TicketsSept. 15, 2012
CINCINNATI - Junior Emily MacIntyre recorded a record 38 digs as the University of Cincinnati volleyball team fell to No. 23 University of Illinois 3-1 (28-26, 23-25, 28-26, 25-18) in the final match of the Time Warner Cable Texas Invitational hosted by the University of Texas.
"We are definitely getting better as a volleyball team and a volleyball program" said head coach Molly Alvey. "All we need to do now is play better volleyball for longer periods of time. We worked 100% as a group tonight. Emily MacIntyre had a great match and Jordanne Scott is playing with extreme consistency right now."
Emily MacIntyre (Muncie, Ind./Yorktown) recorded a career-high 38 digs, setting a new school record for digs in a match. The previous record was 27, set by Jamie Frey in 2007. The junior was named the Most Valuable Libero of the tournament for her efforts.
Senior Jordanne Scott (Indianapolis, Ind./LawrenceNorth) also played a strong match, hitting a season-high 20 kills and earning a spot on the Time Warner Cable Texas Invitational all-tournament team. Senior Emily Hayden (Louisville, Ky./Assumption) registered 14 kills in the loss, also a season-high.
Overall, the Bearcats (2-10) registered a season-high 61 kills for a .235 hitting percentage. The Fighting Illini (6-4) had 69 kills and a .286 attacking clip. UC registered more digs than the UI (75 to 68) and hit seven service aces to Illinois' four.
Cincinnati pushed Illinois to the wire in the first set, but lost 28-26 to begin the match. UC fell behind early when a string of four consecutive Fighting Illini points gave UI a 10-4 lead. The Bearcats responded with a run of their own, scoring six out of the next eight points to close the margin to 12-10. A kill by Illinois's Anna Dorn gave the Fighting Illini set point at 24-22, but a kill by Hayden and a service ace from MacIntyre tied the score at 24-24. Overall, the Bearcats fended off four Illini game points, until a UC attack error finally ended the set at 28-26. MacIntyre recorded 12 digs in the first stanza while Scott registered seven digs for a .462 hitting percentage.
The Bearcats got on the scoreboard with a 25-23 victory in the second frame. The Fighting Illini jumped out to a 10-6 lead following three consecutive points off of two kills and a service ace. The Bearcats responded with three points of their own including a kill by senior Becca Refenes (Westland, Mich./Lutheran Westland) and two kills by Scott to bring the score to 10-9. Illinois rattled off another scoring surge to take a 16-11 lead, but the Cincinnati clawed its way back into the game, using a kill by Refenes to tie the score at 20-20. The Bearcats were unable to convert two set points until a kill by Hayden finally ended the game 25-23, tying the match at 1-1. Senior Rachel Rohlfs (Cincinnati, Ohio/Grand Valley State) recorded 16 assists in the game to lead Cincinnati. Overall, the team combined for 17 kills and a .389 attacking percentage.
UC surged to a 10-5 lead in the third stanza following three straight points, including two kills by Refenes and Hayden and a Refenes service ace. The Bearcats held the lead 17-13 on a kill by Megan Turner (Ontario, N.Y./Wayne Central), but the Fighting Illini answered, scoring eight of the next 12 points to tie the set at 21-21. The teams traded points until the score was tied at 26-26, when a kill from Illinois' Anna Dorn and a UC attacking error gave UI the 28-26 victory, and a 2-1 match lead. Scott paced the Bearcats in the third frame with seven kills. Refenes added four kills, two blocks, one assist and one service ace in the game.
Cincinnati dropped the final set 25-18. Illinois scored five of the last seven points to win the match and beat the Bearcats for the second time in a week.
The Bearcats will be back on the court on Sept. 21 when they host Notre Dame to open BIG EAST play. The match will be played at 7 p.m. in Fifth Third Arena.
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