Cincinnati 3, USF Box Score PDF | Live Chat Transcript | Championship Central Scoreboard Team Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5 Final Cincinnati 25 25 25 -- - 3 USF 7 13 14 -- - 0 Top Performers USF No. Statistic Cincinnati No. Janice Rivera 11 Digs Emily Macintyre 8 Mariana Thon 19 Assists Annie Fesl 30 Allie Boaz 7 Kills Stephanie Niemer 10 Allie Boaz .087 Hitting Percentage Jordanne Scott .692 Kimika Rozier 1 Blocks Jordanne Scott 5 Volleyball Central GoUSFBulls.com Roster Coaches Schedule Stats History and Records Social Media Facebook @USFVolleyball @USFAthletics Bullsvision YouTube

PITTSBURGH- The University of South Florida volleyball team was overmatched by the top-seeded Cincinnati Bearcats in the opening round of the BIG EAST Championships on Friday, falling in straight sets to the BIG EAST regular season champs.

A day after being named BIG EAST Player of the Year by league coaches, Cincinnati's Stephanie Niemer picked apart the Bulls offensively, recording a match-high 10 kills in the win.

The loss knocked USF out of the BIG EAST Championships, their fifth consecutive trip to the tournament under head coach Claire Lessinger. Cincinnati moves on to face Notre Dame on Saturday.

USF looked to their senior and overall best player, Allie Boaz, throughout the match, but she was not enough. Boaz, who was named to the All BIG EAST First Team at the conference awards banquet on Thursday, recorded a team high seven kills, while hitting .087 on the match.

The seven kills in the loss gave Boaz 303 for the season, a career best.

The match also served as the last one in the four-year career of senior setter Mariana Thon, who set up 19 assists in the match, giving her a 3,185 for her career, ranking third in program history.

The Bulls came out in the opening set, and were completely overpowered by the high-octane Cincinnati attack. The Bearcats hit .667 as a team in the opening frame, led by BIG EAST Player of the Year Stephanie Niemer and Jordanne Scott, who each picked up four kills apiece. USF hit -.125 as a team, but got three kills from Boaz on four attacks for a .500 percentage, as the top-seeded Bearcats ran away with the set, 25-7.

On the opening play of the second set, Boaz went up for the attack on the right side and landed it for the kill, her 300^th of the season, to give USF the 1-0 lead, but it would not last long, as Cincinnati used a run to pull away. The Bulls responded by cutting the lead to single digits, but could not get it any closer, as Cincinnati took the second frame, 25-13.

In set number three, USF made a point to get the ball to their seniors, with Thon setting to Boaz early and often. The pair helped USF go back-and-forth with the high powered Bearcat attack, as the teams were deadlocked at 6-6 early on. Cincy then used a 10-2 run, hitting .267 in the set to take a 16-8 advantage. The Bulls made a run, but it was not enough, as Cincinnati held on to take the set, 25-14, and the match in straight sets.