Pitt
22-8, 12-6ACC
Syracuse
21-8, 12-6ACC
Syracuse Hands Pitt First Home Loss of the Season
11/22/2015 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Box Score | Season Stats PITTSBURGH -- The University of Pittsburgh volleyball team was handed its first home loss of the season, Sunday afternoon at the Fitzgerald Field House, after falling to Syracuse 3-1.
The Panthers [22-8, 12-6 ACC] fell to the Orange [21-8, 12-6 ACC] in the opening set 25-19, but bounced back to tie the match with a 25-20, second set win. Syracuse knocked off Pitt in the final two sets 25-21 and 28-26, respectively, to defeat the Panthers.
Pitt's middles stole the show on offense as senior Amanda Orchard and redshirt junior Jenna Potts both recorded hitting percentages of .600 or better. Potts recorded a career-high 14 kills, while Orchard put away 13. Two other players registered double-digits as well, including graduate transfer Kadi Kullerkann [team-leading 18] and sophomore Mariah Bell [10].
Senior Jenna Jacobson and freshman Kamalani Akeo combined to record 62 assists in the game, with 36 coming from Jacobson and a season-high 26 from Akeo.
Defensively, redshirt freshman Angela Seman led the team in digs with 14, while Kullerkann posted a team-leading five blocks.
Pitt trailed Syracuse, 12-4, in the opening points of the match prompting two quick timeout calls by head coach Dan Fisher. Following the second break, the Panthers gained some momentum as they outscored their opponents 7-1 to pull back within two points of the Orange. However, Syracuse continued its scoring ways and defeated Pitt, 25-19, in the opening set.
The Panthers bounced back in the second set, taking down the Orange 25-20. Pitt and Syracuse were in a tight set to start, but four straight points, including two Kullerkann kills, gave Pitt take a 15-8 lead. The Orange forced Pitt to take back-to-back timeouts just points later, but multiple errors by Syracuse ended a comeback attempt by the Orange.
The Panthers fell behind in the match, 2-1, after a 25-21 loss in the third set. While Pitt led throughout, the Orange trailed the Panthers by just a few points. Syracuse took advantage of that late in the set as they outscored Pitt, 5-2, to take its first lead at 19-18. Points were exchanged back-and-forth by the two teams in the final volleys but the Orange was able to put away three in a row to finish off the Panthers.
Pitt dropped the final set of the afternoon in extra points to Syracuse, 28-26. The Panthers and Orange battled at the start, but Syracuse moved ahead and forced Pitt into two timeout calls within five points of each other. At the second timeout, the Orange led 17-13 but a change in pace placed the Panthers back within one of Syracuse. Pitt continued to fight and eventually came back to tie the set at 24 all. Back-and-forth points set up the Panthers twice with set points, but Pitt couldn't finish as Syracuse roped off two kills and posted a block to end it.
Up Next
Pitt will have a quick turnaround as they welcome Virginia Tech on Wednesday, Nov. 25 at 6 p.m. and Virginia on Friday, Nov. 27 at 4 p.m. for the Panthers' final two regular season matches this year
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