Pitt
Villanova
Women's Volleyball Remains Unbeaten At Home
10/7/2007 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 7, 2007
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PITTSBURGH--The Panthers keep their unbeaten home streak alive and end Villanova's conference win streak, as Pitt's volleyball team came back to win a 3-2 match over the Wildcats at Fitzgerald Field House this afternoon. The Panthers won with scores of 30-24, 21-30, 25-30, 30-18 and 15-10.
Pitt (11-8, 5-1) improved to 7-0 in home matches for the first time since the 1987 season where the Panthers were 13-0 in the Fitzgerald Field House*. Pitt is also 5-1 in the conference, which was last obtained in 2005 when the Panthers opened 6-1.
While adding to its streaks, Pitt also ended Villanova's (12-7, 4-2) three-match win streak in the win. Led by senior Diana Andreyko (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) with 22 kills and sophomore Meagan Dooley (West Chester, Ohio/Lakota West) with 17 kills and six blocks.
Pitt recorded 13.5 blocks to Villanova's six. Dooley posted a career-tying four block solos, while junior Stephanie Ross (Dayton, Ohio/Chaminade-Julienne) notched a career-high six blocks assists and chipped in 18 digs.
Playing the tiebreaker game five, Pitt jumped out 5-1, following a bad Villanova set. The teams then switched benches when junior Jessica Moses (North Olmsted, Ohio/Lutheran West) recorded the kill in the middle for Pitt, 8-3. Moses led the team with three kills and two block assists in the final game.
Following that play, junior Kelly Campbell (Mansfield, Ohio/Mansfield/Pacific) placed a ball just inside the back line for Pitt, as the Panthers led 11-5. Villanova would record a 5-3 run before Andreyko would score the winning kill in the match.
Game five was forced after Andreyko earned the winning point in game four with an ace off her serve. Earlier in game four, Andreyko gave the Panthers a 10-8 lead, following back-to-back-to-back kills. On the third kill, she attacked a long pass, making two defenders dive and forcing a Wildcat timeout. Next, Andreyko tallied her 10th ace of the season to give Pitt a 14-10 advantage.
Later Dooley tallied a solo block to lift the Panthers to a 23-16 lead in that fourth contest. Several plays later, Dooley got on top of a ball in the middle for a kill and a 26-17 score.
When the match first started, the Panthers and Wildcats kept it close, as both teams were tied at nine in the opening game of the match. Moses and Ross then gave the Panthers an 11-9 lead, as they stuffed a Villanova attack. Dooley and Ross then combined on another block to extend the lead to 15-10.
Later, Campbell gave Pitt a 21-15 advantage with an outside attack that forced a Villanova timeout. However, the Wildcats would go on a 4-0 run and come within two, 21-19, to force a Panther timeout.
Following the timeout Pitt won the next two points and would take a 25-22 lead with a powerful hit from Moses in the middle. Andreyko would then record her fifth kill of the match on an outside attack, earning the winning point of the game. Pitt took the early 1-0 lead in the match.
However, games two and three would be won by the Wildcats. In game two the Panthers were held to a .026 hitting percentage at a team. Individually, Andreyko recorded three kills off eight attacks, as Pitt dropped the game 30-21.
Trailing early in game three, Andreyko tied the game at seven with a solo block on a Villanova attack. Later the Panthers were behind 16-13, when Dooley blocked an attack to chip into the lead.
Pitt went down 26-21 in that third contest, but scored the next two points. However, Villanova would pick up the win, 30-25 in the third game.
In the match Campbell recorded her team-leading eighth double-double of the season with 10 kills and 11 digs. Sophomore Michelle Rossi (Cleveland, Ohio/Padua Franciscan) recorded a match-high 24 digs, while freshman Emily Burke (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral) posted a match-high 57 assists.
The Panthers travel to Georgetown on Saturday, Oct. 12, for a noon contest against the Hoyas.
* Note: In 1999 Pitt was 6-1 in its first seven home matches, but later earned a forfeit victory for the loss.
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