University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt
4-1
Colgate
0-4
Pitt Sweeps Colgate, Duquesne to Cap Off Weekend Sweep
9/5/2015 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Colgate Box Score | Duquesne Box Score | Season Stats
PITTSBURGH - To cap off the Duquesne/Pitt Invitational, the University of Pittsburgh volleyball team swept both Colgate and Duquesne on Saturday to move to 5-1 overall on the season. The Panthers are now five deep in straight set wins.
In Pitt's (5-1) first game of the day, the Panthers knocked off the Colgate Raiders (0-5), 26-24, 25-14 and 25-13 at the Fitzgerald Field House. Pitt then traveled downtown to the A.J. Palumbo Center, where they defeated the Duquesne Dukes (3-4), 25-23, 25-21 and 25-21.
As a team, the Panthers out-hit their opponents 138 to 81 and had just over double the amount of aces (13/6).
Highlighting the invitational individually was senior Amanda Orchard, who was named MVP of the tournament. The Lake Zurich, Ill., native racked up 27 kills on the weekend, including 11 against Duquesne which tied her career high. She finished the weekend with a team leading .489 average and capped off the tournament with just four total hitting errors in 47 attempts.
Orchard also led the squad in blocks with 14 overall.
Graduate transfer Kadi Kullerkann once again impressed for the Panthers, tallying a team-leading 33 kills. The offensive powerhouse continued her double-digit kill streak today, notching 10 against Colgate and 13 against Duquesne, giving her at least 10 or more in every game this season (6). For the second straight week her performance earned her all-tournament honors.
Also joining Kullerkann for the second week in a row on the all-tournament team is redshirt freshman Angela Seman. The Pittsburgh native dug up 61 balls in nine sets played, giving her a dig per set total of 6.78.
Seman also served well this weekend, posting four aces and falling just behind team leader Maria Genitsaridi. The junior racked up five total aces against Pitt's three opponents.
Pitt vs. Colgate | W, 3-0
Pitt got off to a solid start at the Duquesne/Pitt Invitational last evening with a win over Youngstown State and continued its success in the Panthers first game of the day against Colgate with a 3-0 win.
Off to a 12-7 lead early on, Colgate used its first timeout to regroup after Pitt went from nine points to 12, following a kill by Genitsaridi, attack error by the Raiders and an ace by Orchard.
Out of the break the Panthers were able to maintain their lead, though Colgate pushed its way back within four to bring the score to 19-15.
The Raiders were unable to hold off Pitt in the end, allowing redshirt junior Jenna Potts to rack up three of the Panthers final four points to finish off the set.
Potts, who tied her career high of 10 kills in a single match against Colgate, carried her momentum over into the second set. Potts knocked down two additional kills early in set two, leading Pitt to a 9-3 advantage.
The Raiders called another timeout following the Panthers run to recover, and did, scoring three straight points to move back within striking distance.
However, Colgate's run was cut short after giving up kills to Orchard and Genitsaridi, and committing five consecutive errors. With that, Pitt led 17-6.
The Panthers capped off a 25-10, second set win with five uninterrupted points, four of which were served up by Genitsaridi.
Pitt finalized the win with a 25-13 victory in the third set.
It didn't take long for the Panthers to earn a hefty lead, recording nine kills in 11 points to lead the Raiders, 11-5.
Colgate called its first timeout of the set to try and stifle Pitt, but it didn't work as the Panthers went on to extend its lead to double of what the Raiders had tallied.
Kullerkann led Pitt in the third set with six kills, including the final two points of the match.
Pitt at Duquesne | W, 3-0
Saturday evening, the Panthers traveled to Duquesne's A.J. Palumbo Center, where they defeated the Dukes, 3-0.
In a closer match-up, Pitt beat Duquesne 25-23 in the first set. Kullerkann showed off her skills early, tallying seven kills alone in the opener.
In a back-and-forth affair, Pitt and the Dukes battled in the early portion of the set but the Panthers were able to get out to a 16-12 lead. However, Pitt was forced to take a timeout after committing four errors which led to Duquesne gaining ground and being back within a point.
The Dukes tied the game at 18, and then took just their third lead of the game on a Nora Young kill. This called for a second Pittsburgh timeout, but it wouldn't be its last. Just five points later, head coach Dan Fisher called for another break in the action after Genitsaridi sparked two kills in a row for the Panthers, tying the game at 21.
Following the brief meeting, the two squads hit tie scores two more times before back-to-back kills by Kullerkann would finish off the first set.
Pitt struggled at the beginning of the second, giving up the first three points to Duquesne. However, the Panthers bounced right back scoring three of their own to tie the score. A Kullerkann kill and two attack errors by the Dukes gave Pitt the chance to tie.
The Panthers were able to pull ahead, 7-5, thanks to a kill by Orchard and an attack error by the Dukes, but soon enough the two teams were tied again, this time at 9-9.
Pitt pulled away towards the middle of the set moving ahead of Duquesne, 15-10. The Panthers were able to extend that lead to six, their largest of the set, following an attack error by the Dukes Lacey Levers and one of Kullerkann's three kills this go-around.
Pitt was able to hold onto its lead throughout the remainder of the set to take down Duquesne, 25-21, in set two.
Trailing at the beginning of the third set, Pitt racked up six points in a row to take an 8-3 lead over the Dukes, prompting a Duquesne timeout call. Three of the Panthers eight points were marked Orchard kills.
Out of the break, Duquesne forced its way back into the set, outscoring the Panthers 7-3. The Dukes trailed by one as the score read, 11-10.
Pitt separated itself from Duquesne for a few points, but it fought back to tie the game at 15 and then once again at 18.
The two teams would rally to tie scores three more times before Pitt would score four straight points to end the match.
Up Next
Pitt will travel to Ann Arbor, Mich., Sept. 11 and 12 to take part in the Michigan Challenge. The Panthers will take on South Carolina, Western Michigan and tournament host, Michigan.
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