DePaul University

CHICAGO - The DePaul volleyball team dropped a 3-0 (25-15, 25-18, 25-11) BIG EAST Conference match to Cincinnati, Sunday at McGrath Arena.  The Blue Demons fall to 6-13 and 0-5 in league action, while the Bearcats improve to 13-8 and 4-1 in the conference.

Cincinnati controlled the match with 41 kills and a .356 team attack percentage while defensively held DePaul to a .040 hitting percentage.  Jordanne Scott paced the Bearcats with 13 kills, while Missy Harpenau added nine.  In addition, Harpenau tallied a team-high four total blocks.

Cincinnati's proficient hitting limited the Blue Demons offensive opportunities as DePaul registered just 26 kills in the match.  Sarah Cullen paced DePaul with eight put aways.

Unable to find an offensive rhythm in the first set, the Blue Demons tallied eight kills and hit a dismal .040 as a team.  Conversely, Cincinnati was unstoppable as the squad collected 13 kills and a .375 clip.  The Bearcats won the first set 25-15.

Down by as much as 4-10 in the second frame, DePaul was able to crawl back within a single point following back-to-back kills from Chandler Carney and Sammy Geiger to make the score 16-17.  After a side out gave Cincinnati the serve back, Karen Onuki served for four-straight points to extend its lead back to six.  Scott terminated the final point at 25-18 to give the Bearcats the 2-0 lead heading into the break.

After the intermission, the Blue Demons traded points, highlighted by solid defense and a kill from the swing of Cullen.  After current BIG EAST Player of the Week, Stephanie Niemer, drilled down a kill to put the ball back her own hands, she served up eight-straight points including an ace.  Rachel Aumann put an end to the run with a kill, but Cincinnati's 12 kills were too much to overcome.  Fittingly, Neimer was back in the service rotation during the final points to give the Bearcats the 25-11 third game win.

Sammy Geiger paced DePaul defensively with seven digs, as well as tallied 20 assists on offense.  Cullen led the Blue Demons with eight kills.  Aumann contributed four put downs and 14 attempts, and Carney tallied five kills.  Molly Creek finished the day with a .429 (3-0-7) clip.

The Blue Demons hit the road next weekend for a Friday evening match versus West Virginia on Oct. 16 at 5 p.m. (CST), followed by a noon duel with Pittsburgh on Sunday.

Noting the Blue Demons
Sarah Cullen ranks 10th in the BIG EAST with 3.21 kills-per-game and seventh with an overall kill total of 231... Molly Creek set a new single-match high with .429 (3-0-7) attack percentage... Chandler Carney improved her career-best attack percentage to .429 (11-2-21) against Villanova... Cullen has reached the double-digit kill plateau on ten occasions this season... she has also registered a double-double (kills-digs) in eight matches this season bringing her career total to 35... other Blue Demons to record a double-double inclued Christy Landschoot (Assists-Digs) and Sammy Geiger (kills-assists)... Cincinnati holds a 24-12 series advantage over the Blue Demons... Sarah Cullen has reached double figures in digs during 12 matches this season to lead the squad, while Chelsea Thurlby has reached the plateau 10 times... while Rachel Aumann tops the overall blocks total with 35, Chandler Carney has recorded an impressive seven solo blocks.