Cincinnati is familiar with the post-season, having advanced to the Midwest portion of the DII college fall championships for four seasons straight. This year, however, the Ohio Valley champion will have the opportunity to represent itself outside of the region and is the wild card heading into this weekend’s final four. [all photos: JP Leong]
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Cincinnati heads to Greenville, S.C., with more mystery than its fellow semifinalists, all of which are 2016 returners. Saturday’s opponent, Winona State, is both familiar and new. The Black Katts have finished runner-up the previous three fall seasons but also sport a youth-driven squad this year.
On the other side of the bracket, Vassar and Coast Guard face each other in a replay of last year’s third-place game. In 2016, the two played to a five-point decision in a consolation match, but now they’ll see each other with championship hopes still alive.
UC captain Jorey Bischof / Photo: JP Leong
“The whole team is psyched that we’ve made it this far,” enthused Cincinnati captain Jorey Bischof. “I’m personally thrilled since it’s my last competitive season for UC. We know we’re kind of the underdog going into this, but we’re ready to play as hard as we can and prove that UC is a serious contender. We’re also excited for the opportunity to play these higher-level teams because it’s hard for us to improve if we’re not being challenged.”
After winning the conference, Cincinnati took a bye through the fall Round of 32. The team then defeated UW Oshkosh 65-10 in the fall Round of 16 and Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) 57-12 in the quarterfinals. Despite the scorelines, the games provided useful information.
Jessica Sang / Photo: JP Leong
“Our games against UW Oshkosh and IUP definitely demonstrated how much our scrums have improved over the years. We drove two tries in against IUP,” Bischof praised.
The captain also lauded the performance of hooker Hailey Tippett, who added two tries, one off a penalty and a second from a mauling lineout. The pack in general put in a dominating weekend and paired nicely with a clearly communicating backline that was able to move the ball quickly.
UC hooker Hailey Tippett / Photo: JP Leong
“The games also showcased our weakness on defense though,” the skipper continued. “We haven’t played a lot of teams that force us to maintain a tight defense, so we’re not as strong as we need to be. That’s been one of the things we’re really been working on at practice because we know we’re going to have to step our game up for this weekend.”
The team is traveling to Furman University with 26 players and all but one regular starter. Cincinnati will face a Winona State looking to snap a streak of its own, and it’ll all be shown live via The Rugby Channel. Read more for schedule and streaming details.