TicketsGREENVILLE, NC --The University of Cincinnati volleyball team took care of business in three sets (28-26, 25-16, 25-10) to defeat the East Carolina Pirates Wednesday on the road at Williams Arena.
The conference win improved Cincinnati's record to 9-4 overall and 4-1 in AAC action. The Bearcats are on a three-game win streak and have beaten ECU seven times in a row.
Abby Walker finished with 10 kills on the day to lead the Bearcats attack while finishing with a great hitting percentage of .500. Defensively, UC had two players reach double figures in digs as Maria Mallon had 12 and Payton Frederick had 10.
Game Notes
» Emme Madden had a match-high three aces in the win, which is a career-high for the freshman. She also had a match-high 33 assists.
» Cincinnati never trailed in the second or third set, winning the second 25-16 and the third 25-10.
» Adria Oliver ended the night with five kills and four blocks while only playing a little over one set.
» Abby Walker had a match-high 10 kills for Cincinnati. It is her eighth game of the year with 10 or more kills.
» The Bearcats got a match-high 12 digs from Maria Mallon, who also had seven kills, two blocks and two services aces.
» This was Cincinnati's first sweep of the season.
» Shannon Williams ended with seven kills to go with four blocks, which ties her career and season-high.
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Bearcats persevered past a ferocious East Carolina rally in the first set, hanging on to win 28-26 after leading by seven points at 12-5 earlier in the set. Cincinnati also supplemented their offense with three aces in the opening set.
SET 2 | Cincinnati built on a set-one win by securing a 25-16 victory in set two. The Bearcats scored first and never trailed in the set to earn the victory. Cincinnati opened up as much as a nine point lead at 24-15 before finishing off the set, collecting 16 kills in the process. The Bearcats hit .344 over the course of the set.
SET 3 | Cincinnati finished off the match in a 3-0 sweep after grabbing the third set. The Bearcats dominated this set and the victory was never in question. Cincinnati opened up as much as a 15 point lead at 22-7 before closing out the set. Cincinnati's front row had a solid defensive performance, blocking five East Carolina attacks in the stanza.
NEXT UP
The Bearcats will come back home for a conference match against Temple this Sunday at 1:00 p.m. Cincinnati will look for its fourth win in a row and its ninth in its last 10.
FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
Follow the Bearcats on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. You can follow Head Coach Molly Alvey on Twitter.