied the score at 11 with a kill on the outside. Momentum quickly went to the Bearcats as they earned points with kills from Harpenau and Scott and digs from junior Karen Onuki (Troy, Ohio/Troy) and sophomore libero Emily MacIntyre (Muncie, Ind./Yorktown) for a score of 17-15. The team came out of a DePaul timeout and recorded 3 straight points thanks to the serve of Harpenau and kills from Refenes and Scott 20-15. Refenes then made a diving save off of the block to allow Turner to get the kill 23-16. Junior Rachel Rohlfs (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame) made her Bearcat debut with two assists to Harpenau and Scott and a dig in the back row to end the match 25-17.
Kills from Harpenau and Scott started the second set for another quick Bearcat lead of 5-3. The score continued to be close, even with kills from Mahoney, Refenes and Harpenau 10-8. Mahoney then rotated to the back row and immediately recorded an ace at 13-9. The Bearcats then went on an unprecedented 13-1 run on the serve of Harpenau, who recorded 4 aces in that time. Kills were also put down by junior Emily Hayden (Louisville, Ky./Assumption) Scott, Refenes and Harpenau for the 25-10 set win.
The Bearcats struggled the first few points of the match, but then went on a 8-0 run for a score of 11-5. Refenes started this run with a kill and two aces, she was helped by Scott who added two kills. Harpenau dropped a kill in the middle of the court from the back row for a Bearcat lead 14-8. Refenes then ran a play in front of Mahoney, which allowed Scott to run behind with no DePaul block in sight. She executed the kill for a score of 21-10. Harpenau recorded two aces in the middle of a 6-0 run late in the set. Refenes and Turner then each put down kills to get the game point for the Bearcats. Scott ended the set and secured the win 25-11. The first set was highlighted by hitting percentages. Three Bearcats hit .500: Scott, Harpenau and Refenes.
The win keeps the Bearcats undefeated in the BIG EAST (4-0). The team will continue conference play when they travel to New Jersey to face Rutgers and Seton Hall Oct. 7 and 9 at 3 and 7 p.m.