Alfred, NY -- The University of Pittsburgh at women's volleyball team took on Alfred State on Wednesday evening in a crucial match to determine the final AMCC standings. The Panthers outlasted the Pioneers, winning the match in 5 sets to move one win away from clinching postseason play.
The Panthers started slowly, dropping the opening set 21-25. They battled back and flipped the score in the next two sets, winning both 25-21. They were unable to close out the match in the fourth, falling 12-25, but erased an early deficit in the deciding set, winning the 5th 15-11.
Lillian Bentley put down a kill to open the game, but the Panthers fell behind and trailed 5-10 through 15 points. Pitt-Bradford slowly trimmed the lead, as their run started with 3 early Bentley Kills. Ruby Smith and Alycia Wilson added spikes before Wilson tied the score at 17 with a service ace. The hosts jumped back ahead with a 4-1, but Jenna Louser and Wilson recorded kills to cut the deficit to one. Unfortunately, the Pioneers stopped the rally and finished the set with a kill and a block.
The Panthers jumped out to an early 8-2 lead in set two, using a Bowman ace, multiple Alfred State errors, and a Bentley kill. The Pioneers rallied to cut the lead to three, but Wilson put down a kill, and Alyssa Spang recorded a block to earn sideouts. Kills by Bentley and Spang pushed the lead to 5, but the hosts put together one final rally and got to within two points at 20-18. The teams exchanged sideouts until Bentley finished the set with an ace at 25-21.
Pitt-Bradford opened the third set with a point, but then fell into a 6-point deficit as the Pioneers rolled off seven straight points. After a service error ended the run, Ruby Smith entered the game and took over, recording three kills in a row to begin a 9-1 Pitt-Bradford rally. The hosts slowed the Panthers with a pair of points on Panther errors, by Pitt-Bradford continued to roll, using another 6-1 run to extend their lead to 5. Alfred State rallied to trim the lead to two, but the Panthers went on another rally, recording 5 kills in 6 points to move the game to set point. After three straight errors, Louser put down a kill to end the set and move the Panthers ahead 2-1.
Looking to close out the match, Pitt-Bradford fell behind early in set four and was never able to catch the Pioneers. They exchanged sideouts early, but an 8-1 run put the Panthers in a hole. The Panthers were able to slow the Panthers with a few stops, but were not able to string together rallies, and eventually lost the set 12-25.
Needing a victory in set 5 to keep their playoff hopes afloat, the Panthers got off to another slow start in the decider. Bentley ended the run with a kill, and then the Panthers went on a rally of their own, scoring eight of the next ten points. Smith and Louser had two kills each in the run for Pitt-Bradford. The hosts rallied and tied the set at 10, but the Panthers put together one more rally to secure the win. After two Alfred State errors killed the momentum. Marissa Bowman recorded an ace, and Wilson finished a kill to put the Pioneers on match point. The exciting match came to a quick end, as the teams exchanged service errors to give the Panthers a 15-11 victory.
Ruby Smith led the way with 16 kills and posted a hitting percentage of .361. Lillian Bentley finished with 13 kills, and added in 2 aces and 4 digs. Alycia Wilson tallied 8 kills with 15 digs. Marissa Bowman tallied 25 assists in the win, while Abby King stepped in and delivered 11 helpers. Danielle Sasuga led the back line with 25 digs, while adding 6 assists.
The victory moves the Panthers to 17-10 on the season, with a 3-4 mark in AMCC play. They close their season with a match at Pitt-Greensburg on Saturday. A win over the Bobcats will clinch a playoff spot for the Panthers, where they can earn up to the 5th seed with other results around the conference.
