TicketsCINCINNATI – University of Cincinnati volleyball started the 2018 season with a 3-2, hard-fought victory over UCSB in the opening game of the Miami Best Western Sycamore Inn Invitational on Friday.
// NOTES
• During the fourth set, Carly Nolan, who suited up as the libero, recorded her 1,000th career dig. The mark put Nolan in the record book as just the seventh Bearcats player in history to record 1,000 career kills and digs. She led the team with 18 digs in the match
• In her return after missing a year due to injury, the 2018 American Athletic Conference Preseason Player of the Year Jordan Thompson was two kills shy of matching her career-high, finishing with 27
• Thompson added in 12 digs to start the season with a double-double performance
• Maria Mallon had a double-double with 11 kills and 12 digs in her collegiate debut
• Erica Kostelac had a nice night with 13 kills with a .345 hitting percentage
• Dasha Cabarkapa totaled six blocks in her first action on the court
• Jade Tingelhoff led the team with 42 assists while also having ten digs for a double-double
• With 15 digs, Chrysanthi was the fifth UC player to reach double-digits in the category
// COACH ALVEY'S COMMENTS
"It was a great, exciting opening match for five sets. I thought it gave us a really good snapshot of things we need to continue to work on and some things that we are doing really well. UCSB had a really nice team, so I thought as competition to start the season, it was a great team to start with. They returned the leading kills attacker in the country, Lindsey Ruddins, from last season, so they are a really solid program. They had some middles that did some really nice things, and outside hitter Torre Glasker, as well. It's always good when you can look at what you did well and what areas you can continue to grow in."
// SET BREAKDOWN
Set 1: UC, 25-21
• UC started the match down 8-3, but started working back after a timeout as Thompson resumed play with a kill. Trailing by seven, another Thompson kill and a block by Mallon and Cabarkapa started to swing the momentum back to the Bearcats. Kills by Thompson and Mallon and a UCSB attack error brought the lead to within three, 17-14, and forced the Gauchos to call a timeout. Tied 17-17, Stamatiou had an ace to put UC in front for the first time of the match. The Bearcats did not give the lead up for the rest of the set, finishing it with a Mallon ace and Thompson kill.
Set 2: UCSB, 25-16
• Kostelac opened the second set with a kill to get UC in front at the start. However, UCSB quickly took the lead and went up by five, leading 6-1 to begin the set. The Bearcats pulled back closer later on kills from Kostelac and Tingelhoff, but the Gauchos remained ahead and ended the set on a kill.
Set 3: UC, 25-16
• It didn't take long for UC to get back into the groove and get the lead back in the match with a set three victory. A block by Kostleac started things off before Mallon came through with an ace and kill to tie it at two. The Gauchos were able to take a slight lead but a kill by Jasmine Jones tied the set up at 5-5. An 11-11 deadlock broke with a Thompson kill and then a block by Thompson put the Bearcats up by two. UC then cruised on, scoring four of the next five points. UCSB called a timeout down 23-16 and UC took the final two points out of the break on a service error and a block by Mallon and Cabarkapa.
Set 4: UCSB, 25-20
• The Bearcats went out strong in the fourth but couldn't hang on. A 4-0 lead was diminished to a 6-6 tie early in the set. After the Gauchos broke an 8-8 tie with a kill, they were able to keep up the pace for the set victory. The Bearcats did score three consecutive points late, courtesy of a Mallon kill, Tingelhoff ace and Thompson kill, but a kill from UCSB sent the match to the fifth set.
Set 5:
• The points went back-and-forth between teams in the early going of an exciting fifth set. There were multiple ties in the beginning until UC was able to take a 6-5 lead and did not look back. A Gauchos' kill to make it a two-point game caused the Bearcats to call a timeout, but kills from Kostelac and Thompson kept UC in the lead. Coming out of a 13-13 tie and another timeout, two UCSB attack errors would hand the set and the match to UC.
// NEXT MATCH.
