Stat leaders for the Big win vs Notre Dame included the following as Maria Mallon led the team with 24 kills, 25 digs. Sarah Norcom had 16 kills, two blocks. Kailea Carrier also had a big performance as she finished with 12 kills, four blocks, Emme Madden had a career high 60 assists, really setting the pace for the Bearcats offense. Shannon Williams also had a great game as she recorded 11 kills, the Bearcats had four players in double digits kills which shows the depth and talent this team has heading into to the rest of the season.
The Bearcats bounced right back Sunday when they took on Bowling Green, looking to build off their big win on Saturday the Bearcats were looking to make it two games in a row.
The Bearcats came out firing causing a lot of problems for the Falcons, as they found themselves in a big hole early on as the Bearcats jumped out to a big 2 set to 0 lead after winning set one 25-21, then taking set two 25-14. set 2 the Bearcats started out with a big lead as they went on a early 6-0 run and really was pushing the pace for the match.
The Falcons on the other hand, they found their momentum in set 3, after a 10-9 lead over the Bearcats the Falcon leaped out and took a quick 15-9 lead leaving the Bearcats in a hole if they wanted to come back and get the sweep, but the Falcons had other plans. That 5-0 run to take that 15-9 lead really gave them the momentum they needed to try to flip this game around and they build a lot of momentum off this run. The Falcons then rallied back to win set three 25-16, and set four 25-23. This match was quickly extended to 5 sets, for people who know volleyball, they know how much fun and excitement 5 set matches bring. The Falcons rallied, fought all the way to the end but the Bearcats were just unmatched in the end as took set 5 from the Falcons with a big 15-12 victory to seal the match 3 sets to 2.
The Bearcats had great performances from Maria Mallon as she recorded 16 kills, 32 digs and three blocks. Abby Walker had 23 kills and a block. Shannon Williams had 12 kills and two blocks. Emme Madden had 49 assists, 13 digs recording her first double- double of the year.
Maria Mallon was named American Athletic Defensive Player of the Week with her performances in these two matches where she recorded 57 digs in two matches, an incredible feat for the Senior outside.
The Bearcats are back in action September 16th when they welcome crosstown rival Xavier to Fifth Third Arena. The Bearcats will be looking to make it three matches and keep the win streak rolling into conference play.
