University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt
2-0
Tulsa
0-2
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TULSA | 14 | 17 | 22 | 0 |
| Pitt | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Panthers Sweep Tulsa on Day Two of Nebraska Invite
8/29/2015 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Box Score (PDF) | Box Score (HTML) | Season Stats
LINCOLN, Neb. – The University of Pittsburgh Volleyball team earned its second win of the season Saturday morning, when the Panthers swept Tulsa at the Bob Devaney Sports Complex in Lincoln, Neb., as a part of the Nebraska Invite.
Pitt (2-0) defeated the Hurricane (0-2) by set scores of 25-14, 25-17 and 25-22.
“This was a really important win for our season,” said head coach Dan Fisher. “We feel that Tulsa is going to be a top-100 RPI team and are pleased with the result. Heading into the Nebraska match we are going to need to make some corrections in the back row, but are really excited to play in that type of atmosphere.”
Graduate transfer Kadi Kullerkann put together her second straight top-notch performance, recording 11 kills, while senior Casey Durham also had an outstanding hitting performance, posting a .562 percentage from the right side. The Evanston, Ill., native put away 10 of her 16 attack attempts.
“Overall, I felt we were solid offensively,” said Fisher. “We could set almost anyone and be effective. It was a great match for both our right sides and middle hitters.”
Assisting in the hitting performance was senior setter Jenna Jacobson, who led the team with 22. In the back court, redshirt freshman Angela Seman dug up 12 balls, while redshirt junior Jenna Potts led the block at the net with four total.
Set One
Pitt began the match with a first set win, taking down Tulsa 25-14. The Panthers dominated offensively, killing 17 balls to the Hurricane seven.
Kullerkann started the Panthers offense, earning all three of their first points before taking a 5-3 lead.
Tulsa and Pitt battled through the early part of the set, until the Panthers were able to get out to a four point lead, forcing a Hurricane timeout.
It wasn’t long before Tulsa had to call for its second break in action, as Pitt went ahead, 19-12.
Out of the timeout, the Panthers scored four straight points to take an 11 point lead. Freshman Stephanie Williams served six straight points for Pitt and put away a kill that led to the win.
Set Two
While the Panthers trailed for most of the second set, Pitt was able to fight back to take a 2-0 overall lead.
The Panthers started the third set ahead, 3-0, following kills by Kullerkann and Williams and a block assist by Potts and Kullerkann.
However, six consecutive points by the Hurricane gave them a, 6-3, advantage.
Pitt was able to come back within one of Tulsa, but the Hurricane responded with two straight points to bring the score to 11-8.
Halfway through the match, Pitt turned its play around and picked up six straight points. Kills by Genitsaridi, Durham and senior Amanda Orchard, along with three Tulsa attack errors aided in Pitt taking a 15-12 lead.
The two teams battled back-and-forth until the Panthers outscored the Hurricane, 7-1, in the final eight points to win the set. Sophomore Mariah Bell served the last four points of the game, acing the final.
Set Three
It was a close third and final set as both teams battled into the twenties, but Pitt was able to take home a 25-22 win.
Opposite of set two, the Panthers dropped the first three points of the third set to Tulsa, but bounced right back to tie the game, 3-3. A service ace by Genitsaridi gave Pitt a 4-3 lead. However, it didn’t last long as the teams stayed neck and neck through the early and middle parts of the set.
The Panthers began to pull away late, scoring four consecutive points to take a 19-14 lead. Back-to-back kills by Orchard and Williams and two block assists by the Panthers moved the squad ahead.
Tulsa fought back within two points, forcing a Pitt timeout, but the Panthers were able to hold their lead for the remainder of the set.
Up Next
Pitt will conclude the tournament tonight against No. 5 Nebraska at 8 p.m. (EST).
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