TicketsCINCINNATI, OH --The Cincinnati volleyball team fired back after losing set one to secure a 3-1 victory (21-25, 25-14, 25-16, 25-21) against the Memphis Tigers Friday at home at Fifth Third Arena.
The conference win improved Cincinnati's record to 7-4 overall and 2-1 in AAC play.
The Bearcats offense was paced by Abby Walker, who finished with 15 kills on the day while accumulating a hitting percentage of .281. Shannon Williams added 15 and Sarah Norcom chipped in with 13 as part of balanced Cincinnati attack. Walker also pitched in with five in the contest. Defensively, UC had three players reach double figures in digs, including Payton Frederick's 24, 14 from Maria Mallon, and 10 more from Maria Tobergte. From the front row, Walker contributed seven blocks, which is a career-high.
Game Notes
» Abby Walker had maybe the best game of her young career, setting highs in points (25), blocks (7) and service aces (5).
» The team's 12 service aces tonight were the most of the year.
» Shannon Williams had a team-high 15 kills. She now has had 10 or more kills in eight of the 11 matches this season.
» Cincinnati got a match-high 24 digs from Payton Frederick, which was a career-high, even after not playing in the first set.
» Maria Mallon had 14 digs. This was her ninth game of the season with double digits.
» Cincinnati attackers were helped by a match-high 47 assists from Emme Madden.
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Bearcats led early in the set, leading 12-7 after a 4-0, capped off by two straight aces from Abby Walker. After trailing by three, the Tigers ripped off nine out of the next 11 points to take a 22-19 lead. Memphis was able to finish off the set, winning 21-25.
SET 2 | Cincinnati evened the match at 1-1 with a 25-14 set-two win. The Bearcats dominated and never trailed in the set. Cincinnati opened its biggest lead of the stanza, 11 points, to finish off the set. The Cincinnati offense also got a boost from three aces in the stanza, one from Kerstin Ficker and two more from Abby Walker. The set ended with a block from Mallon and Walker, which was one of the season-high 12 blocks on the day from the team.
SET 3 | Cincinnati grabbed another win in the third set to make it a 2-1 match. The Bearcats controlled the set the entire way, winning 25-16. Cincinnati took the lead at 9-8 and never looked back, going on a 4-0 run to make it 12-8. The Cincinnati offense also got a boost from four more aces in the stanza.
SET 4 | Cincinnati earned a match win with a 25-21 fourth-set victory, winning their third straight set. The Bearcats went down 3-0 right away, but that deficit quickly vanished when they went on a 5-0 run immediately after. The set was tied at 14, but then the Bearcats put the nail in the coffin by ripping off eight straight points to go up 22-14. Memphis would fight back, but Cincinnati would hold on for 25-21 victory. Cincinnati got a solid defensive performance from a front row that blocked four Memphis attacks in the stanza.
NEXT UP
The Bearcats are back home Sunday, facing off against SMU at 1:00 p.m. at Fifth Third Arena.