Volleyball Shuts Down Portland, 3-0, in Season Opener
9/3/2004 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Volleyball Shuts Down Portland, 3-0, in Season Opener
9/3/2004
PITTSBURGH?
Junior libero Megan McGrane (Muncie, Ind./Delta) led Pittsburgh to a 30-17, 30-23, 30-20 victory over the Pilots (0-1) with a school-record 28 digs for a three-game match. McGrane broke her own record of 27, set last year against Ball State in the Pittsburgh Invitational. In addition, McGrane now has 1,118 digs for her career, the fourth-highest total in Panther history. She moved past Annemarie Mernagh (1989-91, 1,109) into fourth place.
The Panthers got off to a strong start in game one, outhitting the Pilots, .292 to .188, and recording just three attack errors in the frame. Junior Gini Ullery (Tracy, Calif./Tracy) had eight of her match-high 15 kills in the first game and added four digs for the Panthers. Ullery finished with a .317 hitting percentage and 11 digs for a double-double.
Pittsburgh had a tougher time of it in game two, outlasting Portland by a score of 30-23 but hit at a higher clip (.350) and had just four attack errors in 40 attempts. Freshman Diana Andreyko (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin), making her collegiate debut, had six kills in seven attempts in the second frame for an .857 hitting percentage. Andreyko finished the match with 15 kills and just two errors in 30 attempts for a .433 hitting percentage. She also added four digs and one service ace to help the Panthers? cause.
The Panthers were able to hold off a late rally by Portland in game three to take the match, thanks in large part to a .417 team hitting percentage in the final frame. Andreyko and senior Megan Miller (Milford, Conn./Jonathan Law) posted six kills in 11 attempts apiece, hitting .545 in the last game. Freshman middle Ashley Creighton (Brandon, Manitoba/Crocus Plains) put away all three of her attempts and added two blocks in game three. Miller finished the game with a .500 hitting percentage, with 14 kills in 28 attempts, four digs and three block assists. Creighton also had three total blocks, joining Miller, sophomore Azadeh Boroumand (Red Deer, Alberta/Thurber) and junior transfer Ashley White (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles East/Indiana) with a match high in that category. For White, playing in her first game with the Panthers, and Boroumand, it was a career-high total in blocks. Boroumand also led the Panthers with a match-high 42 assists and added eight digs.
Also contributing to the Panthers? defensive effort was senior Lindsey Macke (Ft. Thomas, Ky./Notre Dame Academy), who saved several Portland attacks and ended up with 11 digs, two assists and a match-high two service aces in the Panthers? victory. Portland was led by Sara Vercruyssen, who had 13 kills and 13 digs for a double-double.
In the first match of the afternoon, Idaho defeated Howard, 3-0 (30-16, 30-21, 30-9). The Vandals (1-0) were led by Kati Tikker, who had 15 kills and just three errros in 30 attempts for a .400 clip. Mandy Becker had 44 assists to lead Idaho and Saxony Brown had a match-high 12 digs. Idaho will meet Portland at 10:30 on Saturday morning with the Panthers taking on the Lady Bison (0-1) of Howard at 1 p.m. in the second of three sessions.
MATCH NOTES: Pittsburgh won its season opener for the fourth time in Chris Beerman?s five seasons at the helm and moved to 21-10 all-time in season openers and 27-4 in home openers...Pittsburgh is now 2-1 in three matches against Portland and 3-4 against the West Coast Conference (WCC).