Keuka Park, N.Y. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford volleyball team opened the 2025 season on Friday evening, winning a pair of neutral-site matchups at Keuka. They began the day with a 26-24, 25-20, 25-13 win over MCLA before following that with a 25=19, 25-24, 26-24 victory over SUNY Canton.

Game One - Pitt-Bradford 3 - MCLA 0

In game one, the Panthers outlasted the Trailblazers early, winning set 1 26-24 and then taking set two 25-20. They put the match away easily in set 3, winning 25-13 to secure the victory. 

Abby King started the match with a service ace, but the Panthers fell behind early, 4-7. The Panthers battled back with a Brooke DeYoe block, an Alycia Wilson kill, and an ace from Lillian Bentley. The teams exchanged runs, but remained tied through 44 points. Trailing 23-22, DeYoe put down a kill to tie the match at 23 before Marissa Bowman recorded a solo block to put the Panthers on set point. The Trailblazers tied the set at 24 with a kill, but Bowman restored the lead with a kill before MCLA committed a setting error to end the match. 

Pitt-Bradford started set two quickly, scoring the first six points. Jenna Louser had a kill and a block in the run. The lead reached six points at 9-3 before the Trailblazers went on a run and trimmed the advantage to 2. After a Wilson Kill stopped the run, the Panthers went on an 11-5 run to take command of the set. 5 different Panthers had kills in the run. While on set point, the Panthers allowed MCLA to score five in a row, forcing a Pitt-Bradford timeout. After the break, Wilson put down a kill to end the comeback attempt and the set 25-20.

In the final set, Pitt-Bradford took another early lead, using consecutive kills by Ruby Smith and a Bowman ace to take a 5-1 advantage. The Trailblazers battled back and tied the set at 6, but following a Bentley Kill, the Panthers went on a 14-5 run to take control. Bentley had two more kills and an ace in the run, while Brooke DeYoe picked up a pair of points. After a Smith ace gave the Panthers a 23-13 lead, Pitt-Bradford used a pair of attacking errors to close out the game.

Lillian Bentley led the Panthers with 12 kills. She hit .176 in the match, while also recording 2 aces, 9 digs, and 2.5 blocks. Brooke DeYoe was highly efficient in the match, recording 5 kills at a .375 hitting percentage. Alycia Wilson added 8 kills, while Ruby Smith had 4. Marissa Bowman tallied 17 assists, while also finishing with 4 aces. Danielle Sasuga collected 12 digs to lead the team.

Game Two - Pitt-Bradford 3 - SUNY Canton 0

In their second match of the day, the Panthers took the first set 25-19, and then outlasted the Roos in the final two sets, winning the second 25-23 and the third 26-24.

The Panthers fell behind early, dropping 3 of the first 4 points. After a service error ended the run, the Panthers went on a 14-2 run to take control. Lillian Bentley tallied 4 kills in the run, while Alycia Wilson, Marissa Bowman, and Ruby Smith also had kills. Pitt-Bradford lost momentum after a service error and allowed the Roos to get back into the set. Canton cut the lead down to 2 points at 20-18, but the Panthers settled in and used a pair of Wilson kills around a Bentley ace to put the Roos on set point. After a side out, the Panthers closed the set with an attacking error to take a 1-0 lead.

In set two, the teams exchanged early leads before Canton went ahead 8-11 with a four-point run. Following a timeout, the Panthers went on a 9-1 run. Louser and Smith each had two kills in the run, and Bowman capped the rally with an ace. A Canton kill ended the run and began another 5-point run to tie the set at 17. Smith put down a kill to put the Panthers back in front for good. The teams exchanged short rallies, but the Panthers ultimately prevailed 25-23.

To close the match, the Panthers started strong, scoring 6 of the opening 7 points. Canton scored 6-straight to take the lead, and then kept the Panthers at bay through 20 points. Ryley Pago put down a kill before Brooke DeYoe picked up consecutive aces. Pitt-Bradford maintained its four-point lead through the middle of the match and pushed the game to set point with three straight points at 24-20. Once again, the Panthers allowed the Roos to get back in the game, committing 5 straight errors to tie the set at 24. Wilson recorded a kill to stop the run before the match ended, a point later on a Canton attacking error. 

Bentley once again led the way for Pitt-Bradford, registering 14 kills with a .214% hitting percentage, while also picking up 10 digs. Ruby Smith, Jenna Louser, and Alycia Wilson all finished with 6 kills. Smith also had 15 digs and 3 aces. Danielle Sasuga collected 24 digs in the match, while Marissa Bowman dished out 23 assists.

The Panthers start the season 2-0. They will be right back in action tomorrow with two more matches in Keuka Park. They start with a non-conference matchup against fellow AMCC member Hilbert, before closing the event with a match against the hosts. The action starts at 1:00 p.m. at Keuka's JMW Recreation Center.