TicketsCINCINNATI - The University of Cincinnati volleyball team totaled 65 kills en route to a 3-1 victory (25-18, 25-22, 21-25, 25-18) over the Temple Owls Sunday at home at Fifth Third Arena. The victory improved Cincinnati's overall record to 10-4 overall and 5-1 in AAC play.
The Bearcats offense was paced by Maria Mallon, who finished with 18 kills on the day while accumulating a hitting percentage of .355. Kailea Carrier added a season and career high 15 kills and Shannon Williams chipped in with 12 as part of a balanced Cincinnati attack. Emme Madden contributed by serving up 59 assists, one short of her season high. UC got 10 digs from Payton Frederick along with five blocks from Williams to lead them defensively.
Game Notes
- Cincinnati had three players in double figures in kills.
- Maria Mallon had a career, season, and match-high six aces. She only needs two more to break 100 career serving aces.
- Mallon also recorded a season high 24.5 points in the match.
- Mallon recorded a team high 18 kills in the match.
- Carrier had a career and season high 15 kills, with a hitting percentage of .556.
- Cincinnati put together a strong attacking performance, notching 65 total kills in the match.
- Cincinnati got a match-high 10 digs from Payton Frederick.
- Cincinnati attackers were helped by a match-high 59 assists from Emme Madden.
- The Bearcats stay undefeated at home in Fifth Third Arena and have won four in a row.
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Bearcats grabbed control on the first point with a kill by Carrier and went on a 5-0 run. The Bearcats held the lead the rest of the way to secure the first set 25-18, finishing on a 3-0 run and another kill by Carrier. Cincinnati led by as many as 10 points at 15-5 before closing out the set, collecting 19 kills in the process.
SET 2 | Cincinnati continued to roll after a set-one win by securing a 25-22 victory in set number two. Cincinnati registered a .591 attack percentage with 15 kills in the set win. After the lead changed hands two times, the Bearcats took control for good at 23-22 and rode that advantage to victory. The Cincinnati offense also got a boost from three aces by Mallon. Cincinnati's front row had a solid defensive performance, blocking four Temple attacks.
SET 3 | Temple avoided an early loss with a set-three victory to make it a 2-1 match. The Bearcats came up short by the score of 25-21. Cincinnati trailed by as many as six points as Temple grabbed the advantage for good at 13-12 in a set that was tied up six times before the Owls took over the lead.
SET 4 | Cincinnati then responded to claim the match win with a 25-18 fourth-set victory. The Bearcats grabbed control of the set at 3-2 and held the lead the rest of the way. Cincinnati led by as many as nine points at 17-8 before finishing off the game, totaling 20 kills in the process.
Next Up
The Bearcats hit the road for two more AAC road matches, heading to Tulsa to face the Golden Hurricanes Friday night at 8 p.m. ET and then Sunday at 2 p.m. ET at Wichita State.
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