Pitt
19-6, 9-4
Louisville
18-5, 12-1
No. 22 Louisville Outlasts Pitt in Five Sets
11/6/2015 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – In a five-set thriller, Pitt fell to No. 22 Louisville Friday night at the KFC Yum! Center.
The Panthers [19-6, 9-4 ACC] defeated the Cardinals [18-5, 12-1 ACC] in the first set 25-23, but fell in set two 15-25. Pitt bounced back in the third 25-10, taking a 2-1 lead, but dropped the final two sets 24-26 and 11-15.
“With the exception of the second set, I was extremely pleased with how hard we played,” said head coach Dan Fisher. “I thought we battled. It’s not easy to put yourself in a position to win against a team this good and we did just that.”
Against a hard-hitting Louisville team, the Panthers dug up 96 balls. Sophomore Mariah Bell led the team with 25 digs and added 14 kills for her seventh double-double of the season. Junior Maria Genitsaridi [12 kills, 23 digs] and senior Jenna Jacobson [30 assists, 18 digs] also added double-doubles. Jacobson’s was also her seventh of the season.
“The best defensive team or at least one of them in the ACC and we out-dug them,” said Fisher. “Those are no small things. We played really hard and I’m proud of our effort.”
Leading Pitt’s attack was graduate student Kadi Kullerkann with 19 kills. Sophomore Kelsey O’Neill had herself a game, coming off the bench to post a .368 average with eight kills and four blocks.
At the net, the Panthers tallied 29 blocks, 10 of which were by redshirt junior Jenna Potts.
Louisville was led by Erin Fairs, who tallied 23 kills on the night.
Pitt opened the match with a first-set 25-23 win. The Panthers jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the opening points, but it was Louisville’s game following a 10-3 run which gave the Cards a four point lead. Louisville increased the score to 15-10 midway through the set, but Pitt grinded its way back to move ahead 21-18, outscoring the Cardinals 11-3. O’Neill entered for the Panthers during the run and posted three crucial kills and two blocks, while Kullerkann posted seven kills total, including the final two for Pitt.
The Panthers struggled in the second set, falling to Louisville, 25-15. Pitt fell behind early on, playing catch-up through the remainder of the set but couldn’t gain any ground.
The Panthers dominated the Cardinals in the third set, earning a 25-10 victory and earning a 2-1 overall advantage. Pitt put up seven quick points to start the set and extended that lead to 13-5, forcing Louisville to call a timeout. The Panthers offense was on point, putting up 14 kills, while hitting .355. In the midst of a seven point run, the Cards called its second timeout as they couldn’t stop the Panthers. Pitt held Louisville to just six kills and a negative hitting percentage. The Panthers dug up 19 balls and posted nine blocks, as the Cardinals couldn’t get anything going on offense.
Pitt and Louisville battled it out in the fourth set however the Cardinals came out on top, 26-24. The two teams were tied 17 times during the set with seven lead changes. The Panthers led 21-20 late in the set, but the Cardinals scored three straight out of a called timeout earn a 23-21 advantage. Louisville reached set point, 24-22, but the Panthers fought off two Cardinal attempts to tie the game at 24. Louisville called is second timeout of the game at this point to regroup, which worked as a service error by Pitt and a kill by Erin Fairs led the Cards to victory.
In the final set of the match, the Panthers fell to Louisville 15-11. Pitt led 4-1 at the start of the fifth and held an 8-5 lead when the two teams switched benches. Following the switch, the Cardinals posted four straight points to take a 9-8 lead and Pitt used both of its timeouts. The Panthers kept the score close after the second timeout but Louisville took a three point lead that Pitt was unable to makeup.
Up Next
Pitt will conclude the weekend against the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame on Sunday, Nov. 8 at 1 p.m.
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