Pitt
Louisville
Dooley Moves Up In All-Time Career Solo Blocks
11/22/2008 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Nov. 22, 2008
PITTSBURGH—Sophomore Meagan Dooley improved to second overall on the all-time career block solo list, this afternoon, as Pitt’s women’s volleyball team dropped a heartfelt 3-1 match to Louisville in the semifinals of the Big East Championship at Fitzgerald Field House. The Panthers fell in four sets with scores of 25-21, 20-25, 17-25 and 19-25.
“It was an honor to play in the semifinals," head coach Toby Rens said. “Yesterday, we had such an emotional high after a great team win. Then we had to take the court again less than 24 hours later, which was hard.”
Dooley (West Chester, Ohio/Lakota West) led the Panthers with five blocks, including two solo stuffs. On the season, she boasts 28 and has 95 in her career, which surpassed Megan Miller’s 2004 total. Additionally, Dooley has tallied 362 total career blocks, which ranks fourth overall. Senior Jessica Moses (North Olmstead, Ohio/Lutheran West) is the career record holder in total blocks (429), including three block assists today.
As she did in the quarterfinals, sophomore Amy Town (Orillia, Ont./Orillia) led the Panthers with 14 kills. Senior Kelly Campbell (Mansfield, Ohio/Mansfield) added 12, while Dooley chipped in seven.
Town recorded a set-high five kills in the first frame, leading Pitt to a 25-21 victory. Despite a slow start, where the Panthers trailed 6-1 early on, Pitt seemed to carry momentum into the match.
During the opening set, Moses and Town combined on a block to tie the stanza at 18. A Nicole Taurence (Trenton, Mich./Trenton) ace would give Pitt the lead at 19-18. The Panthers and Cardinals traded points on the next few plays, but took the final lead at 21-20 following a Louisville serving error.
The second set started close as senior Stephanie Ross (Dayton, Ohio/Chaminade-Julienne) knotted the score at 10 with one of her three aces in the frame. However, Louisville would slowly pull away and tie the match at 1-1 with a 25-20 final.
Pitt dropped the third set after falling behind 10-1 in the early stages. Later, the Panthers pushed and tied the fourth frame at 10 with a kill from sophomore Imani Harper (Yonkers, N.Y./The Masters School) on a long pass. The Cardinals then went on a 6-2 run that forced a Pitt timeout and gave Louisville its eventual win.
Taurence recorded 22 assists in the match, prior to leaving early due to injury, while junior Michelle Rossi (Cleveland, Ohio/Padua Franciscan) collected a match-high 16 digs.
