TicketsSept. 14, 2012
AUSTIN, Texas - The University of Cincinnati volleyball team took down the University of Central Florida 3-0 (25-15, 25-20, 25-23) in the first match of the Time Warner Cable Texas Invitational hosted by the University of Texas. Senior Jordanne Scott (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) led all players with 15 kills.
"We were much more disciplined on defense today" said head coach Molly Alvey. "We played a full-system defense from our blocking to our back court defense. As a result, we had 10 team blocks and Emily MacIntyre finished 6.33 digs per set. The defensive discipline allowed us to have more opportunities to attack offensively. We had very balanced attacking numbers with Jordanne Scott, Becca Refenes and Emily Hayden all finishing with phenomenal attacking percentages."
The Bearcats were led by four seniors who each recorded at least seven kills, including Scott with 15, Becca Refenes (Westland, Mich./Westland Lutheran) with 10, Emily Hayden (Louisville, Ky./Assumption) with nine and Megan Turner (Ontario, N.Y./Wayne Central) with seven. Senior Rachel Rohlfs (Cincinnati, Ohio/Grand Valley State) also paced UC offensively, dishing out a match-high 38 assists. "The seniors today definitely brought a level of consistency that we've been talking about in training for the past few weeks" said Alvey. "That leadership led to more calmness and a better sense of composure on the court today."
Cincinnati (2-8) recorded 44 kills in the victory with a .295 attacking clip. UCF (3-7) was held to just 32 kills with a .104 percentage.
UC got off to a hot start, winning the first game 25-15 and taking a 1-0 match lead. The teams traded points early until a UCF error and a kill by Scott gave the Bearcats a 6-4 lead. With the game tied at 9-9, UC took command with five consecutive points, including kills by sophomore Me'Ashah Nicholson (Shiloh, Ill./Belleville Althoff) and Hayden, to bring the score to 14-9. Cincinnati also strung together three straight points to end the set, with a kill and a service ace from Refenes and a kill from Hayden to give the Bearcats the 25-15 advantage. Scott shined in the set, hitting five kills for a .400 attacking percentage and adding two blocks.
The Bearcars continued their dominance in the second game. After falling behind 15-12, UC rattled off six straight points, including two kills apiece from Scott and Refenes, to take an 18-15 advantage. The Bearcats held on to the lead, using back-to-back kills from Hayden to close out the game, 25-20. Refenes recorded five kills and three blocks in the set.
Cincinnati had to dig deep in the third set, with Central Florida playing tough through the duration of the game. The Bearcats took a 15-12 lead following three consecutive points from Refenes, including two kills and a block. The Knights responded, tying the score at 20-20, but th leadership from Scott and Hayden led the Bearcats to the finish. The duo each recorded a kill to bring the score 24-23, and on match point, Scott closed it out with her 15th kill of the match. The set ended with a 25-23 final score. Rohlfs paced the Bearcats in the third stanza with 16 assists while Scott added six kills.
The Bearcats will continue the Time Warner Cable Texas Invitational Sept. 15 when they take on a pair of ranked opponents. They will face No. 6 Texas at noon ET and No. 23 Illinois at 8 p.m.
-GoBEARCATS.com-