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Pitt Women's Volleyball Wins Pitt Invitational
9/20/2008 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 20, 2008
PITTSBURGH--Senior Kelly Campbell earns MVP honors, as Pitt's women's volleyball team wins the Pitt Invitational with a 3-1 victory over VCU this afternoon, at Fitzgerald Field House. The Panthers won the match with scores of 25-23, 25-20, 16-25 and 25-19.
Campbell (Mansfield, Ohio/Mansfield) was named the tournament MVP after she posted a season-high 20 kills in the championship match and recorded 56 kills, 35 digs and five aces during the Pitt Invitational.
Joining Campbell on the all-invitational team was senior Jessica Moses (North Olmstead, Ohio/Lutheran West) and junior Michelle Rossi (Cleveland, Ohio/Padua Franciscan). Moses chipped in nine kills and five blocks in the match, while Rossi added a match-high 12 digs.
As the score suggests, Pitt and VCU played a close opening set. Playing through several ties, the Panthers took their first substantial lead when senior Nicole Taurence (Trenton, Mich./Trenton) dumped the ball between several defenders to give Pitt an 18-14 lead.
A few plays later Taurence's back set to junior Meagan Dooley (West Chester, Ohio/Lakota West) and gave Pitt a 20-17 lead with a kill. On the next play, Campbell recorded a monster kill from the outside that caught three defenders off guard.
VCU rallied a 3-0 run to close the gap at 21-20, forcing a Pitt timeout. However, the Panthers would win the next four of seven balls for a 1-0 lead in the match.
In the next set, Pitt looked to be in sole control as it jumped out to a 16-6 lead. However, the Rams would rally late in the contest and come within four, 22-18.
After winning the next point with a kill from sophomore Amy Town (Orillia, Ontario/Orillia), Pitt was then held at set point for three volleys before Town's sixth kill of the set gave Pitt its 2-0 advantage in the match. Town led all with her six kills and a .455 hitting percentage.
The fourth set began like the first two sets, as Moses stuffed a Ram attack to give Pitt a 9-4 lead in the contest. Later, back-to-back aces from senior Stephanie Ross (Dayton, Ohio/Chaminade-Julienne) ended a slight comeback from VCU and pushed the Panthers lead to 16-13. Ross boasts 10 aces on the year.
Taurence, who assisted on 11 of Pitt's kills in the final set, set Campbell to give the Panthers a 22-17 advantage . Dooley would then give Pitt two of its next three points, including the match winner where she attacked a long pass from the Rams.
In the third set, VCU jumped out to a 9-2 lead that included a 5-0 start. Pitt later took a timeout, trailing 17-8. They narrowed the margin to 20-12, but were unable to overcome the deficit falling 25-16 in the set. Pitt was led by Campbell with four kills.
Town tallied 12 kills, while Dooley collected 11 in the match.
Pitt opens its conference slate with matches at Villanova (Sept. 27) and Seton Hall (Sept. 28) next weekend.
