Pitt
Cincinnati
Women's Volleyball Falls 3-0 To Cincinnati
10/22/2011 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 22, 2011
PITTSBURGH—Freshman Jessica Wynn tied a match-high with 12 kills, but it was not enough as the University of Pittsburgh women’s volleyball team dropped a three-set match to Cincinnati (25-21, 25-14 and 25-17) at Fifth Third Arena on Saturday afternoon.
Wynn made her fifth start of the season and her first return to the court since Sept. 13. She tallied career-highs with 12 kills and five digs in the contest.
Junior Margy Acton collected 11 digs, while freshman Lindsey Zitzke added 25 assists on the day.
Sophomore Monica Wignot garnered the first point of the match when she leaped up and took a swing on a long pass from the Bearcats libero. The pass was long because of the misread the UC player made on Acton’s first serve.
As play continued, Cincinnati (15-8, 6-2 Big East) jumped out to a six-point advantage at 14-8 in the first break of the opener. Pitt (13-10, 3-5 Big East) responded with a kill from senior Kiesha Leggs.
Next, freshman Delaney Clesen tallied a dig on a hard Bearcat swing that resulted in a Wynn kill. A few volleys later, the Panthers pulled within three, 17-14, when Wynn put down a kill in the right back corner.
Trailing 22-17, Leggs and Wynn put down back-to-back kills and Acton recorded an ace to give the Pitt consecutive points. Cincinnati won the next point, but Wynn recorded another kill and assisted junior Jasmine Dittrich on a block to hold the Bearcats before the final tally of 25-21. Wynn tallied a set-high seven kills in the first game.
In the second set, the Panthers committed seven attack errors and were down 16-8 in the stanza. After a timeout, Pitt rallied three straight points which included a Clesen ace.
The Panthers, however, committed two service errors on their next two opportunities which allowed the Bearcats to finish the rally on a 7-2 run. Wynn led all with 11 kills at the end of two games.
Following intermission, Zitzke opened the third set with her 38th ace of the season. She added another ace later in the contest to move ahead of Carrie Norris (1998-2002) for ninth overall on the single-season list for aces.
A few plays later, Dittrich tallied a kill with a set from Zitzke. Cincinnati held a 15-9 edge at that point.
Pitt pulled within five, 16-11, with a rejection from freshman Kate Yeazel. The Bearcats would pull away with another short rally and lead 19-12 to force a Panther timeout.
Afterwards, Leggs gave Pitt a sideout with one of her nine kills in the match. Cincinnati, though, went on a 4-0 tear before Zitzke ended its run when she set Wynn for a kill. The Bearcats regained momentum with a kill of their own and finished the frame on a 3-2 run.
The Panthers were held to a .106 hitting percentage and were out-blocked, 9-3, this afternoon.
Pitt faces Louisville on Sunday, Oct. 23, at 2 p.m. The match will be televised live on WHAS in Louisville and can be followed on gametracker.
