TicketsNov. 27, 2013
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 2 RUTGERS (5-26, 1-16 AAC) Rank: NR |
Cincinnati, Ohio |  3 CINCINNATI (3-28, 3-14 AAC) Rank: NR | ||||||||||||||||||
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CINCINNATI - The University of Cincinnati volleyball team picked up a 3-2 (25-15, 21-25, 25-22, 21-25, 15-11) see-saw win over Rutgers University on Wednesday evening at Fifth Third Arena. The Bearcats completed the season sweep over the Scarlet Knights with their second victory over the conference opponent.
Four Bearcats players scored in double figures in the match, led by junior Me'Ashah Nicholson (Shiloh, Ill./Belleville Althoff) and freshman Mallory Blauser (Round Rock, Texas/Round Rock Christian Academy) who each tallied 14. Sophomore Amelia Wegman (Aurora, Ill./Rosary) and freshman Breanna Barksdale (Chula Vista, Calif./Eastlake) added 11 and 10 kills, respectively.
Defensively, freshman Shelby Green (Dripping Springs, Texas/Dripping Springs) collected 24 digs to lead a quintet of Bearcats in double digits. Blauser (13), junior Madi Lang (Commerce Township, Mich./Florida Atlantic) (10), junior Jamie Netisingha (Westmont, Ill./Hinsdale Central) (10) and sophomore Morgan Allred (Carrolton, Texas/Hebron) (10) also contributed for Cincinnati.
Blauser's 14 kills and 13 digs made up her first-career double-double. Lang scored a new career high with 44 assists while also having 10 digs and eight kills for her fifth double-double of the season and narrowly missing a triple-double.
Collectively, the Bearcats totaled 65 kills and 82 digs, a new season high for the team.
In the decisive fifth set, the Bearcats worked their way to a slight lead and held on for a 15-11 win and a 3-2 match victory. UC scored on three straight possessions, including two Barksdale blocks, to take a 4-2 lead that it would not relinquish. On the team's first match point opportunity, freshman Samantha Schrenker (Elmhurst, Ill./York Community), who only appeared in the final set for the Bearcats, sent a powerful kill over the net to give her team the win.
The Bearcats earned a dominating 25-15 win in the first set after racing out to an early 5-0 lead. Lang, Blauser and Allred each recorded kills during the run and continued to pace UC throughout the game. The Bearcats put together another five-point run later in the set to take a 19-8 lead. Blauser tallied two kills in the scoring spurt while Allred had two service aces. A kill by Lang ended the game at 25-15 in favor of the Bearcats. Cincinnati finished the first set with 16 kills and a .438 hitting percentage.
Rutgers evened the score after winning the second set 25-21. The Scarlet Knights forced the Bearcats into an early timeout after scoring five consecutive points to jump ahead 7-6. RU continued to score multiple points at a time throughout the game, including three straight points to end the set at 25-21. The Bearcats stuffed the Scarlet Knights for four blocks in the game.
In the third set the Bearcats used a five-point run, with kills from Wegman, Green and Nicholson, to take a 9-5 lead. Cincinnati led by as many as five points as the teams traded scoring runs throughout the remainder of the set. Rutgers closed the gap to one point at 22-21 before a timeout called by head coach Molly Alvey composed the team. On the Bearcats' set point, what looked like a RU block was saved by a shoestring touch by Cincinnati and a subsequent block by Barksdale gave UC the 25-22 win. Wegman led all players with six kills in the game while Green added seven digs.
The Scarlet Knights once again tied the match at 2-2 after a 25-21 victory in the fourth game. The scoring was close throughout much of the set and the Bearcats held a 17-16 lead before four points from Rutgers put the visitors ahead 20-17. RU held the lead and an attacking error by UC gave the Scarlet Knights the win.
Prior to the start of the match, the Bearcats honored Emmi MacIntyre (Muncie, Ind./Yorktown) in a senior night ceremony. MacIntyre finishes her career ranked third all-time with 1,607 career digs and second with a 4.24 career digs/set average.
The Bearcats will conclude the 2013 season on Friday, Nov. 29 with a tilt against the University of Connecticut. The match will begin at noon at Fifth Third Arena.
-GoBEARCATS.com-