TicketsCINCINNATI - Efficient hitting and a stingy defense led the University of Cincinnati volleyball team to a 3-1 (23-25, 25-18, 25-12, 25-23) victory over Tulane University on Friday afternoon at Fifth Third Arena.
The Bearcats recorded a .364 hitting percentage in the match, their highest mark in American Athletic Conference play, and their best mark since hitting .386 against NJIT on Sept. 13. UC also held the Green Wave to just a .118 percentage, the smallest hitting mark for a UC opponent since holding UConn to a .111 clip on Oct. 12.
Leading the charge offensively for the Bearcats was junior Emma Roberson (Brooks, Ky./Evansville) who recorded a match-high 23 kills with a .388 hitting percentage. Freshman Christine Chandler (Milford, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame) chipped in 16 kills with a mere three errors for a .464 attacking mark.
Defensively, the Bearcats were paced by freshman Cortnee Bowser (Kent, Ohio/Theodore Roosevelt) who totaled nine blocks, including two of the solo variety.
// Notables
- With the win, Cincinnati is now to 14-13 on the season and 6-9 in the American Athletic Conference while Tulane falls to 5-22 and 3-12.
- Chandler's 16 kills are a new career high for the freshman.
- Bowser's nine blocks are a career high and a season high for any UC player in a single match.
- Roberson's 23 kills means she has tallied double-digit kills in 22 matches this year.
- Senior Jamie Netisingha (Westmont, Ill./Hinsdale Central) finished with 17 digs. She has collected double-digit digs in all but two matches this season.
- Netisingha added 11 assists in the match to complete her second-career double-double.
- Senior Madi Lang (Commerce Township, Mich./Florida Atlantic) produced 26 assists and 14 digs for her sixth double-double of the season, and fifth consecutive.
- Cincinnati had three players record a .300 hitting percentage or better with at least 10 attempts, including Roberson (23 kills, .388), Chandler (16 kills, .464) and senior Me'Ashah Nicholson (Shiloh, Ill./Belleville Althoff) (10 kills, .450). The Bearcats are now 3-0 on the season when this happens.
- UC had three players record double-digit digs. Along with Netisingha, Lang and junior Morgan Allred (Carrolton, Texas/Hebron) both added 14.
// Set Breakdown
Set 1: TU 25, UC 23
- Tulane called a timeout after the Bearcats went ahead 12-9, but the Green Wave responded with a pair of four-point scoring runs to take an 18-16 lead.
- A kill by Chandler and an attacking error by TU allowed the Bearcats briefly tied the score at 21-21, but back-to-back kills by Sarah Ray helped Tulane close out the set at 25-23.
Set 2: UC 25, TU 18
- A Tulane attacking error and two consecutive kills by Roberson pulled the Bearcats ahead 15-10, forcing the Green Wave into a timeout.
- Two kills by Chandler and one by Bowser anchored a four-point run that extended the Cincinnati lead to 22-15.
- Roberson ended the set with a kill from setter Lang that gave the Bearcats the 25-18 win.
- Roberson tallied seven kills in the game.
Set 3: UC 25, TU 12
- An eight-point scoring run behind a strong service game from Allred put the Bearcats ahead 21-9 and left Tulane with no timeouts left in the game.
- Kills by Roberson and Chandler ended the game for Cincinnati with a 25-12 advantage. It was the fewest amount of points the UC had given up in a 25-point scoring set since holding Charleston Southern to 12 points in the second set on Sept. 19.
- Cincinnati dominated the game, hitting .406 and keeping Tulane at a -.054 clip.
Set 4: UC 25, TU 23
- Cincinnati won the fourth set thanks to an 11-1 scoring run that closed out the game.
- Down 22-14, The Bearcats recorded four straight kills by Nicholson, Chandler (2) and sophomore Ciara Hill (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook) to start the rally.
- A Cincinnati ball handling put the score at 23-19 and set up the final six points. A pair of blocks by Bowser and Hill bookended two Tulane errors to tie the score at 23-23.
- A service ace by Lang quickly gave the Bearcats match point before Roberson's 23rd kill won the match for Cincinnati.
// Up Next
Cincinnati is back in Fifth Third Arena on Sunday, Nov. 16, for a 1 p.m., match against the University of Houston. The team will host a free post-match clinic for all youth ages 12 and under.
// Follow the Bearcats
For all of the latest information on Cincinnati volleyball, please visit GoBEARCATS.com. For up to the minute updates, follow Cincinnati Volleyball (@cincinnativball) and Coach Alvey (@CoachAlveyUC) on twitter. You can also find the Bearcats on Facebook and Instagram.
// Ticket Information
Season tickets for all 15 home matches can be purchased for as little $10. For more information, visit GoBEARCATS.com/tickets or call 1-877-CATS-TIX.
-GoBEARCATS.com-