Bradford, PA -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford volleyball returned to KOA Arena on Tuesday night to host the Alfred Saxons in non-conference action. The Panthers struggled to slow Alfred early and ultimately lost in three sets.
The Panthers could not slow the Saxons in the opening set, falling 25-17, and then failed to hold on to a late lead in the second, losing the set 25-23. Needing a win to keep the match going in the third, Pitt-Bradford rallied late in set three but could not erase the deficit and fell 25-22.
In set one, the Panthers fell behind after a service error, and an ace gave the Saxons the first two points of the match. They made a quick response after an Alfred service error, tying the set at 2 with a Lillian Bentley kill. The Saxons went back ahead with two straight of their own, and never looked back in the set as they would not relinquish their advantage. The Panthers stayed within a point of the Saxons until a 6-1 run by Alfred saw the deficit grow to six. The visitors maintained the cushion and even added to it, using another 6-1 rally to go ahead by 9. The Panthers scored two late points on a Marissa Bowman ace and a Bentley kill, but saw the set end on a service error a point later.
Pitt-Bradford went ahead early in set two, using a pair of Danielle Sasuga aces and a double block by Brooke DeYoe and Bentley to go ahead 7-3. The visitors rallied, using another long scoring rally to not only erase the Panther lead, but also go ahead 11-10. Pitt-Bradford found a response after an exchange of sideouts, going on a 6-2 run to retake the lead. Bowman had two aces, and Sasuga added another in the run. Alfred used three kills and an ace to go ahead 18-17, but the Panthers scored the next five points to take a 22-18 lead. Unfortunately for Pitt-Bradford, the Saxons had the last rally, as the visitors finished the set with a 7-1 run to win the set 25-23.
Bowman started the 3rd set with an ace, but neither team was able to take an early advantage, as they split the first 14 points of the set evenly. Alfred made the first move of the set, going on a 4-1 run to move into the lead. With the Panthers trailing 13-10, an Alfred service error began a run of sideouts that saw the teams swap the serve on 8 straight points. The Saxons finally broke the streak, scoring three in a row, but the Panthers immediately answered with a rare kill from the Libero, Sasuga, an error, and an ace. Alfred responded with three more in a row, restoring their 5-point advantage. Trailing 22-17, the Panthers made a final push, scoring 5 of the next six points. Jenna Louser put down a kill, and then Bowman tallied an ace. After a Bentley spike, Alfred slowed the rally, but the Panthers scored the next two on an error and a block to trim the deficit to one. Unfortunately, they could not completely erase the advantage, as the visitors secured the next two points to end the match.
Lillian Bentley led the Pitt-Bradford attack, registering 8 kills with a .250 hitting percentage. She also stepped in defensively with 3 total blocks. Jenna Louser had an efficient game, tallying 4 kills on 11 swings without an error. Marissa Bowman tallied 17 assists in the loss while also leading Pitt-Bradford with 6 aces. Danielle Sasuga led the defensive effort with 8 digs, while also chipping in offensively with 2 kills and 3 aces.
The loss drops Pitt-Bradford to 11-3 on the season. They will be back in action this weekend as they head south to Virginia. They will take on Sweet Briar on Friday night, before playing in a tri-match at Randolph.
