The DePaul volleyball team travels to Louisville and Cincinnati for matches this weekend. The Blue Demons face the Cardinals on Saturday and the Bearcats on Sunday, both matches are scheduled for a 1 p.m. start.
DePaul at Louisville
Saturday, October 28 - 1 p.m. (CST)
Cardinal Arena - Louisville, KY
DePaul at Cincinnati
Sunday, Oct. 29 - 1 p.m. (CST)
Fifth Third Bank Arena - Cincinnati, Ohio
Weekly Notes | Louisville Gametracker | Cincinnati Gametracker
CHICAGO– The DePaul volleyball team travels to Louisville and Cincinnati for a pair of BIG EAST matches this weekend. The Blue Demons face the Cardinals on Saturday and the Bearcats on Sunday, both matches are scheduled for a 1 p.m. start.
DePaul (5-19, 0-8) faces the daunting challenge of taking on two of the leagues top teams in Louisville and Cincinnati. Louisville (14-6, 7-1) stands in second place in the league while Cincinnati (15-4, 5-3) stands in seventh after playing the leagues top teams. Both the Cardinals and Bearcats are ranked in the top of the conference for hitting percentage and blocks. The Cardinals lead the BIG EAST with a .303 hitting percentage and are second in the league averaging 3.47 blocks per game. The Bearcats lead the league and are ranked third nationally with 3.56 blocks per game while averaging a .240 attack percentage.
Senior Morgan Ingersoll directs the Blue Demons offensively, averaging 4.06 kills per game. The senior has led DePaul in kills in 19 of the teams 24 this season and registered a career-high 27 kills against Central Arkansas and Syracuse. 27 kills in a match, is the fourth most by any BIG EAST player this season. Pittsburgh’s Stephanie Ross holds the league record with 36 kills at Syracuse.
Last season the three teams squared off on the same weekend with Louisville and Cincinnati both defeating the Blue Demons 3-0 in Chicago. Ingersoll led the Blue Demons against the Cardinals with 11 kills and a .308 attack percentage. Against the Bearcats, juniors Stacy Pando and Aly Zavitz combined for seven total blocks. Zavitz finished with four total blocks (two solo and two assists) and Pando registered three block assists.
Louisville (14-6, 7-1 BIG EAST)
Saturday, October 28, 1:00 p.m. (CST)
Head Coach: Leonid Yelin (11th Season)
Series: Louisville leads the series 15-2
Last Meeting: 10/30/06, Louisville won, 3-0 (30-19, 30-22, 30-18)
Louisville leads the BIG EAST and is ranked 15 nationally with a .303 hitting percentage and has four players with a .300 or better attack percentage. Ana Yartseva Stewart is ranked 20th in the nation and leads the league with a .397 attack percentage and averages 1.37 blocks per game. Against the Blue Demons in 2005, Yartseva Stewart registered five kills and three block assists.
Cincinnati (15-5, 5-3 BIG EAST)
Sunday, October 29, 1:00 p.m. (CST)
Head Coach: Reed Sunahara (7th Season)
Series: Cincinnati leads the series 20-12
Last Meeting: 10/30/05, Cincinnati won 3-0 (30-24, 30-18, 30-19)
The Bearcats have been big at the net this season and are rank third nationally with 3.56 blocks per game. Cincinnati has three players averaging over a block per game with Jessie Nevitt leading the trio. Nevitt is ranked 10th in the nation and leads the league averaging 1.66 blocks per game. Nevitt also leads the Bearcats with a .369 attack percentage while Jessica Elley paces Cincinnati’s offense with 3.69 kills per game. Against the Blue Demons in 2005, Nevitt notched 10 kills for a .409 attack percentage, four service aces and five block assists to lead the Bearcats with 16.5 points.
Looking at 1,000
Senior Morgan Ingersoll recorded her 1,000 career point against Notre Dame, October 13, 2006. The senior netted 10.5 points against the Irish to push her past the 1,000 mark. In her 307 career games, Ingersoll averages 3.07 kills per game and 3.36 points per game. Ingersoll holds the DePaul record for points, registering 28.0 points against Central Arkansas (9/15/06) and Syracuse (10/7/06).
Hayes Hangs onto 1,300 digs
Senior Ellen Hayes is known for her aggressive defensive play, leading the Blue Demons with 322 (3.88 DPG) digs this season. During Hayes’ career, she averages 3.67 digs per game and enters the weekend with 1,365 career digs. Hayes also holds the McGrath Arena record for digs in a match, registering 34 digs against Tulane on 10/18/03.
Sidelined
The Blue Demons have two players, freshman setter Emily McGinnis and freshman middle blocker Ashley Graham sitting out indefinitely with injuries. McGinnis, the Blue Demons No.1 setter and averages 10.45 assists per game suffered a concussion against Syracuse (10/7). Graham, who appeared in four matches, dislocated her shoulder in practice a September 11.
Road Warriors
The Blue Demons spent the first seven weeks of the season on the road and have just six home in 2006. After traveling to Louisville and Cincinnati this week the Blue Demons will have traveled over 8,300 (8310.47) miles.
Out of State
The Blue Demon have two players that do not call the state of Illinois “home.” Senior middle blocker Deane Gibson is from Wabash, Indiana (Southwood). Gibson is second on the team with a .190 attack percentage and is second on the team with 56 total blocks. Sophomore outside hitter, Cristina Correa calls Houston, Texas (Lamar) home.
Morgan Mentioned
Senior Morgan Ingersoll was named to the BIG EAST weekly honor roll for the week of September 18. The senior led the Blue Demons offensively during the Memphis Tournament, tallying 59 kills and a .226 attack percentage during DePaul’s four matches. Against Central Arkansas, Ingersoll tallied a career-high 27 kills.
All-Tournament Nodes
Senior Morgan Ingersoll and Caitlin Callaghan took home All-Tournament team accolades for the Blue Demons this season. Callaghan was named to the Western Illinois all-tournament team while, Ingersoll was named to the Memphis and Rice all-tournament squads.
Preseason Pick
Notre Dame was selected by the league’s head coaches to win the 2006 BIG EAST Conference volleyball regular season crown. The Irish return three starters from last year’s BIG EAST Championship squad that posted a record of 30-4.
BIG EAST Championship
The University of Cincinnati will play host to the 2006 BIG EAST Championship at Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio. The top eight teams, according to league records, will participate in a single-elimination tournament to be held November 17-19.
