TicketsSept. 13, 2013
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 3 Northern Kentucky (6-2) Rank: NR |
Fifth Third Arena • Attendance: 707
|  0 CINCINNATI (0-9) Rank: NR | ||||||||||||
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CINCINNATI - The University of Cincinnati volleyball team put up a good fight but fell short against Cleveland State 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-23) at Fifth Third Arena. The match was the second for the Bearcats as part of the UC Invitational II.
Cincinnati clawed for three sets, but ultimately could not break through. UC accounted for 34 kills and had a .157 hitting percentage, its highest of the season. Freshman Ciara Hill (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook) led the team with 10 kills while classmate Kristin Conor (Lone Tree, Colo./Highlands Ranch) collected 24 assists.
CSU took an early lead in the first game, but the Bearcats clawed their way back with kills from freshman Breanna Barksdale (Chula Vista, Calif./Eastlake) and sophomore Amelia Wegman (Aurora, Ill./Rosary) to climb to within a point. An emphatic kill by Hill tied the score at 13-13 and forced the Vikings to call a timeout and regroup. The set tightened with neither team able to truly pull away until Cleveland State scored three consecutive points, including two UC errors, to take a 22-20 lead. Cincinnati thwarted two Vikings' set points, but CSU ultimately won the game 25-23. Hill and Wegman paced the Bearcats with five kills apiece while hitting .455 and .500, respectively. Cincinnati also only hit into two attacking errors during the set.
The Bearcats were plagued by the long scoring runs in the second game. Cleveland State managed to score at least three points at a time on four occasions, including a four-point run that saw them go ahead 19-14. Cincinnati climbed to within 22-19 following a block by freshman Samantha Schrenker (Elmhurst, Ill./York Community) and junior Madi Lang (Commerce Township, Mich./Florida Atlantic) but could not close the gap, falling 25-20. The Bearcats out-blocked the Vikings three to two in the game and Schrenker had a hand in all of them, posting two assists and one solo block. UC also managed an assist for every recorded kill (10) with Conor collecting eight.
The third game looked to be when Cincinnati would break through, but after a good fight CSU came out on top 25-23. The scoring went back and forth for a majority of the game and the Bearcats kept up with the Vikings step for step until CSU put together three straight points to go ahead 22-20. Two more kills gave Cleveland State match point at 24-21, but with the Bearcats' backs against the wall, Wegman surged out of a timeout with a kill and a block to force a CSU timeout at 24-23. The rally would end, however, with a CSU kill and a 25-23 score line.
The Bearcats will close out play in the UC Invitational II on Saturday afternoon 2 p.m. when they face local rival Northern Kentucky University in Fifth Third Arena.
-GoBEARCATS.com-