University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt
Purdue
King Records 21 Assists Against Purdue
9/3/2010 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 3, 2010
PITTSBURGH—Senior setter Alyssa King recorded 21 assists on the night, as the University of Pittsburgh women’s volleyball team suffered a loss in their home opener against Purdue, 3-0, this evening. The Panthers faced Purdue in the third contest of the Pitt Invitational, being held at Fitzgerald Field House. The Panthers dropped to 0-5 with scores of 18-25, 13-25 and 20-25, while the Boilermakers improved to 4-1.
King started the match as the Panther’s setter and played all three sets.
Senior Amy Town led Pitt with nine kills, while sophomore Jenn Katona chipped in six and senior Imani Harper added five.
The match began with a kill from Town. Later, after trailing, the Panthers tied the set at five with an ace from Katona. That was the first of Katona's career.
Town would later tie the set at eight with a kill, that began with a dig from senior Brittany Fallis. Senior Melanie Feldman’s ace on the next serve gave the Panthers a 9-8 lead in the game.
The set remained close, as freshman Brittany Lhota re-entered the game and recorded a combined block alongside Katona. The Pitt trailed 14-13 at that point. Purdue, however, pulled away with a 6-0 run. The Boilermakers would take the set at 25-18.
Senior Rachel Kalberer picked up a solo block in the set, after one of the outsides for Purdue attacked a long Pitt pass and Kalberer recovered on the play.
Town tied a set-high five kills in the opening game. King also had nine assists on 10 of Pitt’s kills in that set.
Pitt fell behind 15-4 in the second game. King set Town for three kills during a 4-3 Panther run to close the gap.
Later, Katona would collect two kills to keep Pitt alive. However, Purdue kept pushing, taking the second set 25-13.
In the third set, Pitt kept it close through the first few points. A block from Lhota and King, chipped away at a Purdue lead (8-5) and the Panthers seemed to have momentum.
Next, a kill from King to Harper, pulled Pitt within one, 11-10. However, Purdue would push ahead with a 9-4 run.
Pitt closed in with a 6-3 run of its own, thanks to a few Purdue errors and two kills from Harper. One of those plays began with a dig from Fallis, who was covering on Harper’s swing the set before. Harper swung again and won the point, forcing a Purdue timeout at 23-20.
Following a long volley, the Boilermakers would earn match point off a kill after the break. An attack error on the next play would give Purdue the match.
The Panthers face Lipscomb at 11 a.m. on Saturday. The second match of the day features Purdue and Tulane at 1 p.m. Pitt then closes the Pitt Invitational with a 7 p.m. contest against the Green Wave. Fans can watch the final game of the tournament at www.pittsburghpanthers.com.
