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CINCINNATI - The University of Cincinnati volleyball team dropped a heartbreaking 3-2 (21-25, 23-25, 25-23, 25-21, 13-15) decision to Memphis on Friday night in Fifth Third Arena. The Bearcats trailed two sets to none at the break but turned it around to win the third and fourth sets and force a decisive game five. UC held a strong lead in the final set but an eight-point UM scoring run stumped the Bearcats and gave the Tigers the victory. It was the first American Athletic Conference match for both teams this season.
// NOTABLES
- With the loss, Cincinnati falls to 8-4 on the year and 0-1 in The American while Memphis improves to 10-4 and 1-0.
- The Bearcats kept the Tigers at a .187 attacking clip and have held their opponents below the .200 mark in 9 of the team's 12 matches this year.
- Freshman Carly Nolan (Crystal Lake, Ill./Crystal Lake South) led the Bearcats with her third-career double-double. She registered 18 digs with a career-high 15 kills while also adding two service aces.
- Freshman Jade Tingelhoff (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville South) notched her fifth double-double of the season with 22 assists and 10 digs.
- Freshman Jordan Thompson (Edina, Minn./Edina) recorded her first-career double-double with 12 kills and a career-high 10 digs.
- The Bearcats recorded a season-high 83 digs in the match. Freshman Abby Williams (Loveland, Ohio/Ursuline Academy) paced the defense with 22, one shy of her career high mark.
- Cincinnati served in seven aces and did not get aced on the serve receive. Nolan, junior Lindsey Dinkelacker (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Louis) and sophomore Parker Shepherd (McKinney, Texas/McKinney Boyd) each had two aces in the match.
- It was the first five-set match of the season for the Bearcats.
// SET BREAKDOWN
Set 1: UM 25, UC 21
- Cincinnati opened a 7-1 lead after scoring six straight points behind a strong serve from Nolan. The Bearcats got kills from Nolan, sophomore Cortnee Bowser (Kent, Ohio/Theodore Roosevelt) and Thompson during the run and were aided by a service ace from Nolan.
- A Nolan kill extended the UC lead to 17-9, forcing the Tigers into their second timeout of the game.
- Memphis scored four consecutive points to tie the score at 18-18, bringing a timeout from head coach Molly Alvey.
- The Tigers continued their scoring run, surging ahead to 21-18 on two UC attacking errors.
- Cincinnati fought off one set point with a Memphis service error but the Tigers took the set 25-21 on the next attempt.
Set 2: UM 25, UC 23
- The Bearcats broke a 9-9 tie with three straight kills by Nolan, Bowser and junior Ciara Hill (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook) to go ahead 12-9.
- A Bowser kill made it 15-11 in favor of the Bearcats but Memphis rallied for the second straight game, scoring eight of the next nine points for a 19-16 lead.
- Kills by Thompson and Bowser suspended a pair of Memphis set points but a kill by McKenzie Hayes finished the game off at 25-23 and sent the Bearcats into the locker room with a 2-0 deficit.
Set 3: UC 25, UM 23
- A two point Memphis run broke an 8-8 deadlock and kept the Tigers ahead through much of the third game.
- An attacking error by the Tigers and a kill by senior Emma Roberson (Brooks, Ky./Evansville) re-tied the set at 14-14 before two kills and a solo block from Hill surged the Bearcats to a 19-16 advantage.
- Memphis tied the game at 23-23 but a kill by redshirt junior Alison Kimmel (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) and a Memphis error gave Cincinnati the victory and the momentum.
Set 4: UC 25, UM 21
- Cincinnati trailed 14-13 until Hill sparked an 8-point UC scoring run to give the Bearcats a 20-14 lead. The junior had four kills and a block during the span that saw Memphis burn both of its timeouts.
- The Tigers got within 23-21 but back-to-back kills by Roberson closed out the game and tied the match at 2-2.
Set 5: UM 15, UC 13
- The Bearcats were the first to eight points with a kill by Thompson to go ahead 8-7 as the teams traded sides of the net.
- That sparked a five-point run for the Bearcats that included a kill by Roberson, an ace by Dinkelacker and a Memphis attacking error to give UC an 11-8 lead.
- Back-to-back kills by Nolan put the Bearcats just two points away from the victory at 13-8.
- Memphis mounted a furious comeback, scoring seven consecutive points to win the game 15-13. The Bearcats could not find an answer for the surging Tigers, using both timeouts in the run, to no avail.
// UP NEXT
The Bearcats close out a four-match homestand on Friday, Sept. 25, when they host the Pirates of East Carolina. The match will begin at 7 p.m. in Fifth Third Arena.
// 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.