Elmira, NY -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford women's volleyball team was in Elmira. NY on Saturday, playing a pair of games in a tri-match. They started the day with a 3-0 loss to Wilkes, but battled back in their second matchup, defeating the hosts, Elmira, in 4 sets.
Game 1 - Pitt-Bradford 0 - Wilkes 3
In game one, the Panthers tasted defeat for the first time this season, falling to Wilkes in straight sets. They lost the first set 25-23, the second 25-22, and then were swept with a 25-22 loss in set three.
The Panthers started the game with a kill, as Jenna Louser gave the Panthers the early lead, but neither team was able to string together points early, as they were tied at 9 through 18 points. After Ruby Smith put down a kill for a side-out, the Panthers went on a 4-point run with Danielle Sasuga at the service line. Louser tallied two consecutive kills, and Smith bookended the run with one more. After exchanging sideouts, the Colonels went on a run, taking advantage of four Panther hitting errors and two aces to open up an 18-14 lead. The Panthers responded in kind, erasing the lead and then going ahead 21-20 after an ace by Brooke DeYoe. They inched closer to a set victory after two straight errors by Wilkes, but could not extend the set as the Colonels scored four in a row to take a 1-0 lead.
In the second set, the Colonels maintained their momentum from the first, quickly jumping out to an 8-1 lead. The Panthers were able to slow the rally after a Smith kill, and even cut the deficit to four after two Wilkes errors with DeYoe serving. The Colonels answered with a four-point rally of their own and never looked back. Pitt-Bradford could not string together rallies and could not get the lead below six points for the remainder of the set.
Pitt-Bradford fell behind once more in the third set, but were able to rally, leveling the score at 6 after a pair of Ruby Smith kills. The Colonels took a five-point lead after a 5-1 run, but Pitt-Bradford answered. After a Louser kill got the Panthers a side out, Danielle Sasuga tallied two aces around a Wilkes error to cut the deficit to one. The teams exchanged short rallies until the Panthers were able to tie the set at 22 with a Louser block and another Sasuga ace. Unfortunately, the Panthers could not extend the match any further, as Wilkes finished the match with three straight points.
Jenna Louser led the Pathers, tallying 11 kills, while needing just 18 swings. She posted a .611 hit percentage. She also added 4 digs and a pair of solo blocks. Ruby Smith added 9 kills for the Panthers. Marissa Bowman directed the offense to the tune of 18 assists, while she also collected 7 digs. Libero Danielle Sasuga had 14 digs, while contributing offensively with 3 aces. Alycia Wilson also finished with 14 digs and added 6 kills.
Game 2 - Pitt-Bradford 3 - Elmira 1
After their first loss of the season, the Panthers came right back to face the hosts, Elmira. The Panthers outlasted the Soaring Eagles in set one, winning 29-27. After winning set two 25-20, the Panthers could not close out Elmira in the third, falling 20-25. In the fourth, the Panthers dominated, easing to a 25-11 win to secure the 3-1 match victory.
The Panthers started strong, winning the first four points of the set on a Bowman ace, Smith kill, and Louser block. The hosts answered back with four in a row, but after a service error ended the run, Hannah Hirata served the Panthers to 5 straight. Alycia Wilson had a pair of kills. Elmira put together another long rally, tying the score at 11, but the Panthers stayed in front with kills by Wilson, DeYoe, and Smith. Pitt-Bradford pushed its lead to 22-18, but the Soaring Eagles rallied once again, tying the match at 24, and even pushing the Panthes to set point at 24-25. Both teams exchanged 2-point runs to nearly win the set before the Panthers would finally close it out. Smith put down a kill to tie the match, and then after an Elmira error, Bowman closed the set with an ace.
Pitt-Bradford had another quick start in the second, using kills by Smith, Wilson, and Alyssa Spang to take a 3-1 lead. After a Hirata ace, the Soaring Eagles countered and scored four straight to go in front. The teams exchanged sideouts until the Panthers were able to open up a lead with a 10-4 run. Jenna Louser and Alycia Wilson each had three kills in the rally. Pitt-Bradford pushed the lead to eight at 22-14, but allowed the hosts to cut it in half with a 5-1 run. Smith put down a kill to end the rally, and then after a side out, Wilson put the Panthers up 2-0 with another kill.
In the Third, the Panthers scored the first two points of the set, but were unable to open up a large lead. Ahead 7-5, the Panthers gave up a 6-point run, falling behind the hosts by 4. The Panthers answered immediately to cut the lead to one after another Wilson kill. The Panthers were not able to even the score, however, and the Soaring Eagles slowly pushed their lead back to 6. On set point, the Panthers extended the set with a sideout and a Wilson spike, but dropped it a point later.
Elmira was able to get on the board first in the fourth, but Smith put down a kill, and Spang and Louser combined on a block to get the Panthers started. Trailing 2-3, Two Hirata aces put the Panthers in front for good. They pushed their lead to three with a Fitzsimmons ace before Elmira scored twice to cut the lead to one. Leading 9-8, the Panthers stepped up and finished the match with a 16-3 run. Brooke DeYoe recorded two kills around an error, and Smith added a kill to push the advantage to 13-8. Elmira scored 3 of the next 4 points, but the Panthers closed with 10 straight points. The Panthers forced 5 Elmira errors, while Smith tallied two kills and Bowman added two aces to win the match.
Alycia Wilson led the Panthers with 19 kills. She hit .441 in the match while also collecting 11 digs. Ruby Smith was just behind her at 15 kills with a .333 hitting percentage. Marissa Bowman dished out 38 assists and tallied 4 aces. Hannah Hirata also tallied 3 aces. Jenna Louser finished with 3.5 blocks, while Danielle Sasuga led with 12 digs.
The Panthers move to 7-1 after the tri-match. They will be back in action on Tuesday, when they travel to Fredonia for a non-conference tilt with the Blue Devils. The match is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. start.
