Pitt
Ohio St
Volleyball Falls To No. 18 Ohio State, 3-0
9/15/1999 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 15, 1999
PITTSBURGH - The University of Pittsburgh volleyball team fell to the 18th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes, 3-0, tonight at Fitzgerald Field House.
The Buckeyes jumped to a quick 2-0 lead in the match with a 15-0 decision in game one and a 15-5 count in game two. The Panthers played strongly in the final game, but ultimately fell 15-10.
Despite the loss, the Panthers outblocked Ohio State five blocks to two, and had three players record a .300 hitting percentage or better. Redshirt junior Jen Nickels (Springfield, Ohio/Springfield North) led Pittsburgh with a team-high seven kills on 18 attempts (.389 hitting percentage). Also performing well offensively were senior middle blocker Jenna Birkel (Lincoln, Neb./Lincoln Pius X) and freshman outside hitter Tari Boutin (Burnsville, Minn./Burnsville) who recorded four kills apiece.
Junior outside hitter Stacy Renick (Eagan, Minn./Eagan), who was playing her first full match of the season after recovering from wrist surgery, also put up a solid performance for Pittsburgh, registering six kills and one block assist.
The Buckeyes' Rosie Snow and Dana Stearns led all hitters with 13 kills apiece, while teammate Jen Flynn had 10 kills.
The Panthers will return to action this weekend when they host the Pittsburgh Volleyball Invitational. They will face James Madison Sept. 17 at 5 p.m. and Wyoming Sept. 19 at 1 p.m.
