Pitt
USF
Town Records a Double-Double Against USF
10/9/2010 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 9, 2010
PITTSBURGH--Senior Amy Town matched a season-high with 22 kills in five sets, as the University of Pittsburgh women's volleyball team dropped a hard-fought contest to South Florida, 3-2, during its Dig Pink match, held at Fitzgerald Field House. The Panthers held an early lead, but fell with scores of 28-26, 21-25, 25-23, 26, 28 and 14-16.
Town recorded 22 kills in the match, tying her offensive outpour against Bowling Green, earlier this season. Town also chipped in 13 digs for her third double-double of the year.
Middle blockers Imani Harper and Keisha Leggs also recorded double figures in kills. Harper tallied 16, while Leggs had 14 kills and eight blocks.
Defensively, sophomore Margy Acton collected 23 digs in her fifth 20-plus dig match of the season. Additionally, senior Melanie Feldman chipped in 10 digs.
Pitt took a 12-11 lead in the first set when Harper earned her second kill of the match. On the next serve, senior Rachel Kalberer won a point for Pitt after connecting on a back set from senior Alyssa King.
USF would rally and take an 18-17 advantage in the game. Pitt then called its first timeout of the contest to regroup. Using just one play, sophomore Jenn Katona drilled a ball just behind South Florida's attack line to knot the set at 18. The Bulls would make two errors, lifting Pitt ahead 20-18.
A few plays later, Town gave the Panthers set point with a kill from the outside, 24-20. USF would hold Pitt off with a sideout and held serve long enough to tie the contest at 24. Town gave Pitt a sideout and another set point when she attacked a long pass from the Bulls. Both teams battled through the next four points, till Leggs and King recorded Pitt's first block of the match. Leggs gave Pitt the winning point with a kill off another long pass from South Florida.
King had a set-high 15 assists in the opener, while Acton collected eight digs.
Pitt trailed throughout the second set, as South Florida tied the match at one game apiece. The Panthers would out-block USF, 3-1. Katona and Leggs assisted on two, while King and Harper helped with one.
Next, senior Tara Rohall's ace tied the third set at 14. Rohall recorded her 12th ace of the season with that point. Later, a botched dump attempt from South Florida gave Pitt a 19-18 advantage in the game. The Bulls would sideout and tie the score again, but a kill from sophomore Alexa Campbell a few serves later gave Pitt a 22-20 lead.
Then, with the score tied at 23, Campbell and Harper combined on a block to give Pitt set point. The Panthers would then win the game and take a 2-1 lead in the match with a USF attack error.
Town recorded a set-high eight kills in the third set.
Trailing 21-16 in the fourth set, the Panthers recorded a sideout and cut the lead to 21-19 with a Town kill. That forced a South Florida timeout, but Pitt rallied and knotted the score at 22 with a kill from sophomore Michelle Walker. Walker gave Pitt match point two serves later with another kill that bounced off the top of South Florida's blockers' hands.
Not going down without a fight, USF kept play alive and eventually took the set with back-to-back Pitt attack errors. The Bulls used a 6-2 run to knot the match at 2-2 after four games.
Senior Allyson Hodnik recorded seven assists for the squad in the fourth game. She finished the day with 34.
In the final set, the Panthers led 6-1 and forced a USF timeout when Hodnik set Harper for a kill. South Florida closed in with a 4-1 rally, but Pitt ended the run with another Harper kill.
Later, Acton recorded a dig that led to a Leggs' kill and a 12-7 advantage for Pitt. USF continued to push and pulled within two, 13-11, but a hard swing from Walker gave Pitt match point. South Florida earned a sideout and the Panthers took a minute to discuss its next play.
Following the break, the Bulls would earn the next four points and take a 15-14 lead. Pitt took another timeout, but a solo block from USF on the next serve would end the match at 3-2 in favor of South Florida.
Acton recorded five digs in the tiebreaker. King earned the start at setter and made an assist on 31 kills in the match.
The Panthers host Georgetown at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 10.
