University of Illinois
7-2
Cincinnati
9-3
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 25 | 25 | 20 | 16 | 13 | 2 |
| Cincinnati | 22 | 19 | 25 | 25 | 15 | 3 |
#5 Illini Stumble in Five-Set Loss to Cincinnati
September 17, 2010 | Volleyball
Sept. 17, 2010
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - After taking the first two sets, No. 5 Illinois stumbled down the stretch against the Bearcats (9-3), dropping the final three frames and falling 3-2 (22-25, 19-25, 25-20, 25-16, 15-13) in the opening match of the Big Ten/Big East Challenge on Friday. Junior Colleen Ward amassed a career-high 29 kills while hitting .407, but it wasn't enough as Illinois (7-2) lost its second five-set match in a row.
"Cincinnati wanted that match more than we did, and we can't afford to do that against anybody," head coach Kevin Hambly said. "Colleen's performance was remarkable, but not enough for us. They had (Niemer) with 28 kills, so they just canceled each other out. They did a better job and out-competed us tonight."
Illinois recorded 75 kills compared to 57 by Cincinnati, but struggled on serve-receive throughout the evening, totaling 18 service errors, three shy of the most in program history. The Bearcats finished with 10 aces while the Illini turned in only one by senior Hillary Haen.
"They won the serve-pass battle," Hambly said. "We got aced 10 times and had 18 service errors. You are going to lose every time that happens."
In the opening stanza, Ward was nearly flawless, posting nine kills in 10 swings to record a .900 hitting percentage. Freshman Jazmine Orozco chipped in four kills on seven attempts to help the Orange and Blue hit .364 for the frame. The Bearcats kept it close until the end, but hit only .125, including eight attack errors.
The Illini led the whole way in set two, but the Bearcats continued to battle, getting within one point five different times in the frame. With the score 15-14, Illinois' offense turned it on, notching 10 of the final 15 points, eight of which came on kills. Junior Michelle Bartsch, who was back in action after suffering an ankle sprain in last weekend's loss to Nebraska, tallied seven kills in the set and paced the Orange and Blue attack, which hit a sizzling .410 with 20 kills and just four errors.
"We hit really well in the first two sets, but weren't competing well," Hambly said. "We were nervous coming out for the third set because they were out-competing us."
Illinois grabbed a 9-8 lead to begin the third set, but then never held the advantage for the remainder of the match after the Bearcats pulled ahead. The Illini clawed back and knotted it at 20, but then dropped the final five points to end the set. The Orange and Blue had no answer for Cincinnati's Stephanie Niemer, who dominated the frame with 10 kills.
The fourth set didn't go any better for the Illini, as they were aced five times and hit only .116. Cincinnati's strong serving controlled the tempo, and poor passing hindered the Orange and Blue offense.
The decisive fifth set turned into a side out affair, as Illinois tied the score 10 different times, including at 13 apiece. The Bearcats then took the lead on a Niemer kill and won the match on an Illini attack error, the team's only one in the frame. Illinois hit .429 and had all 13 points come from kills, but could never gain the lead due in large part to four service errors in the final set.
Senior Johannah Bangert continued her hot hitting, finishing the night with eight kills and a .438 attack percentage. Freshman libero Jennifer Bonilla notched a career and match-high 26 digs, while four other Illini recorded double-doubles.
Haen tied her career high from last weekend's Nebraska match with 62 assists and posted 10 digs. Ward added 15 digs to go along with her match-high 29 kills, Bartsch posted 15 kills and 10 digs and Orozco wrapped up the match in double digits in both kills (13) and digs (15).
Up Next: Illinois returns to Cardinal Arena for a showdown with Louisville on its home court at 6 p.m. CT on Saturday night.
