Pitt
DePaul
PITT DEFEATS DEPAUL IN LAST MATCH OF REGULAR SEASON
11/12/2006 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Nov. 12, 2006
CHICAGO - The Pitt volleyball team concluded its regular season slate today, improving its conference record with one more win than last year after sweeping DePaul. The Panthers (22-8, 10-4 Big East) defeated the Blue Demons (5-25, 0-14 Big East) in three games and will now advance to the Big East tournament for the fourth consecutive year.
Pitt hit .231 compared to DePaul's .025. One of the nation's top-10 teams defensively, the Panthers also put up 14.5 blocks compared to DePaul's 10.
Sophomore Stephanie Ross (Dayton, Ohio/Chaminade-Julienne) had her second double-double of the weekend, leading the team with 15 kills and 14 digs. She had a .324 hitting percentage and a career-high two block solos. Junior Diana Andreyko (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) had 13 kills and a career-high seven blocks. Sophomore Kelly Campbell (Mansfield, Ohio/Pacific) had nine kills and 11 digs.
Senior Azadeh Boroumand (Red Deer, Alberta/Thurber) put up 38 assists and had three blocks and five kills. Freshman Michelle Rossi (Cleveland, Ohio/Padua-Franciscan) had 12 digs for a four per game average. Sophomore Jessica Moses (North Olmstead, Ohio/Lutheran West) put up five blocks, and freshman Kim Kern (Bradenton, Fla./Manatee) had four.
In game one, both teams fought back and forth for the lead though Pitt pulled ahead, 10-7 after an attack error by the Blue Demons. The Panthers went on a six-point scoring drive capped off by a service ace from Andreyko for a seven-point lead, 17-10. DePaul tried to come back but couldn't gain momentum as Pitt continued to score, going on a seven-point drive toward the end of the game. A kill by Kern set the Panthers up for the game point, and a block from Campbell, Andreyko and Kern won game one, 30-17. Pitt hit .235 compared to DePaul's -.111. Ross led the team with five kills, and Boroumand put up 13 assists. Andreyko and Moses had four blocks each.
DePaul started out leading game two, 10-8. They held a steady lead over the Panthers until Pitt came back to tie the game up at 18 after a kill from Moses. The two teams rallied for the lead, and Pitt finally pulled ahead, 23-21, after a kill from Ross. Another putaway from her put the Panthers ahead by three points. An attack error by the Blue Demons set the Panthers up for the game point, and a block from Moses and Boroumand won game two, 30-23. Pitt hit .250 compared to DePaul's .140. Ross contributed seven kills while Boroumand recorded 15 assists. Andreyko had seven digs, and Moses put up four blocks.
In the final game, Pitt got off to a 5-3 lead, but DePaul tied it up at nine and took control, 14-11 after a block. The Panthers came back and tied it up at 15 after an error by the Blue Demons and would keep the lead for the remainder of the game. The Panthers went on a six-point scoring drive to set them up for the game point. A kill from Kern won game three, 30-19. Pitt hit .209 compared to DePaul's .023. Andreyko and Campbell had five kills each. Boroumand had 10 assists. Ross contributed six digs, and Andreyko put up two blocks.
The Panthers will head to the Big East Tournament next week. Held at the Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati, the tournament begins on Friday. More details will follow this week at www.pittsburghpanthers.com and www.bigeast.org.
