UC Clermont Cougars Clinch Regular Season Title

With a hard fought four set victory over Ohio Christian University on Saturday, UC Clermont clinched the regular season title in the Ohio Collegiate Athletic Conference. The victory also secures the number one seed in the upcoming OCAC Tournament on October 22.

This title extends a streak for the Cougar volleyball program. UC Clermont has now captured eight consecutive regular season titles in two different conferences during this time period.

“This regular season title was especially gratifying for the team because they had to work so hard to obtain it,” said UC Clermont Head Coach Joe Harpring. “Ohio Christian always plays very well when they come to our gym. It was a great match with lots of momentum shifts. Our kids figuratively had to scratch and claw to get the win and should be very proud of their accomplishment.”

Before the Saturday conference battle, the Cougars had a mid-week reunion with Sinclair Community College – one of two teams to defeat Clermont so far this year. The Cougars started off well on the Tartans’ home court with a 25-20 first set win. Sinclair then regained the momentum with solid defense to take the next three sets and the match.  

An enthusiastic crowd filed into the “Cougardome” on Saturday for the OCAC showdown. Ohio Christian came into the contest in second place – just one game behind Clermont in the regular season standings. The energy from the stands helped the Cougars jump out to a decisive first set win, 25-10.

The Trailblazers were not going away quietly. They settled into a solid offensive attack and made set two quite entertaining. In the end, Ohio Christian needed extra points to win 27-25.

UC Clermont’s servers took over in set three. Thanks to several aces and other well placed serves, the Cougars won that game 25-13.

Set four was fitting for a championship-deciding match. Both teams gave everything offensively and defensively to capture the contest. With the score tied 24-24, the Cougars again used their serving game to win the next two points and the title 26-24. In addition to 15 service aces, Clermont’s defense added 58 digs and 18 blocks to the effort.

UC Clermont has two home games remaining in the regular season – October 19 and 20. Senior Night will be celebrated on October 20 – as the school honors graduating libero Cindy Votel. For more information about the Volleyball Team visit

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