College of Charleston Volleyball Travels to Ohio for Cincinnati Bearcat Invitational
9/1/2009 9:15:00 PM | Volleyball
GET TO KNOW SOME OF THE COUGAR FRESHMAN
CHARLESTON, S.C. – The College of Charleston travels to Cincinnati, Ohio for the Cincinnati Bearcat Invitational September 4-5 at Fifth Third Arena. The Cougars will face a pair of first-time opponents in Evansville and Youngstown State before taking on Cincinnati, a 27-7 club and NCAA Tournament Second Round participant a year ago.
CofC will open with a 5 p.m. match against Evansville on Friday, September 4 before taking on Youngstown State and the Bearcats at 10 a.m. and 7:30 p.m., respectively, on Saturday, September 5.
Team Capsules
College of Charleston Cougars
2009 Record: 1-2, 0-0
2008 Record: 27-7, 17-1
The Cougars travel to Cincinnati following a strong showing at the Big Orange Bash in Clemson, S.C. Down 0-2 in the opener against Winthrop, the College of Charleston rallied for 3-2 victory behind a match-high 16 kills from Emily Sawin and 37 assists, eight kills and seven digs from Cole Dawley.
In the second match, the Cougars nearly pulled off an upset of South Carolina after taking a 2-1 match lead. The Gamecocks eventually rallied for a 15-10 victory in the fifth set but were pushed the entire way. Sawin notched a double-double with 12 kills and 14 digs while Dawley nearly had a triple double as she posted 47 assists, a match-high tying 19 digs and six kills. Sarah Havel was a force on defense as she came away with a match-best seven blocks, including a career-high four solo. Paige Johnson also set a career mark with 19 digs.
Facing host Clemson, the Cougars claimed a first set victory, 26-24, but would be hard pressed the rest of the way as the Tigers earned 25-19, 25-17 and 25-20 decisions for a 3-1 victory. Sawin lead CofC with 11 kills and 13 digs for her second consecutive double-double and Dawley dished out 36 assists to go along with seven digs and six kills.
This weekend the College of Charleston will take on Evansville, Youngstown State and Cincinnati at the Cincinnati Bearcat Invitational. In the first match against the Purple Aces, Emily Sawin will face off against her sister Ellen, a sophomore setter for Evansville.
Youngstown State will be a first time opponent for the Cougars and Cincinnati offers a significant challenge as a team that went 27-7 and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament a year ago.
NOTES
Against Evansville, College of Charleston senior outside hitter Emily Sawin will take on her sister, Ellen, who is a sophomore setter for the Purple Aces.
Evansville Purple Aces
2009: 2-1, 0-0
2008: 14-18, 8-10 (Missouri Valley Conference)
The Purple Aces notched a pair of impressive wins at the Memphis Tournament this past weekend. They defeated the host Tigers 3-1 before dropping a narrow 3-2 decision to Arkansas State and posting a 3-1 win over perennial power Southeast Missouri State. Ellen Sawin led the way with 11.46 assists and 2.54 digs per set while Brooke Maher posted averages of 2.85 kills and 3.92 digs. Both were named to the All-Tournament Team for their efforts.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Ellen Sawin, S, 11.46 apg. 2.54 dpg.
Brooke Maher, OH, 2.85 kpg., 3.92 dpg., 0.31 sapg.
Viera Rajcan, MH, 2.46 kpg, 1.00 dpg, 0.54 bpg.
April Lubrecht, L, 4.23 dpg.
Youngstown State
2009: 1-2, 0-0
2008: 11-17, 4-12 (Horizon League)
Playing in the Maryland Tournament, the Penguins fell 3-1 to Big East member Villanova and nearly upset Atlantic Coast Conference member Maryland, falling 3-2 and only by a 16-14 score in the decisive fifth set. Youngstown finally broke through and got in the win column with a straight sets victory over Stony Brook. Ruth Boscaljon led the offense with 3.00 kills per set and a .345 hitting percentage while Dani Soubliere averaged 8.27 assists and 2.18 digs.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Ruth Boscaljon, MH, 3.00 kpg., 1.08 bpg. 0.25 sapg.
Dani Soubliere, S, 8.27 apg, 2.18 dpg., 0.27 sapg.
Laurie Shives, DS, 2.67 dpg.,
Suzanne Lasseigne, OH, 1.64 kpg., 2.45 dpg., 0.18 sapg.
Cincinnati Bearcats
2009: 1-2, 0-0
2008: 27-7, 12-2 (Big East Conference)
The Bearcats traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah for the Utah Classic to begin the season. After opening with an impressive 3-1 victory over UC Riverside, Cincy dropped two very close matches to Arizona State and No. 17 Utat by 3-2 scores. Stephanie Niemer had an outstanding weekend with averages of 5.29 kills, 1.93 digs and 0.43 blocks while Annie Fesl dished out 10.36 assists and 1.36 digs. Jaime Frey and Missy Harpenau led the defense with averages of 2.39 and 2.36, respectively.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Stephanie Niemer, OH, 5.29 kpg., 1.93 dpg., 0.43 bpg.
Missy Harpenau, OH, 3.29 kpg., 2.36 dpg.
Jaime Frey, L, 2.93 dpg., 0.71 apg.
Annie Fesl, S, 10.36 apg., 1.36 dpg., 0.50 bpg.
Series History vs. Cincinnati Bearcat Invitational Field
The College of Charleston has a combined record of 0-1 against this weekend's field, with the only decision coming against Evansville on Sept. 3, 1999. The matches against Youngstown State and Cincinnati will be the first in program history.
College of Charleston Series Records Against Cincinnati Bearcats Invitational Field
vs. Evansville: 0-1, (Last Meeting: L, 3-2 September 3, 1999)
vs. Youngstown State:0-0, (Last Meeting: N/A)
vs. Winthrop: 0-0, (Last Meeting: N/A)
MEDIA
Cincinnati Bearcats Invitational Tournament Page
