Pitt
20-4 (8-3ACC)
Duke
17-6 (9-3ACC)
Pitt Volleyball Upsets No. 25 Duke in Five Set Thriller
11/8/2014 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Box Score | Season Stats | Conference Stats
DURHAM, N.C. – Behind sophomore Maria Genitsaridi’s stellar play, the University of Pittsburgh volleyball team (20-4, 8-3 ACC) upset No. 25 Duke (17-6, 9-3 ACC), by a score of 3-2, Friday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium to move to 20-4 on the season and 8-3 in conference play. This match marks the first time since 2005, when the Panthers knocked off No. 8 Notre Dame (3-2), that the Panthers took down a ranked opponent.
Pitt started off strong, winning the first set 29-27 but dropped the second set 21-25 before heading into the intermission. The same series of events occurred once again as the Panthers picked up the third set 27-25, only to drop the fourth set 11-25. With the score tied, 2-2, Pitt fought hard in the final set to pick up a 15-11 win over the Blue Devils.
With a career high 21 kills, Genitsaridi led the way for Pitt. The sophomore picked up her third double-double this season as well, notching 14 digs on defense in addition to the kills. Two other Pitt players recorded double-digit kills in Kate Yeazel (14) and freshman Maria Bell. Bell, in her first career start for the Panthers, notched 10 kills, eight digs and two service aces for Pitt. Lindsey Zitzke and Jenna Jacobson tallied a combined 64 assists on the night aiding in the Panthers 72 total kills. Pitt’s defensive effort was led by Delaney Clesen who had 27 digs and is now over the 1,500 mark in career digs. Clesen also added three service aces.
The Panthers were off to the races in the first set, taking an 8-5 lead early on. However, Duke didn’t let Pitt hold that lead for too long, as they tied the game at 10 apiece. Pitt regained a three point advantage after the Blue Devils committed three straight attack errors. The Panthers led by five when a kill by Yeazel notched Pitt’s 20th point. What looked like an easy win for the Panthers, turned out to be an extra points opening set as Duke retied the match at 23. Pitt had three set points taken away from it before two final kills by Genitsaridi notched the 29-27 win on the Panthers fourth set point.
After an opening set win, Pitt went on to drop the second set, 21-25. The Blue Devils took control of the set early on, taking a four point, 9-5 lead to begin. Duke continued to hold the lead as the two teams worked towards the midway point of the match. With the score at 13-11 Blue Devils, Pitt went on a five to one run to take its first lead of the game by a score of 15-14. The lead only lasted for the one point as the Blue Devils re-tied it at 15 all. The Panthers were unable to make up the shortage of points as Duke went on to win the set and tie the overall score, 1-1.
Following intermission, Pitt came out ready to play, taking a 2-1 overall lead after the win. In the early points of the set, the Panthers and Blue Devils were tied 10 different times, leading to a 12-12 score. Following the tie, Pitt led for most of the set. With the Panthers getting out to a 16-13 lead, Duke called a timeout but the Pitt didn’t let up as they increased their lead to four points. The Blue Devils came back within a point of Pitt late in the game with the score sitting at 23-22. A Yeazel kill gave the Panthers their first set point but Pitt was unable to wrap it up, as they let Duke tie the game at 24 on their second set point. Finally on their fourth set point, the Panthers wrapped up the third set win, 27-25, thanks to back-to-back Casey Durham kills.
The fourth set turned out to be a tough 25-11 loss for Pitt. Genitsaridi led the Panthers with five kills. Duke scored seven of the first eight points of the set to take a 7-1 lead over the Panthers. Pitt could not stop the Blue Devils as they continued to extend their lead to 12-4 and eventually lead by 18-8. It wasn’t long before Duke pushed through the twenties to notch the 25th point, win the set, and force a tie-breaker.
With the score tied at two sets a piece, the Panthers took one final stand and dropped the ranked Blue Devils, 15-11. Pitt took a 3-0 lead to begin the fifth set, thanks to a Yeazel kill, Bell service ace and an attack error by Duke. The Panthers retained their three point lead at the halfway point, leading 8-5. The Blue Devils then scored two straight points to only trail by one. Three points later the set was tied 9-9. Pitt picked up two consecutive points to bring the score to 11-9, thanks to back-to-back Bell kills. Duke called a timeout to slow the Panthers which ultimately worked, as they came back to tie the match, 11-11. The final four points of the match were consecutive Pitt points, with a Duke timeout in-between. Those points included a Jenna Potts kill, attack error by the Blue Devils, a Bell service ace and a Genitsaridi kill to end it.
The Panthers will then remain in the state of North Carolina to conclude play this weekend as they face the Wake Forest Demon Deacons tomorrow evening (Nov. 8) at Reynolds Gym, beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Live stats will be available for the road match against Wake Forest through PittsburghPanthers.com or fans can follow the in-game updates on Pitt's twitter account, @PittVolleyball.
