Pitt
17-2, 5-1ACC
Clemson
14-6, 3-4ACC
Panthers Earn Weekend Sweep with Win Over Clemson
10/19/2014 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Box Score | Season Stats | Conference Stats
Clemson, S.C. – After beating Georgia Tech on Friday, the Panthers earned a weekend sweep after defeating ACC opponent Clemson, 4-1, on Sunday, Oct. 19 at Jervey Gym. Pitt gave up the first set 24-26 but battled back to win three straight by scores of 25-17, 25-20 and 25-21.
For the second straight match, the Panthers had three players in double-digit kills. Kate Yeazel and Maria Genitsaridi notched season highs with their 16 and 15 kills respectively while Jessica Wynn added 12 for Pitt. Genitsaridi also tallied her first double-double of the season (15 kills, 13 digs) while Lindsay Zitzke picked up her fourth (27 assists, 12 digs). Overall on the match, the Panthers recorded eight service aces, three of those coming from Zitzke, who is the all-time leader in Pitt history in that category.
The Panthers got off to a great start in the first set, leading the Tigers 6-1. Wynn recorded two kills while Yeazel added one to get Pitt going. However, Clemson answered with five straight points to tie the game at six apiece. The first set consisted of 15 tied scores and five lead changes which did not end up favoring the Panthers in the end. Pitt and the Tigers continued back and forth points throughout most of the match which brought the score to 18-18. Two points later, the Panthers led 20-18, forcing a Clemson timeout. Clemson continued to fight as Pitt also scored, eventually tying the game at 23-23. Pitt earned the first set point but was unable to finish and let the Tigers tie the game at 24 all. The final two points were taken by Clemson to win the first set 26-24.
After a tough opening set loss for Pitt, the Panthers chose not to quit and bounce back to pick up a 25-17 second set win. Clemson started the second set with a 4-1 lead over Pitt but it didn’t last long as the Panthers scored four straight points to post a 5-4 lead. Jenna Potts, who hit .500 on the match, and Yeazel both recorded kills to help Pitt regain the lead. The Panthers extended that lead to 17-12 on a Casey Durham kill before Clemson decided to take a timeout. The Tigers were unable to keep up with Pitt who ended up winning the set by eight points and tying the match, 1-1.
Pitt turned up the intensity in the third set, beating Clemson 25-20 and outhitting them .368 to .294. The set remained close through the beginning points as no team led by more than three points. The two teams ended up tied at 11 apiece. Both teams continued to exchange points with Pitt taking a 15-14 lead on a Durham kill at the first media timeout of the set. Again the third set consisted of multiple tie scores, all the way up to 19-19. An error by the Tigers and Yeazel kill gave Pitt a two point lead and forced Clemson to take a timeout later in the set. The timeout didn’t help as the Panthers went on to take four of the next five points to win the third set and pick up an overall lead of two sets to one.
Pitt capped off the match with a 25-21 fourth set win to pick up their fifth ACC win. Just like the first and third sets, back and forth points were exchanged at the beginning of this individual match. After pushing ahead, 4-1, on kills by Potts, Yeazel and Wynn, Clemson came back to tie the game and eventually take a 12-9 lead heading into the middle of the set. The Panthers took a timeout to regroup and came back out on fire. The Panthers scored four straight which included two service aces by Zitzke and another kill by Durham. Pitt began to pull away in the final points of the set when the Panthers grabbed a 20-16 lead. Clemson managed to score four more points in the set but the Panthers prevailed, racking up the final points of the game to win the match 3-1.
After three matches on the road, Pitt will return home to take on No. 4 Florida State on Friday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. in a combined Spike and Slam event that will feature a preview of the Panthers men’s and women’s basketball teams following the volleyball match-up. Pitt will end the weekend on Sunday, Oct. 26 at home when they host Louisville in a 2 p.m. afternoon match.
For more information about Pitt volleyball, visit PittsburghPanthers.com or follow the team on Twitter at @PittVolleyball.
