Bradford, PA -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford women's volleyball team competed in the first round of the AMCC Tournament on Wednesday evening, making a return to the postseason for the first time since 2022. The Panthers took on the 3rd-seeded Penn State-Behrend Lions and fell, 3-1.
The Panthers dropped the opening set 25-18, but were able to even up the match at one after winning a marathon 2nd set 31-29. Unfortunately, they could not keep the momentum and dropped set three 25-18 and set four 25-15.
The Panthers took an early lead on the hosts, despite allowing the Lions to score first. Lillian Bentley started the rally with a kill before two hitting errors put the Panthers ahead 3-1. The Lions were able to strike right back with 3 straight of their own to retake the lead. The Panthers stayed with the Lions and were tied at 9 before Penn State-Behrend scored 5 in a row to open up the scoring. Pitt-Bradford was unable to string together any late rallies and lost the set 25-18.
In set two, the Panthers took an early lead with an Alycia Wilson Ace, but quickly fell behind as the hosts rallied for 3 and then slowly built a 13-8 advantage. A Bentley kill began a 6-1 rally that saw the Panthers trim the deficit to one. Ruby Smith had 3 kills in the span, while Wilson and Baylee Fitzsimmons each had an ace. Penn State-Behrend regained control with six straight points and eventually put the Panthers on set point with a 24-18 advantage. With their backs against the wall, the Panthers responded, scoring six straight points to even the score and prolong the set. Bentley started the run with back-to-back kills, and after consecutive Wilson aces, Ryley Pago put down a kill to force a Lion timeout. Smith spiked one off the block to tie the score at 25 and continue play. Bentley and Louser recorded consecutive kills to put the Panthers on the verge of winning the set, but Pitt-Bradford could not extend the lead to two, and the set continued. The hosts put two together to force another set point at 27-28, but the Panthers flipped the script with an error and a kill by setter, Marissa Bowman. After a sideout exchange, the Panthers finally built the necessary two-point lead and clinched the set 31-29 on a Wilson kill.
Looking to grab momentum after their thrilling 2nd-set win, the Panthers split the first few points of the 3rd with the Lions, but quickly found themselves trailing after a 3-point rally put the hosts in front and a four-point run extended the deficit to 12-6. The Panthers were able to cut the lead to four after a triple block from Smith, Pago, and Bentley, but the Lions limited the Panthers to rallies of two points or less and won the middle set 25-18 to put the Panthers' season on the edge.
Needing a win in the 4th set to continue the season, the Panthers started strong, building an early 5-3 lead after consecutive Bentley aces. Unfortunately, they could not hang on to that lead and saw their opponents build a commanding lead with a 7-point rally. The Panthers cut the lead to 3 after a pair of errors, but the Lions pushed back with 4 straight around a timeout to push their lead to 7. Two errors with a Louser kill pulled the Panthers to within 5 points; however, the hosts coldly closed the match, finishing it with 4 straight kills to win the set 25-15.
Lillian Bentley led the Panthers with 12 kills and a .276 hitting percentage. She added 2 aces, 9 digs, and 3 total blocks. Ruby Smith also reached double figures in the loss, recording 10 kills. Alycia Wilson finished with 6 kills, 4 aces, and 10 digs, while Jenna Louser added 5 kills and 3 blocks. Marissa Bowman tallied 29 assists, while Danielle Sasuga led the back line with 15 digs.
The Panthers finish their season with an 18-11 record and a loss in the first round of the AMCC Championship Tournament. They won twice as many games as the past two seasons combined, and posted their first winning record since the 2021 season. The AMCC will release their All-Conference selelctions next week, after the completion of the AMCC Tournament.
