Bradford, PA -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford women's volleyball team opened its AMCC schedule on Saturday, hosting Penn State-Altoona in KOA Arena. The Panthers split the first two sets with the Lions, but were able to close the match in 4-sets to win 3-1.
The teams battled in a tightly contested first set that saw the score go over the required point total with the Panthers emerging victorious 27-25. The visitors came right back in set two, using a slow Pitt-Bradford start to win the set 25-13 and tie the match at 1. The Panthers regained control with a 25-15 win in set three, and then eked out a 26-24 win in the fourth set to secure the match victory.
In set one, neither team was able to exert early control, as neither team was able to string together rallies. The Panthers would be the first to put together multiple points while trailing 9-7. Alycia Wilson put down a kill to earn a side out, and then served the Panthers to 4 straight points. After an error, Ruby Smith put down another kill before Wilson tallied back-to-back aces. The Lions battled back with four straight to tie the score at 12, and then answered a 3-point Panther rally with a 5 out of 6 run that saw them take the lead at 18-17. Pitt-Bradford went back in front on a block by Alyssa Spang before the Lions took a 23-22 lead after an ace. Lillian Bentley and Jenna Louser put down back-to-back spikes to put the Lions on set point, but the Lions answered to extend the set. The teams exchanged side-outs before Smith and Louser tallied kills to win the set 27-25.
Pitt-Bradford came out slow in set two, allowing the Lions to open the set with a 14-2 run. Trailing 18-6, the Lions used 6 straight points with Baylee Fitzsimmons serving to cut into the lead. The run consisted of two Lion errors, a double block by Marissa Bowman and Alyssa Spang, and two Fitzsimmons aces. Unfortunately, the Panthers could not maintain momentum, and the Lions closed the set with 7 straight points to win 25-13.
The Panthers had a stronger start in the third set, and slowly built a 3-point lead through 17 points. After Penn State-Altoona trimmed the lead to one, the Panthers answered with 3 straight. Bentley earned a side out with a kill, and then after Smith added another, Wilson tallied an ace. A service error slowed the rally, but Spang got an immediate stop, which led to a pair of Danielle Sasuga aces and a Louser block to put the Panthers ahead 17-10. Pitt-Bradford continued to add to their advantage at the end of the set, and closed it with 3 kills in a row to win 25-15.
Looking to secure the win, the Panthers came out of the gate firing in set four, taking a 3-0 lead with a Wilson kill and two Bowman aces. The Lions rallied and went on a 7-1 run to go in front 9-7. The Panthers used a 4-point run to retake the lead with Fitzsimmons serving. Louser started the run with a kill and then Wilson bookended a Fitzsimmons ace with a pair of kills to give the Panthers a 12-11 lead. The visitors found another answer late, going on a 7-2 run to go in front 22-19. Looking to close out the match, the Panthers closed the set with a 7-2 run. Wilson added two more kills to her tally in a run that tied the set at 23. Then, after a side out put the Panthers on set point, Pitt-Bradford scored the last three points to win the match. Bentley and Smith found the floor for consecutive kills, and a hitting error by the Lions finished the contest.
ALycia Wilson led the Panthers with 15 kills in the match with a .237 hitting percentage. She also tallied 17 digs and 3 aces. Lillian Bentley reached double figures once again, finishing with 11 kills and 10 digs. Jenna Louser added 7 kills, while also tallying four blocks. Marissa Bowman directed the offense to the tune of 37 assists, while also recording 8 digs and 2 aces. Danielle Sasusga led the back line with 21 digs.
The victory moves Pitt-Bradford to 15-6 and 1-0 in AMCC play. They will be back in action on Wednesday night, when they host Penn State-Behrend in their Dig Pink Game. The contest is set to begin at 7:00 p.m. in KOA Arena.
