Pitt
Louisville
Women's Volleyball Takes Down Louisville, 3-1
10/23/2011 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 23, 2011
LOUISVILLE, K.Y.-The University of Pittsburgh women's volleyball team handed Louisville its first Big East loss of the season with a 3-1 rally victory (21-25, 25-19, 26-24 and 25-20) at the KFC Yum! Center on Sunday.
Senior Kiesha Leggs tallied a career-high 24 kills on a .512 hitting percentage and chipped in four blocks in the contest. She was one of three Panthers registering double figures in kills as sophomore Monica Wignot and freshman Jessica Wynn chipped in 17 and 11, respectively.
Junior Margy Acton boasted a match-high 20 digs, marking the seventh time this season she has recorded 20 passes or more in a match. Junior Alexa Campbell and freshman Delaney Clesen added 16 and 11 digs, while freshman Lindsey Zitzke posted a double-double, dishing out 44 assists and 11 digs.
Pitt (14-10, 4-5 Big East) limited Big East Preseason Player of the Year Lola Arslanbekova to a .167 hitting percentage in the match. As a team, the Cards were held to a .194 attack percentage.
The Panthers took their first lead of the first set at 14-13 when Zitzke set junior Jasmine Dittrich for a kill. The play was kept alive following a dig from Clesen. A few plays later, Acton tallied an ace to put the Panthers ahead, 16-14 and force Louisville's second timeout of the stanza.
The Cardinals (16-6, 8-1 Big East) would answer with a 7-2 run to cause Pitt head coach Toby Rens to call for a timeout. Coming out of the huddle, the Panthers responded with a kill from Leggs. Wynn added a kill in the final points of the set, but a 4-2 tear from Louisville would end the frame. Acton collected seven digs in the opener.
Leggs won the first two points in the second stanza as Pitt held a 6-4 edge off an ace from junior Campbell. A few plays later, the Panthers jumped ahead, 10-4, following Campbell's second ace of the game.
Pitt extended its advantage to seven when Leggs and freshman Kate Yeazel combined on a block. On the next serve, Leggs sparked the Panthers further by delivering her eighth kill of the match.
Louisville made a push and strung together a short rally to pull to three (18-15) on three consecutive kills. Pitt called a break and moved to a 22-17 lead thanks to a powerful swing from Wynn on the left side. A few plays later, Leggs recorded a solo block for game point. Leggs, who was 5-of-9 in the set, ended the rally with her fifth kill of the game.
Leggs kept applying the pressure in the third frame, giving Pitt a 3-0 advantage when she got on top of a Cardinal pass that crossed the net.
Later, Louisville pulled within one at 9-8, but a kill from Wynn on the next serve gave the Panthers some breathing room. As play continued, a block from Yeazel and Leggs widened the gap to 14-10 and forced a Cardinal timeout.
Leading 17-14, Zitzke set Wynn and Leggs for back-to-back kills in the stanza. Louisville would respond with five unanswered points to knot the score at 19-19.
Pitt decided to regroup when the Cardinals took a 21-20 advantage in the set. After giving up and ace, Leggs gave the Panthers a sideout. Leggs' ace a few serves later tied the score at 23.
A Louisville hitting error pushed the Panthers to game point at 25-24. On the next serve, Zitzke and sophomore Brenea White combined on Pitt's sixth block of the match to secure a 2-1 advantage in the contest. Leggs held a match-high 19 kills after three. At that juncture, the Panthers boasted a slight edge in kills (43-42).
Pitt trailed by as many as five points in the fourth set. However, the Panthers rallied as Wynn pounded a kill to cut the lead to two (13-11). On the next serve, Acton put down the seventh ace of the match.
Pitt soon jumped up 21-16 after Leggs tipped the ball and found a hole in the middle of the court. Despite the Cards closing in at 22-20, the Panthers earned match point with a solo block from Dittrich. The contest concluded when Zitzke set Wignot for her set-high sixth kill of the frame.
Pitt committed just four reception errors in the contest and tallied 58 kills to Louisville's 52. Three Panthers raised their ace total to 149 on the season as Acton, Campbell and Wignot all totaled two each versus the Cardinals.
The Panthers are next in action on Saturday, Oct. 29, hosting Marquette at 2 p.m. at Fitzgerald Field House.
