TicketsDURHAM, N.C. – The University of Cincinnati fell in its opening match at the Duke Invitational, 3-0, to the host Blue Devils on Friday afternoon.
// NOTES
• Both Cincinnati and Duke now sit at 5-2 on the year
• Jordan Thompson led the team with 15 kills while adding in two aces
• Armania Heckenmueller had 25 assists in the match
• Carly Nolan and Abby Williams each had a team-high seven digs
• Dasha Cabarkapa and Erica Kostelac had three blocks each
// SET BREAKDOWN
Set 1: DUKE, 25-19
Duke had a slight lead for the beginning of the set, but a Kostelac kill put UC ahead 8-7. Kills by Cabarkapa tied the match at both ten and eleven. A Heckenmueller ace tied it once again at 13-13. From there, the Blue Devils were able to pull out ahead a little bit to lead by as much as four. An attack error and two Duke kills allowed the Blue Devils to score the final three points and take the opening set.
Set 2: DUKE, 25-16
The second set also was a close one at the onset. Cabarkapa tied the set at seven with a kill but Duke went on to score the next three. Thompson stopped that run with a kill of her own. After that, the Blue Devils went on another run, this one 4-0, to lead 14-8 and cause a UC timeout. From there, Duke continued to pull away. Thompson had three consecutive kills late, but it was not enough as the Bearcats dropped the set.
Set 3: DUKE, 25-23
The Bearcats got out to a nice start in set three with back-to-back aces by Heckenmueller. With the set tied at five, UC saw Duke get out on another run to lead by five. The Bearcats found themselves down by as much as four, but continued to fight. Three-straight points, via an error, and kills by Thompson and Mallon had the set tied at twenty. The Blue Devils slid ahead 23-21 as the Bearcats called a late timeout. Out of the break, UC scored the next two points to tie the match yet again. Then it was Duke's turn to use a timeout. Despite a strong, late comeback by UC, Duke came up with the final two points to win the match.
// NEXT MATCH.
The Bearcats have a quick turnaround. UC faces ETSU in its second match of the Duke Invitational on Friday at 5 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
• Both Cincinnati and Duke now sit at 5-2 on the year
• Jordan Thompson led the team with 15 kills while adding in two aces
• Armania Heckenmueller had 25 assists in the match
• Carly Nolan and Abby Williams each had a team-high seven digs
• Dasha Cabarkapa and Erica Kostelac had three blocks each
// SET BREAKDOWN
Set 1: DUKE, 25-19
Duke had a slight lead for the beginning of the set, but a Kostelac kill put UC ahead 8-7. Kills by Cabarkapa tied the match at both ten and eleven. A Heckenmueller ace tied it once again at 13-13. From there, the Blue Devils were able to pull out ahead a little bit to lead by as much as four. An attack error and two Duke kills allowed the Blue Devils to score the final three points and take the opening set.
Set 2: DUKE, 25-16
The second set also was a close one at the onset. Cabarkapa tied the set at seven with a kill but Duke went on to score the next three. Thompson stopped that run with a kill of her own. After that, the Blue Devils went on another run, this one 4-0, to lead 14-8 and cause a UC timeout. From there, Duke continued to pull away. Thompson had three consecutive kills late, but it was not enough as the Bearcats dropped the set.
Set 3: DUKE, 25-23
The Bearcats got out to a nice start in set three with back-to-back aces by Heckenmueller. With the set tied at five, UC saw Duke get out on another run to lead by five. The Bearcats found themselves down by as much as four, but continued to fight. Three-straight points, via an error, and kills by Thompson and Mallon had the set tied at twenty. The Blue Devils slid ahead 23-21 as the Bearcats called a late timeout. Out of the break, UC scored the next two points to tie the match yet again. Then it was Duke's turn to use a timeout. Despite a strong, late comeback by UC, Duke came up with the final two points to win the match.
// NEXT MATCH.
The Bearcats have a quick turnaround. UC faces ETSU in its second match of the Duke Invitational on Friday at 5 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).