Pitt
Syracuse
Women's Volleyball Defeats Syracuse in Five
10/29/2010 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 29, 2010
SYRACUSE, N.Y.—The University of Pittsburgh women’s volleyball team earned its fifth five-set victory of the season, as the Panthers defeated Syracuse with of 11-25, 25-22, 25-18, 19-25 and 15-10, this evening at the Women’s Building. Pitt improved to 5-4 in Big East action and 11-14 overall, while the Orange slipped to 3-6 in league play and 21-6 on the year.
Playing in their seventh five-set match of the season, the Panthers have been victorious in two of their last three contest that went to five.
Senior Amy Town earned her seventh double-double of the season. She recorded 19 kills and 14 digs in the match, marking her fifth double-double in the last six contest. Junior Kiesha Leggs added 13 kills and four blocks.
Sophomore Margy Acton recorded a match-high 18 digs, while senior Allyson Hodnik recorded 49 assists as the Panthers’ setter.
Pitt dropped the first set due to a number of errors. However, action in the second set picked up when sophomore Alex Phillips tallied one of her three kills in the game to give the Panthers a 10-6 advantage. Pitt would hold firm to that lead and eventually force a timeout at 13-7 when Town recorded one of her game-high six kills in the second set.
Later, Pitt led 22-17 when it called a timeout of its own. Syracuse was in the midst of a 4-1 run at the moment. The Orange would put two more points on the board after the huddle. But kills from sophomores Alexa Campbell and Jenn Katona and Town would lead to a Panther victory at 25-22.
Pitt would then take a 2-1 lead in the match when Syracuse recorded a service error at the end of the third contest. The Panthers were held on set point for five serves before that. In the game, Pitt held the Orange to a negative .185 hitting percentage. The squad also held a 19-10 advantage following a dump from Hodnik.
Then, despite recording the same number of kills as Syracuse in the fourth set, the Panthers hitting errors would allow the Orange to tie the match at 2-2 in the fourth game.
Next, in the deciding match, Pitt held a lead from the beginning as Campbell’s kill gave the Panthers a 1-0 advantage. A few serves later, the Panthers were switching sides with a three-point cushion, 8-5, off a Syracuse hitting error.
Hodnik would set Leggs for a kill to give the Panthers a four-point lead in the fifth game, 11-7. The Orange would go point-for-point with Pitt on the next few possessions, but the Panthers earned the set and match off a pair of bad handling violations by Syracuse.
The Orange out-blocked Pitt 9-5 in the contest.
Phillips chipped in a career-high nine kills, while Campbell added seven.
The Panthers face Marquette at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 31.
