Pitt Sweeps Liberty to Open 2016 Slate

Friday, August 26

Kennesaw, Ga.

5:00 PM

Pitt

1-0

Liberty

0-1

Team	1	2	3	Final F
Pitt	25	25	28	3
LIBERTY	15	15	26	0

Pitt Sweeps Liberty to Open 2016 Slate

8/26/2016 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Aug. 26, 2016

KENNESAW, Ga. - The University of Pittsburgh volleyball team opened the 2016 season with a sweep over Liberty at the Kennesaw State Invitational Friday evening at KSU Convocation Center.

The Panthers [1-0] defeated the Lady Flames [0-1] 25-15 in both sets one and two and earned a hard-fought 28-26 victory in set three to mark their first win of the year.

"I think we were all chomping at the bit for our first game," said head coach Dan Fisher. "We got off to a big lead early on and carried that through the second set. The third set brought more of a challenge but we were fortunate to fight back. It was a good win and a great way to start the season."

Pitt was complete threat in the match, tallying 34 kills offensively and 26 blocks on defense. The Panthers held Liberty to a negative hitting percentage (-.112), while hitting .202 (34-16-89) on the match.

Freshman Layne Van Buskirk made her debut for Pitt, posting a team-high .625 hitting percentage (6-1-8). Six Panthers made offensive contributions tonight, with redshirt freshman Stephanie Williams and senior Maria Genitsaridi each earning seven kills apiece. Williams made her first appearance in a match for Pitt since being sidelined during the 2015 season due to injury.

The Panthers also won the blocking game, posting 26 block assists, seven of which came at the hands of redshirt senior Jenna Potts.

Set One: Pitt 25, Liberty 15
Pitt defeated Liberty 25-15 in the first set, registering 10 kills, two aces and eight block assists.\The Panthers jumped out to quick start, pulling ahead 6-0 to open the match. Sophomore Kamalani Akeo put together back-to-back aces for the first two points.
Pitt continued to dominate staying ahead 9-1, forcing the Lady Flames to call a timeout.
Midway through the set, Liberty pulled within five points but consecutive attack errors prompted a second timeout as the Panthers led 17-10.
Pitt's offense remained prominent as kills from junior Kelsey O'Neill and Potts gave the Panthers a 22-11 advantage.
A service error by the Lady Flames' Sydney Morris gave Pitt set point, 24-14.
Liberty fought off the next ball before giving up a final kill to Panther junior Mariah Bell.

Set Two: Pitt 25, Liberty 15
Pitt displayed its best play in the second set, defeating the Lady Flames 25-15 while hitting .417 (13-3-24).
The Panthers took a 6-3 lead to start thanks to two kills from O'Neill and one from Potts, along with three attack errors by Liberty.
The Lady Flames were within three of Pitt but the Panthers put together a six point run to take a 16-7 lead.
Pitt held its advantage for the remainder of the set.

Set Three: Pitt 28, Liberty 26
Liberty put up a fight in the third and final set of the match but fell short as the Panthers came out on top, 28-26.
For the third straight set, Pitt jumped out to a large lead, pulling ahead of the Lady Flames 8-3, however six consecutive points by Liberty put the Panthers behind for the first time all match 9-8.
The two teams exchanged back and forth points throughout the middle of the set until Pitt called its second timeout as the Lady Flames led 15-11.
The Panthers played catch up and fought their way back into the match, tying the game at 21 all.
Three set points came and passed between the two teams before Pitt pulled ahead 27-26 and earn the win after a final block by Williams and Potts.

Up Next
The Panthers will face Missouri and host Kennesaw State on Saturday, Aug. 27. Pitt opens the day against the Tigers at 10 a.m. before taking on the Owls at 7:30 p.m., live on ESPN3.

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