Pitt
Rutgers
Volleyball Comes Back to Defeat Rutgers in Five-Set Thriller
9/25/2005 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 25, 2005
PITTSBURGH - Led by sophomore Diana Andreyko, the Pitt volleyball team came back from a 2-1 deficit to defeat visiting Rutgers in five sets at Fitzgerald Field House on Sunday afternoon.
Andreyko (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) had a career-best 34 kills, tying the Big East record, and tying the second-most by a Panther in a single match, to lead the Panthers to their first Big East win this season and their 800th victory in school history.
Six of those kills came in the decisive fifth set as Andreyko ended up with a .311 hitting percentage on a career-best 74 swings, added eight digs and a team-best five blocks for 38 points. Pitt (8-7, 1-1 Big East) avenged a five-game loss to Rutgers (6-9, 1-1) last season in Piscataway, N.J.
Pitt won the first game, 30-25, but dropped the second and third sets to fall behind in the match. Rutgers won a very close second set, 30-27, that had 14 tie scores and then pulled away for a 30-24 third-set victory. Pitt took early control of the fourth set and ran away with a 30-22 win and never trailed in the fifth and final game before winning, 15-10.
Freshman setter Nicole Taurence (Trenton, Mich./Trenton) had a season-best 69 assists, while adding three kills, two aces, three blocks and 15 digs for a double-double. It was the highest assist total by a Panther since Carrie Norris' 79 vs. Virginia Tech on Nov. 10, 2002.
Joining Andreyko and Taurence in establishing career bests was senior Ashley White (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles East/Indiana) with 13 kills, topping her old best by two. Senior Gini Ullery (Tracy, Calif./Tracy) also added a double-double with 13 kills and 15 digs, while senior libero Megan McGrane (Muncie, Ind./Delta) led all players with 20 digs.
The Scarlet Knights had four players in double figures for kills, including 16 by Lori Yankauskas, who added 15 digs for a double-double. Amanda Meyer added nine kills and a match-high seven blocks in the defeat for Rutgers.
Pitt returns to action on Friday, Sept. 30 with a road match at South Florida, the first meeting between the two schools.
NOTES: The Panthers are now 800-334-3 in 32 years of volleyball...Chris Beerman now has 198 victories in his 10-year career as a head coach...Andreyko's 74 attempts tied the fourth-highest total in Pitt history in a single match...Taurence's 69 assists tied for the 11th-best performance in Panther annals.
