TicketsSept. 13, 2013
| | ||||||||||||||
 3 Navy (4-5) Rank: NR |
Fifth Third Arena • Attendance: 131 |  0 CINCINNATI (0-8) Rank: NR | ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
CINCINNATI - The University of Cincinnati volleyball team suffered a 3-0 (25-20, 25-19, 25-22) defeat at the hands of Navy on Friday morning while opening the UC Invitational II in Fifth Third Arena. Despite the loss, the Bearcats recorded a season-high seven service aces.
Cincinnati spread its offense around, with three players leading the team with eight kills. Junior Me'Ashah Nicholson (Shiloh, Ill./Belleville Althoff), sophomore Amelia Wegman (Aurora, Ill./Rosary) and freshman Ciara Hill (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook) each hit the eight-kill mark for the Bearcats.
Freshman Kristin Conor (Lone Tree, Colo./Highlands Ranch) set a new career high with 26 assists while Wegman paced the team defensively, gathering 11 digs.
Cincinnati surged ahead early in the opening set, building a 13-8 lead after a kill by Wegman. The Midshipmen chipped away at the lead to get to within 18-16 before the visitor's scored seven consecutive points to jump ahead 23-18. The Bearcats could not find their offense for the remainder of the game, losing the first set 25-20. Cincinnati recorded three aces in the first game, either equalizing or surpassing their ace totals in six of their previous matches. Hill led the charge with four kills.
The story was the same in the second game, when Cincinnati had a lead but could not hold on, allowing a long Navy rally to succumb its advantage. A kill by Hill tied the match at 6-6 and UC used a Jamie Netisingha (Westmont, Ill./Hinsdale Central) service ace to take a 12-9 lead. The Midshipmen again scored seven straight points, including four UC errors, to surge to a 20-14 advantage, a lead they did not relinquish, winning the game 25-19.
The Bearcats showed their best effort in the third game, where the teams traded points throughout until a 3-point run by Cincinnati brought them from 17-16 down to ahead 18-17. A kill by sophomore Morgan Allred (Carrolton, Texas/Hebron) and a service ace by Nicholson highlighted the run for the Bearcats. Navy chipped away at the lead until a three-point run of its own put the Midshipmen ahead 23-20. UC attempted a comeback, twice halting match point, but Navy eventually took the game 25-22.
The Bearcats will continue play at the UC Invitational tonight at 7 p.m. when they take on the Vikings of Cleveland State in Fifth Third Arena.
-GoBEARCATS.com-