Box Score MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University volleyball team (9-12, 2-7 Big 12) defeated Cincinnati on Thursday, Oct. 19 at the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown. The Mountaineers took the match in five sets with scores of 25-18, 25-16, 25-21, 25-23 and 15-12.

Thursday's match marked the first win over the Bearcats since Nov. 6, 2010.

"What a great comeback win, I thought that everyone stepped up tonight to help us with the victory," WVU coach Reed Sunahara said. "We look to execute from the start for tomorrow's match."

Cincinnati jumped out to an early 3-1 lead in the first and would hold on to the advantage throughout the rest of the first. A kill from junior outside hitter Hailey Green, paired with two aces from redshirt senior setter Lauren DeLo brought West Virginia to trail by only six points, 23-17. The Bearcats would capture the first with a kill, 25-18.

The Bearcats lead once again in the second, after putting up five unanswered points. Sophomore outside hitter Bailey Miller and Green would drop down a pair of kills, bringing the score to a 10-9 Cincinnati lead. The Bearcats responded with a 6-0 run, shutting down the Mountaineers. Cincinnati would go on to take the second, 25-16.

West Virginia struck first in the third, with freshman middle blocker Maddy McGath laying down the hammer twice for a 2-0 lead. The Mountaineers looked for redemption and put the Bearcats in a scoring drought with four straight points. McGath added another pair of kills at the halfway point, giving West Virginia the go ahead. A late offensive strike put the Mountaineers in trouble, as the Bearcats closed in on West Virginia's 23-20 lead. A kill from Miller followed by Green would secure the set three win, 25-21, for the Mountaineers.

The Mountaineers wore Cincinnati down in the fourth, giving fifth year libero Camilla Covas the opportunity for a beautiful service ace and the 7-5 West Virginia lead. A slew of errors from Cincinnati gave West Virginia a comfortable six-point lead, followed by another Cincinnati 5-0 run. The offensive strike wasn't enough to deter the Mountaineers, and capped the fourth with back-to-back kills from Green, 25-23.

McGath struck first in the fifth, followed by two Cincinnati points. With the score knotted at six, Miller slammed down a kill to rattle the Bearcats as West Virginia would press ahead with four straight points. The Mountaineers held on to the lead throughout the rest of the set, sealed with four consecutive Green kills for the 15-12 fifth and final set win.

Green led the floor offensively, hitting for .514 with 21 kills on 37 attempts. Miller followed behind collecting a double-double with 12 kills and 14 digs. McGath had a stellar offensive performance, putting down 12 kills on 23 attempts to hit for .478.

DeLo added in 48 assists and three service aces for West Virginia. Sophomore defensive specialist Samiha Foster aided in the eight team service aces, adding in a pair herself.
The West Virginia defensive was key in the team's win, with 58 digs and 12 total blocks.

West Virginia wraps up the two-game series against Cincinnati on Friday, Oct. 19. The match is set to be held at the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown for a 6 p.m. ET, start. Help us welcome back WVU volleyball alumni in celebration of homecoming week. The first 200 fans will receive a foam finger to cheer on the Mountaineers.

For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook.