Cougars Come Roaring Out of the Gate

The UC Clermont volleyball team got off to a sizzling start for the 2011 regular season. The Cougars knocked off three United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Division II programs and fought a close battle against a USCAA D-I power in the championship round of the Penn State – Beaver Invitational Tournament in Pittsburgh.

Clermont kicked off the campaign on August 23 with an Ohio Collegiate Athletic Conference (OCAC) match at Southern State. The Patriots are a much improved squad this year and should be a factor in the conference race. Thanks to some good transition offense, 35 defensive digs and several timely service aces (13), the Cougars were able to prevail 25-13, 25-17, 25-11.

Next, the volleyball team traveled to Pittsburgh for the Third Annual Penn State – Beaver Invitational Tournament – an event featuring many USCAA schools from the Midwest.

On August 26, Clermont faced the host squad, Penn State-Beaver, in the first round of pool play. The Cougars were able to parlay another 12 service aces and a .295 team hitting percentage to sweep their opponents 25-9, 25-17, 25-12.

The Cougars continued pool play with a non-conference match-up against OCAC rival Ohio State – Marion. The Scarlet Wave returned a good core of players from their talented 2010 squad. Clermont was able to jump to a quick start and never looked back in winning the match 25-8, 25-14, 25-13. Good offense and defense were key as the Cougars hit a red hot .468 and recorded 44 digs.

This victory qualified UC Clermont for the 4:00 championship match. The Cougars faced the champion of Pool 2 and the only D-I school in the event – Rochester College.

Clermont got off to a slow start in game 1 of the finals as they battled the jitters of youth. The Cougars fell 25-13 in this set. 

The jitters quickly went away as game 2 began. Games 2 and 3 were extraordinary affairs. Clermont led most of the way in both games before late rallies by Rochester ended those sets. Thanks to 27 blocks and 29 team digs, Clermont just missed in losing 25-22 in game 2 and 29-27 in an exciting game 3. The confidence gained from these last two sets should help the team in the long run.

The Cougars next kick off the home portion of the season on Saturday, September 3. UC Clermont hosts West Virginia University-Parkersburg for a rare volleyball doubleheader. First game is scheduled for 12 p.m. in the “Cougardome.”

For more information about the women’s Volleyball Team including the full schedule and roster – please visit the website at:

http://www.ucclermont.edu/athletics/WomensVolleyball.html