TicketsOct. 5, 2012
CINCINNATI - The University of Cincinnati volleyball team kicked off UC Homecoming weekend in style, sweeping Rutgers University 3-0 on Friday afternoon at Fifth Third Arena. Senior Rachel Rohlfs (Cincinnati, Ohio/Grand Valley State) recorded her first career double-double with 33 assists and a career-high 10 digs while senior Jordanne Scott (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) added a team-high 12 kills.
The Bearcats (5-13, 3-2 BIG EAST) improved their record against the Scarlet Knights (15-5, 1-4 BIG EAST) to 10-3, including 8-0 since joining the BIG EAST in 2005. In the eight-year span, Cincinnati has won 24 games while only dropping two to Rutgers.
Scott and sophomore Me'Ashah Nicholson (Shiloh, Ill./BellevilleAlthoff) paced the offense with 12 and 10 kills, respectively. The 10 digs for Nicholson was a career-high and was paired with an outstanding .643 hitting percentage. Scott hit double-digit kills for the 16th time this season. Rohlfs also recorded a career high with 10 digs, which she paired with 33 assists and two blocks. The Bearcats registered double-digit blocks (10.0) for the second consecutive match with Nicholson and senior Emily Hayden (Louisville, Ky./Assumption) each getting recording four.
Cincinnati got on the board first, taking a 1-0 lead after the first game. The Bearcats fell victim to a four-point Rutgers run and found themselves down 14-9 early. Following a timeout, Cincinnati put together a furious rally, using three team blocks and six kills from four different players pull back ahead 19-18. After a Rutgers kill brought the Scarlet Knights to within one at 20-19, UC scored five consecutive points to close out the set and win 25-19. The Bearcats recorded two blocks and got kills from Scott and Hayden during the run. Overall, Cincinnati had five blocks in the set, including two apiece from Hayden, Rohlfs and sophomore Nicholson.
The Bearcats extended their lead in the second set, taking the game 25-23. Rutgers strung together three straight points to tie the match at 23-23, but UC responded with back-to-back kills from Scott and senior Becca Refenes (Westland, Mich./Lutheran Westland) for the final tally of 25-23. Scott led the Bearcats with four kills in the game, while Hayden and Refenes each added three kills.
UC maintained a lead throughout the third game, winning by a score of 25-20. The Scarlet Knights pulled to within one point at 21-20, but the Bearcats took advantage of two RU errors and added two kills by Refenes to end the match with a 3-0 score.
The Bearcats will be back in action on Sun., Oct. 7 when they host BIG EAST foe Seton Hall at 2 p.m. at Fifth Third Arena. The match is designated as a white out in honor of the UC homecoming activities. The team also will conduct a post-match clinic for fans ages 14 and under. Please wear athletic shoes if you plan to attend.
-GoBEARCATS.com-