Pitt
Villanova
Volleyball Drops Big East Opener to Villanova, 3-0
9/24/2005 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 24, 2005
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PITTSBURGH - The Pitt volleyball team lost its Big East opener for the first time in six years under head coach Chris Beerman, dropping a 3-0 decision to the visiting Wildcats of Villanova on Saturday afternoon at Fitzgerald Field House.
The Panthers (7-7, 0-1 Big East) lost their third consecutive match this season and for the first time to Villanova since the 1998 season. The Wildcats (11-3, 1-0 Big East) controlled the tempo of the game from the start and earned 30-23, 30-25 and 30-21 wins to pick up the match victory.
Adrian Semrau led Villanova with 14 kills, including 10 in the first set, and added three block assists for a total of 15.5 points. Kacy Sellers had seven kills in nine errorless attempts, and added eight digs and a match-high six blocks.
Pitt got 11 kills apiece from outside hitters Gini Ullery (Tracy, Calif./Tracy) and Diana Andreyko (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin), and a match-high 16 digs from senior Megan McGrane (Muncie, Ind./Delta) but just couldn't break through in any of the three sets.
The first set went back and forth as the Panthers and Wildcats battled to a 21-21 tie. The Wildcats went on to score nine of the final 11 points to get the win. Pitt took an early lead in the second set but attack errors by the Panthers allowed the Wildcats to regain the lead and hold on. After Pitt scored the first two points of the third set, Villanova reeled off 12 consecutive points, 11 off the serve of libero Megan Bye, and went on to get the sweep.
The Panthers will be back in action tomorrow at the Fitzgerald Field House, with a Big East matchup against Rutgers at 2 p.m.
NOTES: Freshman Allie Cherven (St. Charles, Mo./Francis Howell Central) and senior Ashley White (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles East/Indiana) combined for nine block assists to lead the Panthers at the net...Ullery barely missed a double-double with nine digs.