The Bearcats are back in action on Saturday with two games. First up is a match with Saint Louis at noon followed by a contest with the host RedHawks at 7:30 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 (GoBearcatsVB).
// NOTES
• During the fourth set, Carly Nolan, who suited up as the libero, recorded her 1,000th career dig. The mark put Nolan in the record book as just the seventh Bearcats player in history to record 1,000 career kills and digs. She led the team with 18 digs in the match
• In her return after missing a year due to injury, the 2018 American Athletic Conference Preseason Player of the Year Jordan Thompson was two kills shy of matching her career-high, finishing with 27
• Thompson added in 12 digs to start the season with a double-double performance
• Maria Mallon had a double-double with 11 kills and 12 digs in her collegiate debut
• Erica Kostelac had a nice night with 13 kills with a .345 hitting percentage
• Dasha Cabarkapa totaled six blocks in her first action on the court
• Jade Tingelhoff led the team with 42 assists while also having ten digs for a double-double
• With 15 digs, Chrysanthi was the fifth UC player to reach double-digits in the category
// COACH ALVEY'S COMMENTS
"It was a great, exciting opening match for five sets. I thought it gave us a really good snapshot of things we need to continue to work on and some things that we are doing really well. UCSB had a really nice team, so I thought as competition to start the season, it was a great team to start with. They returned the leading kills attacker in the country, Lindsey Ruddins, from last season, so they are a really solid program. They had some middles that did some really nice things, and outside hitter Torre Glasker, as well. It's always good when you can look at what you did well and what areas you can continue to grow in."
// SET BREAKDOWN
Set 1: UC, 25-21
• UC started the match down 8-3, but started working back after a timeout as Thompson resumed play with a kill. Trailing by seven, another Thompson kill and a block by Mallon and Cabarkapa started to swing the momentum back to the Bearcats. Kills by Thompson and Mallon and a UCSB attack error brought the lead to within three, 17-14, and forced the Gauchos to call a timeout. Tied 17-17, Stamatiou had an ace to put UC in front for the first time of the match. The Bearcats did not give the lead up for the rest of the set, finishing it with a Mallon ace and Thompson kill.
Set 2: UCSB, 25-16
• Kostelac opened the second set with a kill to get UC in front at the start. However, UCSB quickly took the lead and went up by five, leading 6-1 to begin the set. The Bearcats pulled back closer later on kills from Kostelac and Tingelhoff, but the Gauchos remained ahead and ended the set on a kill.
Set 3: UC, 25-16
• It didn't take long for UC to get back into the groove and get the lead back in the match with a set three victory. A block by Kostleac started things off before Mallon came through with an ace and kill to tie it at two. The Gauchos were able to take a slight lead but a kill by Jasmine Jones tied the set up at 5-5. An 11-11 deadlock broke with a Thompson kill and then a block by Thompson put the Bearcats up by two. UC then cruised on, scoring four of the next five points. UCSB called a timeout down 23-16 and UC took the final two points out of the break on a service error and a block by Mallon and Cabarkapa.
Set 4: UCSB, 25-20
• The Bearcats went out strong in the fourth but couldn't hang on. A 4-0 lead was diminished to a 6-6 tie early in the set. After the Gauchos broke an 8-8 tie with a kill, they were able to keep up the pace for the set victory. The Bearcats did score three consecutive points late, courtesy of a Mallon kill, Tingelhoff ace and Thompson kill, but a kill from UCSB sent the match to the fifth set.
Set 5:
• The points went back-and-forth between teams in the early going of an exciting fifth set. There were multiple ties in the beginning until UC was able to take a 6-5 lead and did not look back. A Gauchos' kill to make it a two-point game caused the Bearcats to call a timeout, but kills from Kostelac and Thompson kept UC in the lead. Coming out of a 13-13 tie and another timeout, two UCSB attack errors would hand the set and the match to UC.
// NEXT MATCH.
The Bearcats are back in action on Saturday with two games. First up is a match with Saint Louis at noon followed by a contest with the host RedHawks at 7:30 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 (GoBearcatsVB).