Pitt
Kentucky
Town Posts 24 Kills In Opener
8/30/2008 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Aug. 29, 2008
LEXINGTON, Ky.—Sophomore Amy Town records 24 kills in a hard-fought five-set match against Kentucky, as the Panthers dropped a 3-2 match in their 2008 opener, which was the night game in the Kentucky Classic on Friday. Pitt falls to 0-1 on the year, while the Wildcats improved to 1-0 with set scores of 23-25, 25-19, 25-14, 22-25 and 21-19.
Earning her first start as a Panther, Town (Orillia, Ont./Orillia) led the squad with a career-high 24 kills. Additionally, senior Kelly Campbell (Mansfield, Ohio/Mansfield/Pacific) posted Pitt’s first double-double of the year with 16 kills and 11 digs in the contest.
In what was supposed to be a short tiebreaker, the Panthers and Wildcats battled to a 10-10 score in the fifth set. Pitt took a 13-10 lead with a Kentucky error, but several plays later the set was tied once again, 14-14.
From the 14th point till the 19th, Pitt and Kentucky were tied. Then the Wildcats earned a sideout for the 20-19 lead off a kill. They then won the match with a block and a final score of 21-19.
Pitt won the first set 25-23 with a .368 hitting clip. After falling to a 0-3 deficit in the set, the Panthers would take an 8-7 lead with a kill from senior Stephanie Ross (Dayton, Ohio/Chaminade-Julienne). In the match, Ross fell short of a double-double with nine kills and seven digs in the contest.
Pitt went up 18-15, forcing a Kentucky timeout a few plays later in that opening contest. Following the break, the Wildcats pulled within one, 19-18, which led to a Pitt huddle. On the next play, senior Nicole Taurence (Trenton, Mich./Trenton) set sophomore Meagan Dooley (West Chester, Ohio/Lakota West) for a kill and a 20-18 advantage.
The Wildcats tied the set at 21, prior to a block from senior Jessica Moses (North Olmstead, Ohio/Lutheran West) to give Pitt its final lead. Kentucky had one last push when a ball handling error was called on the Panthers, closing the gap to 24-23. However, a kill from Town on the next play earned Pitt a 1-0 lead in the match.
In the second and third sets Pitt tallied just a .086 hitting percentage. In the second set the squad won the first three points, but soon fell behind 10-5. The Panthers remained close through the match, including a 22-19 deficit following two Kentucky errors. However, the Wildcats would tie the match at 1-1 and take the lead at 2-1 with 14 kills in the third set.
Town opened the fourth set with a kill from Taurence. Pitt would then take a slight lead early on, but the Wildcats and Panthers were knotted at 8-8 before Kentucky jumped out 13-8.
A 10-5 Panther run tied the set at 18-18, but it wasn’t until a kill from Campbell that Pitt took a 23-22 lead. The Panthers then scored the next two points, including a set-winning ace from Town.
Junior Michelle Rossi (Cleveland, Ohio/Padua Franciscan) led the defensive charge with 24 digs, while Moses tallied five blocks, including two solo stuffs.
Taurence recorded 43 assists on 65 of the team’s kills during the match and added four digs.
The Panthers face Wisconsin in their second game of the Kentucky Classic on Saturday, at 12:30 p.m.
