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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The University of Cincinnati volleyball team beat Butler 3-1 (25-16, 23-25, 25-14, 25-15) on Saturday night to claim the Butler All-American Classic Championship. Senior Emma Roberson (Brooks, Ky./Evansville) was named the tournament MVP while junior Ciara Hill (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook) and freshman Jordan Thompson (Edina, Minn./Edina) were named to the All-Tournament Team.
It is the second consecutive tournament championship for Cincinnati after winning the Cleveland State Classic last weekend.
// NOTABLES
- With the win, Cincinnati improves to 7-2 while Butler falls to 2-7 on the season. The Bearcats have won seven of the last eight matches.
- Roberson won the MVP award after recording a match-high 14 kills with a .355 attacking percentage. She had 21 kills in the second match against UIC and eight in the tournament-opener versus Northern Iowa to capture the MVP honors.
- Sophomore Parker Shepherd (McKinney, Texas/McKinney) notched her second-career double-double with 20 assists and 12 digs. She also added a career-high five service aces to the Bearcats' effort.
- Freshman Jade Tingelhoff (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville South) had her fourth double-double of the season with 30 assists and 12 digs.
- Five UC players notched at least six kills in the match, led by Roberson and sophomore Cortnee Bowser (Kent, Ohio/Theodore Roosevelt) who each recorded 14. Thompson finished with 12, Hill had 11, and freshman Carly Nolan (Crystal Lake, Ill./Crystal Lake South) had six . It is the eighth time in nine matches this season at least four Bearcats have hit at least five kills.
- The Bearcats had five players record double-digit dig totals with junior Lindsey Dinkelacker (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Louis) and freshman Abby Williams (Loveland, Ohio/Ursuline Academy) each had 13. Tingelhoff and Shepherd added 12 digs each while Nolan finished with 10.
- The Bearcats held Butler to a .155 hitting percentage in the match. It is the seventh time this season UC has kept its opponent below the .200 clip.
// SET BREAKDOWN
Set 1: UC 25, BU 16
- Cincinnati scored five points in a row to go from down 2-1 to ahead 6-2. Butler committed three errors in the stretch and Cincinnati added a service ace from Shepherd and a kill from defensive specialist Dinkelacker.
- The Bearcats scored five-of-six points to go ahead 15-8 and force a Butler timeout. Senior Emma Roberson (Brooks, Ky./Evansville) had two kills in the run.
- Butler got within six points at 21-15 after scoring on a pair of UC attacking errors.
- Dinkelacker served an ace for UC set point at 24-16, bringing a timeout from the Bulldogs.
- On the ensuing play, Butler hit the ball out of bounds for a 25-16 Cincinnati victory in the opening set.
- Dinkelacker finished with five digs, two assists, a kill and an ace in the game.
Set 2: BU 25, UC 23
- The Bearcats overcame a three-point deficit with a kill by Roberson, a block by Bowser and a Butler attack error to tie the score at 15-15.
- Four straight UC points gave the Bearcats their first lead of the game at 19-17. Roberson and Bower each recorded a kill in the rally while Bowser and sophomore Maya Muldrow (Raleigh, N.C./Wakefield) stuffed a block for the lead.
- The Bulldogs scored six of the final eight points to win the game 25-23. Two Butler errors gave UC a chance but Butler's Briana Lilly recorded a kill for the victory.
Set 3: UC 25, BU 14
- Kills by Thompson and Hill combined with a Muldrow/Thompson/Hill block helped the Bearcats gain an 11-7 lead early in the third set.
- Two BU errors and a Roberson kill propelled UC to a three-point rally to expand the lead to 14-8 and forced a Bulldog timeout.
- Butler was forced into another timeout amidst a four-point UC scoring run where Roberson and Nolan each recorded kills for a 20-11 lead.
- Hill and Thompson closed out the set with back-to-back kills for the 25-14 win for Cincinnati.
Set 4: UC 25, BU 15
- Cincinnati scored six of seven points to grab a 10-6 lead and force a BU timeout. Four of the points were contributed to Butler errors while two came from service aces courtesy of Dinkelacker and Bowser.
- The Bearcats rolled off eight straight to take an 18-8 lead. Shepherd served in three aces during the run for UC.
- Butler held UC at match point for four points until a kill by Bowser gave UC the win.
// UP NEXT
The Bearcats return to Fifth Third Arena and close out non-conference play with two matches on Sept. 17 and 19. Cincinnati faces old conference rival Louisville on Thursday at 6 p.m. and matches up with SIUE on Saturday at 1 p.m.
// 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 (@GoBearcatsVB) and Coach Alvey (@CoachAlveyUC) on twitter. You can also find the Bearcats on Facebook (GoBearcatsVB) and Instagram (CincinnatiVBall).
// EXPERIENCE UC
The University of Cincinnati department of athletics announced a new initiative entitled Experience UC, geared toward inviting the community to campus to see firsthand the great things about and surrounding the university. Experience UC includes complimentary admission for patrons attending women's basketball, lacrosse, volleyball, women's tennis, men's and women's soccer, swimming and diving and track and field home events.