University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt
1-0
Grand Canyon
0-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pitt | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| Grand Canyon | 22 | 16 | 14 | 0 |
Pitt Sweeps Grand Canyon to Open 2015 Season
8/28/2015 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
LINCOLN, Neb. - The University of Pittsburgh volleyball team (1-0) earned its first win of the 2015 season with a straight sweep of Grand Canyon (0-1), Friday evening at the Nebraska Invite.
The Panthers took down the Antelopes 25-22, 25-16 and 25-14 to start out the season with a 1-0 record.
Graduate transfer Kadi Kullerkann led the Panthers offensively tonight in her first match with Pitt, knocking down 12 kills. However, it was a team effort as eight players generated the Panthers' 47 total kills. Senior leader Amanda Orchard and junior Maria Genitsaridi each added seven kills to the pot.
Orchard aided defensively as well, posting five of the team's 14 total blocks. Redshirt freshman Angela Seman made her debut with Pitt tonight and dug up 13 balls in addition to the 10 by sophomore Mariah Bell.
Freshman setter Kamalani Akeo also earned her first career start for the Panthers, serving up two aces along with 16 assists.
Set One
Pitt began strong in the first set, scoring six straight points after falling behind by one to take a 9-4 lead. The Panthers first nine points were earned, as they posted six kills and three service aces, two of which were served up by Genitsaridi.
However, Grand Canyon turned the tables and fought back to tie the game at 12, forcing a Pitt timeout.
Out of the break, back-and-forth points brought the score to 14-14, but three consecutive kills by Kullerkann, who put up seven kills in the opening set, gave the Panthers a 17-14 advantage.
The Antelopes continued to keep the score close through the rest of set one but Pitt added seven additional kills in the end to win, 25-22.
Set Two
The Panthers took a 2-0 lead following a 25-16, second set win. Pitt out-killed Grand Canyon 14-6 and aced three balls, one from each Genitsaridi, Akeo and Bell.
It didn't take long for Pitt to pull away, as the squad led 13-6 with almost half of their points coming from Antelope attack errors.
The Panthers continued to dominate, extending their lead to 18-9 just over halfway through the set, once again forcing a Grand Canyon timeout.
Out of the break the Lopes were able to score two points to make the score 18-11, but couldn't gain any traction during the remainder of the set.
Set Three
The Panthers solidified their first win of the season with a, 25-14, third set win. Pitt posted a .367 hitting percentage in the concluding set, putting away 14 kills on 30 attempts.
The Panthers and Grand Canyon were tied at six to start, but two Antelope attack errors and kills by senior Casey Durham and Kullerkann gave Pitt a 10-6 lead.
Grand Canyon fought back within two after exchanging points with the Panthers, but Pitt scored seven consecutive points to take an 18-9 lead. Back-to-back aces by Seman aided in the Panthers run, along with kills by Kullerkann and Williams.
Pitt held its lead for the remainder of the game outscoring the Antelopes, 7-5, to end the match.
Up Next
Pitt will play its second game of the Nebraska Invite tomorrow, August 29, at 11 a.m. (EST) against Tulsa and will conclude the tournament with an evening match against No. 5 Nebraska at 8 p.m. (EST).
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