University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt
Notre Dame
PITT SHUTS DOWN NOTRE DAME IN FOUR-GAME SET
11/11/2006 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Nov. 11, 2006
NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The Pitt volleyball team went into this weekend prepared to do what was necessary to earn two wins on the road as they close out their regular season schedule. The Panthers (21-8, 9-4 Big East) defeated their first opponent today when they upset the Fighting Irish (15-11, 9-4 Big East) in the final three games of the match.
Pitt hit .148 compare to Notre Dame's .158 and had 17 blocks to 14. The Panthers lost by 20 points in the first game but fought back in the final three games, holding the Irish to 25 points or less in two games.
Leading the team was sophomore Stephanie Ross (Dayton, Ohio/Chaminade-Julienne) with 25 points. She averaged six kills per game with 24 total and had a .207 hitting percentage. With 11 digs, she had another double-double for the season. Junior Diana Andreyko (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) also had a double-double with 16 kills and 15 digs. She additionally put up four blocks and contributed 20 points to the Panthers' win.
The Panthers had 17 blocks and contributing the most defensively was freshman Kim Kern (Bradenton, Fla./Manatee). She put up nine blocks and also had three kills. Senior Azadeh Boroumand (Red Deer, Alberta/Thurber) had seven blocks and 47 assists, and sophomore Jessica Moses (North Olmstead, Ohio/Lutheran West) put up six blocks and had eight kills. Freshman Michelle Rossi (Cleveland, Ohio/Padua-Franciscan) recorded a career-high 31 digs and also had three assists.
Notre Dame got off to a strong start in game one with a big 10-3 lead. The Irish maintained control for the entire game, holding the Panthers to only 10 points and winning game one, 30-10. Pitt hit -.200 compared to Notre Dame's .312. Ross had four kills, and Boroumand contributed five assists. Rossi recorded eight digs while Moses and Andreyko had one block each.
The Panthers made a big comeback in game two, tying the game up at seven. The game remained close as the two teams rallied for control. Pitt pulled ahead, 23-20, after a service ace from Ross. They went on a four-point scoring drive capped off with a kill from Kern. A kill from sophomore Kelly Campbell (Mansfield, Ohio/Pacific) set the Panthers up for the game point, and an attack error from the Fighting Irish won game two, 30-25. Pitt hit .355 compared to Notre Dame's .255. Ross led the team in kills again with six. Boroumand put up 12 assists, and Rossi had six digs. Kern put up three blocks.
In game three, Pitt took the lead early, 14-9, after a block from Moses and Boroumand. The Panthers were able to keep control over the rest of the game, holding the Fighting Irish to only 24 points. A kill from Campbell set Pitt up for the game point for the second consecutive game, and a kill from Ross won game three, 30-24. Pitt hit .233 compared to Notre Dame's .000. Ross and Andreyko had five kills each while Boroumand recorded 13 assists. Rossi contributed nine digs. Moses and Boroumand had three blocks each.
Game four went above 30 points as both teams fought throughout the entire game. The Panthers pulled ahead by three points, 17-14, after a kill from Boroumand, but Notre Dame came back with three points to tie it up. They moved into the lead, 21-19, and Pitt came back to tie the game up at 26 after a kill from Ross. The two teams were tied at 28. Pitt scored on a kill from Ross to set the team up for the game point, but the Irish scored to tie it up again. Pitt scored on another kill from Ross to put the Panthers at 30, and Notre Dame tied it up one more time. After the game was tied at 31, the Panthers scored on a kill from Andreyko and then an attack error from Notre Dame's Adrianna Stasiuk won game four for the Panthers, 33-31. Pitt hit .229 compared to Notre Dame's .118. Ross had nine kills. Boroumand put up 17 assists. Rossi recorded eight digs while Kern put up four blocks.
The Panthers will close out their regular season slate tomorrow when they play at DePaul. They'll take on the Blue Demons at 2 p.m. CT.
