Pitt
Seton Hall
Volleyball Falls To Seton Hall, Rutgers
10/31/1999 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 31, 1999
The Pittsburgh volleyball team dropped road Big East Conference contests to Seton Hall and Rutgers this past weekend. The losses lowered the Panthers' record to 9-10 overall and 2-6 in league play.
The Panthers traveled to Seton Hall Oct. 30 and suffered a narrow 3-1 loss to the host Pirates. Pittsburgh opened the match with a 16-14 win in game one. The second game featured the best offensive performance of the match for both teams with each recording 22 kills apiece, but Seton Hall prevailed with a 16-14 win. Pittsburgh and Seton Hall went head-to-head in the third game as well, but the Pirates came out on top with the 17-15 decision. Seton Hall captured the match with a 15-9 victory in game four.
Junior outside hitter Marcia Thiesen (Chatham, Ontario/John MacGregor) had one of her best performances of the season. She led the Pittsburgh offense with a match-high 17 kills while also contributing a season-high 24 digs. Senior Peggy Meinhart (Newton, Ill./Newton) added another 12 kills and 10 digs for the Panthers, while fellow senior Jenna Birkel (Lincoln, Neb./Lincoln Pius X) had 11 kills. Freshmen Tari Boutin (Burnsville, Minn./Burnsville) and Carrie Norris (Fostoria, Ohio/Hopewell-Loudon) each registered their fourth double-double performance of the season. Boutin had 10 kills and 11 digs, and Norris had 55 assists and 15 digs.
The Panthers concluded the weekend of action with a 3-1 loss to Rutgers at the College Avenue Gym Oct. 31.
Pittsburgh won its only game of the day with a 15-7 decision in game one as it posted a strong .365 hitting percentage with 24 kills, while limiting Rutgers to 16 kills. The Scarlet Knights jumped to 4-0 leads in both games two and three and went on to 15-10 and 15-7 decisions, respectively. Pittsburgh held a 4-0 advantage in game four, but Rutgers rebounded to take the game, 15-9.
Thiesen, Boutin and Norris each added another double-double performance for the weekend. Thiesen sank 15 kills to go along with 11 digs and Boutin had 11 kills and 18 digs. Norris had 53 assists and 11 digs. Birkel also had a solid performance with a team-leading 18 kills.
Pittsburgh returns home for its final three matches of the season. The Panthers host West Virginia, Nov. 5 (7 p.m.) at Fitzgerald Field House, Providence, Nov. 13 (10 a.m.) and Boston College, Nov. 14 (1 p.m.).
