CHICAGO – The DePaul volleyball team dropped a 3-0 (30-24, 30-18, 30-19) BIG EAST match to Cincinnati, Friday at the DePaul Athletic Center. The win improves the Bearcats to 16-7, 7-2 BIG EAST, while the Blue Demons fall to 4-18, 1-8 BIG EAST.
DePaul and Cincinnati battled through a tight game one as neither team was able to get their offense going. The Bearcats finished with .188 attack percentage while the Blue Demons hit a cold .088. Tied at 12, DePaul strung together a 6-1 run to take a 18-13 lead; but would relinquished it on Cincinnati's 8-2 run. The Bearcats extended their lead to 28-24, and Maria Pongonis closed out the game by serving up three consecutive aces. Cincinnati took game one, 30-24.
Game two saw the Blue Demons and Bearcats fight through seven ties and two lead changes, but Cincinnati was able to pull out a 30-19 win. Tied at 14, the Bearcats strung together a 16-5 run to take the second game.
The Blue Demons had their best offensive effort in game three and registered a .211 attack percentage; however the Bearcats hit a game high .429 and took the final game, 30-18.
Cincinnati had three players, Erin Maldo, Jessie Nevitt and Jenny Custer register double-digit kill totals. Maldo led the Bearcats with 13 kills, while Nevitt and Custer each contributed 10. The trio also finished with attack percentages over .400, with Custer hitting a match high .529.
Mandy Moorberg led the Blue Demons' offensive and defensive efforts, tallying a match high 14 kills for a .233 attack percentage. She also chipped in 12 digs. Sophomores Aly Zavitz and Stacy Pando led the Blue Demon defense at the net, capturing seven total blocks. Zavitz finished with four total (two solo and two assists) and Pando registered three block assists.
DePaul will be return to the court on Sunday to host No. 6 Louisville. The 2:00 p.m. BIG EAST match will be played at the DePaul Athletic Center.
