Pitt
Cincinnati
PITT VOLLEYBALL DOWNS CINCINNATI, 3-2, IN CLOSE CONFERENCE MATCHUP
11/3/2006 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Nov. 3, 2006
PITTSBURGH - The Pitt volleyball team played an intense game tonight as they took on Cincinnati in a challenging five-game set. The Panthers (20-7, 8-3 Big East) secured a close 15-13 win in game five over the Bearcats (18-6, 7-4 Big East) to win the match, 3-2. Pitt hit .233 compared to the Bearcats' .221 and had 20 blocks to 10.
Junior Diana Andreyko (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) was recognized for reaching 1,000 career kills earlier this season. Tonight she added 26 more to her total after dominating the Panthers' offense in the second half of the match. She hit .261 against the Bearcats and also set a career-high eight block assists. Sophomore Stephanie Ross (Dayton, Ohio/Chaminade-Julienne) recorded a double-double with 20 kills and 17 digs. She hit .137 and also had two service aces. Sophomore Kelly Campbell (Mansfield, Ohio/Pacific) had one of the best matches of her career. She had a double-double tying her career-high of 15 kills and setting a new personal best with 15 digs. She also had career highs with 38 attacks, two assists and five blocks.
Defensively, sophomore Jessica Moses (North Olmstead, Ohio/Lutheran West) broke the school record for most block assists in a five-game match with 12 total. The previous total was 11 set by freshman Kim Kern (Bradenton, Fla./Manatee) earlier this season. Moses also tied former Panther Megan Miller for total blocks in a five-game match. She averaged 2.4 blocks per game and also tied a career high of two assists. Kern contributed seven blocks and had two kills.
Senior Azadeh Boroumand (Red Deer, Alberta/Thurber) had 63 assists this evening. She additionally put up five blocks, six kills and had nine digs. Freshman libero Michelle Rossi (Cleveland, Ohio/Padua-Franciscan) tied her career high of 28 digs and also had three assists and a service ace.
In game one, the two teams rallied for the lead, and the Bearcats pulled ahead 6-4 after a kill. Ross contributed a kill from the Panthers to put them one point closer and an error by Cincinnati tied the game up at six. The Bearcats then went on a five-point scoring drive to move ahead, 11-6. They doubled their lead over the Panthers, 14-7, and maintained control through the remainder of the game. They won game one, 30-16. Pitt hit .059 compared to Cincinnati's .357. Ross led the Panthers with four kills, hitting .500. Boroumand put up nine assists, and Ross and Kern had two blocks each.
Game two got started with Moses scoring on a kill. Cincinnati moved ahead, but Pitt's Campbell tied it up at three after a kill. Pitt fought back, scoring on a block by Kern and Boroumand to put the Panthers ahead, 7-6. They took the lead at eight after an attack error from Cincinnati. The Panthers then took a two-point lead at nine after a block from Boroumand and Kern. Cincinnati tied the game up at 11, but Pitt came back with two kills from Andreyko to take the lead. Ross and Moses put up a block to put the Panthers ahead, 14-11. The Bearcats tied the game up again at 15, but Kern scored on a putaway to give the Panthers control again. The game remained close as Pitt moved ahead, 22-20, after a kill from Andreyko. A service ace by Rossi set Pitt up for the game point, and a kill from Andreyko won game two, 30-25. Pitt hit .262 to Cincinnati's .100. Ross and Andreyko had five kills each. Boroumand contributed 13 assists while Moses put up four blocks.
Andreyko and Moses got the Panthers going in game three, scoring on a block at the beginning. Pitt moved ahead, 4-1, after a block from Kern and Moses. The Panthers took a 9-7 lead after a kill by Andreyko. Cincinnati fought back, moving ahead, 13-11. They scored on a kill to keep a 19-15 lead. Pitt went on a four-point scoring drive to close in on the Bearcats, 20-21. Cincinnati moved ahead to 26, but Ross scored on a kill to push the Panthers to 24. Andreyko had a putaway to put Pitt within one point, and another kill from her tied it up at 27. She went on to score again and give Pitt the lead at 28. Andreyko went on to score the game point to give Pitt the game three win, 30-28. Pitt hit .288 compared to Cincinnati's .191. Andreyko led the team with 10 kills while Boroumand put up 20 assists. Rossi contributed six digs, and Moses put up four blocks.
Both teams fought for control at the beginning of game four. The Bearcats took the lead, but the Panthers tied it up at eight after a block by Kern and Boroumand. They took the lead at nine with a block from Kern and Andreyko. Pitt increased its lead, 11-9, after a kill from Boroumand. The team pulled ahead, 16-14, and increased to a three-point lead after Boroumand scored on a kill. Cincinnati came back to take control, 26-25, but Pitt was able to tie it up after Campbell scored on a putaway. The Panthers then moved into the lead at 27 but Cincinnati came back to tie it up and take control at 28. They took a two-point lead at 29 and went on to win game four, 30-28. Pitt hit .222 to Cincinnati's .240. Campbell led the Panthers with five kills. Boroumand had 12 assists while Rossi contributed nine digs. Andreyko put up three blocks.
The final game of the match was a battle to the finish even though Pitt started out with a three-point lead after Ross scored on two service aces. Andreyko had a kill to pull Pitt ahead, 4-1. Another kill from her moved the Panthers ahead by four. Campbell scored on a kill to give Pitt an 8-2 lead, and the team went on to a seven-point lead at 11. Cincinnati came back though, moving within two points of the Panthers. The Bearcats tied game five up at 13. Ross scored on a kill to set the Panthers up for the match point, and Andreyko went on to win the game, 15-13. Pitt hit .350 to Cincinnati's .263. Andreyko had six kills while Boroumand recorded nine assists. Rossi had four digs, and Andreyko and Moses had one block each.
Pitt will now host Louisville in its final home match of the season. The Panthers will take on the Cardinals on Sunday, Nov. 5 at 2 p.m. This match will be Senior Recognition as the team honors Boroumand and her volleyball accomplishments throughout the last four seasons.
NOTES--Andreyko was honored for reaching 1,000 career kills earlier this season. She is one of ten Panthers in school history to have reached this career milestone. With 1,324 kills she is now fifth in school history, needing only 492 more to break the school record set by Ann Marie Lucanie from 1990-93.
