University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt
Utah St
Panthers Capture Cowgirl Classic Title
9/17/2000 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 17, 2000
PITTSBURGH - Pittsburgh captured the Cowgirl Classic title this past weekend after going 3-1 in the tournament with wins over host Wyoming, Xavier and Wisconsin-Green Bay. The Panthers were led by senior outside hitter Stacy Renick, who was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player and sophomore setter Carrie Norris who earned All-Tournament team honors.
After dropping their first match of the tournament, 3-0 (15-11, 15-12, 15-1), to Utah State, the Panthers rebounded to take their next three contests.
Pittsburgh's first victory of the tournament was a 3-0 (15-7, 15-10, 15-11) sweep over Wisconsin-Green Bay. The Panthers had four players record double-figures in kills, including Renick (Eagan, Minn./Eagan) and fellow senior Jennifer Nickels (Springfield, Ohio/Springfield) who each had a team-high 13. Outside hitter Marcia Thiesen (Chatham, Ontario/John MacGregor) and junior Heather Haff (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) were not far behind with 11 and 10 kills, respectively. Norris (Fostoria, Ohio/Hopewell-Loudon) also performed well with a 42-assist and 11-dig effort.
Pittsburgh continued its success in the second day of the tournament, capturing a 3-1 (15-13, 2-15, 15-13, 15-10) win over Wyoming. Three Panthers impressed and went on to record double-doubles. Renick had 13 kills to go along with 13 digs and Thiesen posted 12 kills and 10 digs. Norris additionally recorded 51 assists and 10 digs for her sixth double-double of the season.
The Panthers rounded out the weekend with a 3-0 (15-8, 15-4, 15-9) victory over Xavier. Renick and Thiesen dominated once again with Renick recording 14 kills and Thiesen registering 12 kills and 10 digs. Nickels also chipped in 11 kills of her own and four blocks.
The wins improve Pittsburgh's record to 8-4 on the season. In addition, the 3-0 sweep over Xavier Sept. 16 gave Head Coach Chris Beerman his 98th career victory and places him just two wins shy of the 100-victory mark.
Pittsburgh will return to action this weekend when it travels to UNC-Asheville for the Bulldog Invitational. The Panthers will face Loyola and North Carolina A&T on Sept. 22 and Campell and UNC-Asheville on Sept. 23.
