University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt
7-2
Michigan
9-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pitt | 22 | 25 | 22 | 18 | 1 |
| Michigan | 25 | 17 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Pitt Volleyball Drops 3-1 Decision at No. 24 Michigan
9/12/2015 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Pittsburgh volleyball team fell to No. 24 Michigan Saturday evening, by a score of 3-1, at Cliff Keen Arena on the final day of the Michigan Challenge in Ann Arbor, Mich.
The Panthers (7-2) fell in the first set 22-25 but redeemed themselves in set two with a 25-17 win. However, the Wolverines (9-0) knocked off Pitt in two straight sets, 25-22 and 25-18, to win the match.
Both of Pitt's losses come at the hands of ranked teams, its first to No. 5 Nebraska and tonight's to 24th ranked U-M.
For the third consecutive week, graduate transfer Kadi Kullerkann posted a performance that would once again name her to the All-Tournament team, while senior Amanda Orchard joined her for the second week in a row.
Kullerkann led Pitt with 14 kills against Michigan to hit .324 on the night. In eight of the Panthers' nine matches, the outside hitter has now notched double-digit kills. Kullerkann finished her time in Ann Arbor with a team-leading 31 kills and a 2.82 kills per set average.
Orchard also had a standout weekend for Pitt, racking up a .511 hitting percentage after putting away 25 of her 45 attempts. The Lake Zurich, Ill., native committed just two errors the entire weekend. Orchard also served up four of the Panthers 16 total aces and notched nine blocks.
Redshirt junior Jenna Potts and sophomore Mariah Bell also swung well for Pitt, both hitting above .300 with 20 plus kills.
Pitt trailed Michigan 7-5 early in the set, but a huge kill from back row by freshman Stephanie Williams tied the score at 7. That was the second of five straight points by the Panthers that would lead to a 10-7 advantage over the Wolverines. Pitt's lead wouldn't last long as Michigan retied the set and the two teams continued to exchange points back-and-forth. The Wolverines would start to close in on the Panthers later in the set when a kill by Michigan's Caroline Knop and an attack error by Kullerkann would give U-M a 23-21 lead, which would eventually turn into a 25-22 win.
Pitt trailed Michigan early in the second set, falling behind 7-3, but following a six point run the Panthers would take the lead and not give it up for the remainder of the second set. With Pitt leading 14-9 midway through, the Wolverines were forced to take a timeout but were unable to keep the Panthers from separating the score. Pitt out-hit U-M, .323 to .067, committing five less hitting errors in the set to go onto win 25-17. Bell hit 5-for-8 in the set to earn a solid .625 hitting percentage.
Following the short break, Pitt and Michigan played a third set that was very similar to the first. Falling, 22-25 once again, Pitt led in the early points of the set but was unable to suppress Michigan's offense later in the set. The Panthers were in reach of the Wolverines midway through the set, as they only trailed by one, but two straight kills by Knop would rattle Pitt and force them to take a timeout. The Panthers stuck around for the rest of the set but couldn't catch U-M to fall behind 2-1 in the match.
Pitt continued to battle Michigan as the two teams entered the fourth set. The Panthers forced an early Wolverines timeout after taking a 10-9 lead, but U-M's potent offense struck back with eight points in a row to take a seven point lead. Pitt was able to cut Michigan's lead to five, but that would be the closest the Panthers would get to catching Michigan late in the set.
Up Next
Pitt will return home to host the Panther Invitational on Sept. 18-19, featuring Bowling Green, Lehigh and George Washington.
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