TicketsHIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky.. – University of Cincinnati volleyball came back to beat Ball State in five sets Saturday morning in the NKU Invitational.
Adria Oliver spearheaded the effort with a career-high 22 kills on a .625 hitting percentage performance. She added in a team-high four blocks. The Bearcats dropped the first two sets before finding their groove to win the final three.
// NOTES
• Jordan Thompson led the team with 27 kills and added in 12 digs and three blocks
• Maria Mallon followed with 16 kills and nine digs while leading the team with three aces
• Damjana Cabarkapa had a career-high 11 kills with three blocks
• Armania Heckenmueller finished with 70 assists and 13 digs for a double-double
• Mackenzie Conner totaled 22 digs
// SET BREAKDOWN
Set 1: BSU 25-23
UC staged some small comebacks in the set but couldn't quite enough at the end as Ball State started the match with a 1-0 lead. Neither team was able to take much of an advantage until the Cardinals went up by two, 12-10, on an error and a kill. Thompson and Oliver flipped that, as the former had two kills and the latter one to put the Bearcats up by three, 16-13. After a timeout, Ball State tied the set from two UC errors and a kill. The Cardinals would take their own three-point lead after a block. The Bearcats put pressure on late, tying the set at twenty and scoring on a kill by Thompson to trail 24-13. However, a Cardinals kill finished the set.
Set 2: BSU 26-24
Both teams had comebacks in the second set, but it was Miami who prevailed. Back-to-back kills by Thompson and one from Mallon gave the Bearcats an early 4-3 lead, but a block allowed the Cardinals to tie it later on at six. Ball State went out to take a 13-11 lead, but two errors, two Thompson kills and an Oliver kill made it 16-13 in favor of UC. Ball State quickly tied it after that and held on. An attack error allowed UC to even the score at 20-20. Two kills at the end gave Ball State the 2-0 match lead
Set 3: UC 25-22
It was a close third set, but the Bearcats were able to hold on to begin their match comeback. UC was down by three at both 10-7 and 13-10 but held on. Back-to-back Cardinals errors put UC ahead 17-16. A Mallon kill and block by Cabarkapa and Heckenmueller made it 19-17. When Ball State made it a one-point game, Thompson had a kill and Cabarkapa and Thompson a block to put the lead back to two. Thompson and Cabarkapa finished the set with kills.
Set 4: UC 25-17
UC controlled the fourth set from the beginning, starting with a kill by Mallon. Madison Waters had an ace to put the score at 7-4. Cabarkapa and Thompson had a block and Thompson a kill for force a Ball State timeout when the UC advantage grew to four, 16-12. Mallon made it set-point on a kill before Oliver and Chrysanthi Stamatiou sent the match to the fifth with a block.
Set 5: UC 15-11
Thompson got the fifth set started with two straight kills and the Bearcats went on to victory. Two Mallon kills and an ace served up by Thompson made it 7-4. Thompson added in three more kills late to push the score to 14-11 before an attack error ended the match.
// UP NEXT
The Bearcats return back to NKU tonight at 7:30 p.m. to play the host Norse to end the invitational.
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
Follow the Bearcats on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. You can follow Head Coach Molly Alvey on Twitter.
Adria Oliver spearheaded the effort with a career-high 22 kills on a .625 hitting percentage performance. She added in a team-high four blocks. The Bearcats dropped the first two sets before finding their groove to win the final three.
// NOTES
• Jordan Thompson led the team with 27 kills and added in 12 digs and three blocks
• Maria Mallon followed with 16 kills and nine digs while leading the team with three aces
• Damjana Cabarkapa had a career-high 11 kills with three blocks
• Armania Heckenmueller finished with 70 assists and 13 digs for a double-double
• Mackenzie Conner totaled 22 digs
// SET BREAKDOWN
Set 1: BSU 25-23
UC staged some small comebacks in the set but couldn't quite enough at the end as Ball State started the match with a 1-0 lead. Neither team was able to take much of an advantage until the Cardinals went up by two, 12-10, on an error and a kill. Thompson and Oliver flipped that, as the former had two kills and the latter one to put the Bearcats up by three, 16-13. After a timeout, Ball State tied the set from two UC errors and a kill. The Cardinals would take their own three-point lead after a block. The Bearcats put pressure on late, tying the set at twenty and scoring on a kill by Thompson to trail 24-13. However, a Cardinals kill finished the set.
Set 2: BSU 26-24
Both teams had comebacks in the second set, but it was Miami who prevailed. Back-to-back kills by Thompson and one from Mallon gave the Bearcats an early 4-3 lead, but a block allowed the Cardinals to tie it later on at six. Ball State went out to take a 13-11 lead, but two errors, two Thompson kills and an Oliver kill made it 16-13 in favor of UC. Ball State quickly tied it after that and held on. An attack error allowed UC to even the score at 20-20. Two kills at the end gave Ball State the 2-0 match lead
Set 3: UC 25-22
It was a close third set, but the Bearcats were able to hold on to begin their match comeback. UC was down by three at both 10-7 and 13-10 but held on. Back-to-back Cardinals errors put UC ahead 17-16. A Mallon kill and block by Cabarkapa and Heckenmueller made it 19-17. When Ball State made it a one-point game, Thompson had a kill and Cabarkapa and Thompson a block to put the lead back to two. Thompson and Cabarkapa finished the set with kills.
Set 4: UC 25-17
UC controlled the fourth set from the beginning, starting with a kill by Mallon. Madison Waters had an ace to put the score at 7-4. Cabarkapa and Thompson had a block and Thompson a kill for force a Ball State timeout when the UC advantage grew to four, 16-12. Mallon made it set-point on a kill before Oliver and Chrysanthi Stamatiou sent the match to the fifth with a block.
Set 5: UC 15-11
Thompson got the fifth set started with two straight kills and the Bearcats went on to victory. Two Mallon kills and an ace served up by Thompson made it 7-4. Thompson added in three more kills late to push the score to 14-11 before an attack error ended the match.
// UP NEXT
The Bearcats return back to NKU tonight at 7:30 p.m. to play the host Norse to end the invitational.
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
Follow the Bearcats on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. You can follow Head Coach Molly Alvey on Twitter.