Pitt
St. John's
Women's Volleyball Earns Its 10th Shutout of the Season
10/30/2009 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 30, 2009
QUEENS, N.Y.—In its 10th shutout of the season, Pitt tied a season-best 18 blocks, as the University of Pittsburgh women’s volleyball team defeated St. John’s, at the newly renovated Carnesecca Arena, this evening. Pitt won the match with scores of 27-25, 26-24 and 25-19. The Panthers improved to 16-8 on the season and 8-2 in the Big East, while the Red Storm slipped to 8-17 overall and 1-8 in the league.
Pitt matched its season high for blocks, recording 18 for the second time this season, including its 3-2 win over South Florida. Additionally, the Panthers recorded their 10th shutout of the season, which is a first since the 2006 season, where Pitt shutout 13 of its opponents.
Junior Imani Harper led the squad with nine kills and chipped in seven blocks, while senior Meagan Dooley collected a match-high 10 blocks and added six kills. A balanced attack game, sophomore Allyson Hodnik recorded 25 assists in the match and posted a career-high seven blocks. Additionally, sophomore Rachel Kalberer recorded a career-high six blocks and added five kills, while junior Amy Town collected seven kills.
Pitt trailed the whole first set and was down 24-20 at one point. That is until the Panthers strung together a 4-0 run and held the Red Storm on set point. Kalberer would aid in tying the set at 24, when she and Dooley combined on one of Pitt’s six blocks in the game. She later tied the game at 25, as well, with a kill. Pitt would win the set 27-25 after St. John’s committed two errors on the last two points of the contest.
Dooley led the Panthers with four kills in the opener, while Harper recorded a set-high four blocks.
Despite the fact that Pitt led through the second set, St. John’s kept it close, including a 23-23 tie. Pitt would take the go-ahead point with a block from Harper and Hodnik, on the next serve. The Panthers, then, dropped the following point, but Harper recorded two kills on the consecutive two serves to give the Pitt the second set at 26-24.
The Panthers hit at .370 in the second game, while holding the Red Storm to .119, including 11 hitting errors. Pitt also out-blocked St. John’s, 7-0. Both Dooley and Hodnik recorded five in the set.
In the final set of the match, Pitt took a timeout with a 19-15 lead to keep St. John’s from closing the gap. After the huddle, Pitt rallied three consecutive points, taking a 22-16 advantage. Pitt would earn the set and match sweep with a kill from Town, a few plays later.
Senior Michelle Rossi recorded 11 digs in the match.
The Panthers face Connecticut on Sunday, Nov. 1, at 2 p.m.
