University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt
Ohio
Leggs and Wignot Record Career Highs
9/13/2011 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 13, 2011
PITTSBURGH—Despite a career-high in kills from both senior Kiesha Leggs and sophomore Monica Wignot, the University of Pittsburgh women’s volleyball team slipped in a five-set thriller against Ohio at Fitzgerald Field House Tuesday evening . The Panthers dropped the match with scores of 26-24, 23-25, 25-20, 24-26 and 19-21.
Leggs led all with a match-high 22 kills on a .559 hitting percentage. She also added three blocks in the contest. Wignot chipped in 20 kills, five assists and two digs.
Unforced errors proved to be costly for Pitt (8-3), as the squad relinquished 44 unearned points to Ohio (5-5).
Defensively, junior Margy Acton recorded a season-best and match-high 25 digs. Junior Alexa Campbell chipped in a career-best 10 passes.
The Pitt offense got off to a great start. Wignot opened the match going five-for-six in the first set. The Panthers took a 9-5 edge in the contest when freshman Lindsey Zitzke set Wignot in right back.. On the next serve, junior Jasmine Dittrich recorded the second ace of the match for the Panthers to force a Bobcat timeout.
Ohio went point-for-point with Pitt over the next several volleys. Later, freshman Jessica Wynn recorded her first kill of the match to give the Panthers a sideout. Unfortunately, the Bobcats ripped a 4-2 run to pull within two, 20-18, and force Pitt to talk things out.
After the break, Wignot tallied another kill when her swing sent the ball past the middle back defender. Soon thereafter, Wynn gave the Panthers set point with a kill from the outside. The Bobcats, however, rallied to knot the score at 24-24. Pitt took the advantage with an attack error from Ohio’s outside. Zitzke would then collect her team-leading 21st ace of the year to take the set at 26-24.
Zitzke tallied 13 assists on 14 kills in the first set. She finished the match with a career-best and match-high 63. Wignot put down a game-high eight kills in the first stanza.
In the second set, Zitzke recorded a solo block to give the Panthers a 9-5 advantage. Pitt maintained its four-point margin, 15-11, when Leggs attacked a long pass from Ohio.
As play continued, the Panthers’ mistakes allowed the Bobcats to tie the game at 19.
Ohio kept momentum and held set point at 24-22 to force a Pitt huddle. The Panthers held the Bobcats for a point when Zitzke found Wignot for her third kill of the set. However, Ohio evened the match at one set a piece with a kill on the next serve.
Despite a game-high nine digs from Acton, the Panthers totaled nine errors in the second frame.
In the third set, Zitzke caught Ohio on its heels when she tapped a pass from freshman Delaney Clesen over the net for an 11-7 advantage. Pitt pushed two more points thanks to back-to-back kills from Wignot and Wynn.
Later, the Panthers led 18-13 on a kill from Dittrich. Dittrich tacked on another strike when Zitzke set her over the middle for a 20-16 Pitt lead.
Through the final five points, Leggs recorded two kills. One came off a set from Acton for set point. The Panthers regained the lead in the match when Zitzke recorded her 41st assist of the contest with a set to Dittrich.
Acton had 15 digs at the conclusion of three games.
In the fourth set, Ohio jumped out to a 6-1 lead. Pitt answered, going on a 11-3 run to take control of the scoreboard. That rally included three kills from Wignot and two Pitt blocks.
Leggs pushed the Panther lead to 16-13 when she bounced a kill off an Ohio defender. Pitt battled through several errors over the next few plays, but held set point at 24-20 with a kill from Campbell.
Unfortunately, the Bobcats rattled off six straight points to, again, knot the match in sets. The Panthers committed 11 attack errors in that game.
The Bobcats carried momentum into the deciding set, jumping out to a 7-3 advantage. On the next volley, Dittrich crushed a ball over the middle to halt that run. Dittrich later attacked a long pass to give Pitt its fifth point of the frame.
Next, the Panthers recorded a spree of kills to pull within one, 11-10. Pitt would then win four consecutive volleys for the first time in the game lead 14-12. Leggs gave the Panthers match point when she got on top of a set from Zitzke and pounded a kill to the ground.
Over the next several plays, Pitt would hold match point six times as the contest remained tied at 19. Ohio earned its second advantage in the frame with an ace on the next serve. Unfortunately for the Panthers, the match concluded with another Pitt attack error.
Pitt held the edge in blocking, 10-9, including a match-high five from Dittrich. Dittrich also added eight kills, while Wynn tallied nine.
The Panthers are back in action on Friday, Sept. 16, hosting the Pitt Blue and Gold Tournament at Fitzgerald Field House. Pitt entertains Temple at 1 p.m. in the first match of the two-day invitational. The second contest of the day is slated for 5 p.m. between Delaware and Kent State. The Panthers will then face New Mexico in a 7 p.m. nightcap.
