Panthers Battle in Five Set Loss to No. 25 Cyclones

Saturday, September 2

Dayton, Ohio

1:30 PM EST

Pitt

1-3

Iowa State

5-0

Pitt

Iowa State

Panthers Battle in Five Set Loss to No. 25 Cyclones

9/2/2017 6:19:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score Season Stats

Pitt Falls Behind 2-0, but Drops Fifth-Set Heartbreaker 21-19 after Comeback

DAYTON, Ohio – The University of Pittsburgh volleyball team battled in a five-set loss to No. 25 Iowa State, Saturday afternoon, in its first match of the Dayton Invitational.

The Panthers (1-3) battled back after falling behind 2-0 to the nationally ranked Cyclones (5-0), dominating the third set 25-16 and the fourth set 25-19. In a thrilling final set that went to extra points, Pitt had multiple chances to earn the win but Iowa State came out on top 21-19.

"I'm really disappointed with how we are taking the court," said head coach Dan Fisher. We are not coming out ready to go and we need to find the fix to that pretty quick. I was certainly glad that we showed a little bit of fight."

"It's tough to be down 2-0 against a really good team. I thought that once we went to a 6-2 that helped us defensively and thought Kylee [Levers] came in and did a nice job as a setter. In the end, it came down to Iowa State making a lot less errors than we did. That was the difference in the game, but we had a chance for it."

Pitt's offense posted 55 kills on the day, led by Nika Markovic who had 16. The sophomore hit .344, with five digs, four blocks and three aces.

Redshirt sophomore Stephanie Williams (12) and sophomore Layne Van Buskirk (10) also posted double-digit kills. Aiding the Panthers on offense was junior Kamalani Akeo, who posted 34 assists, while redshirt freshman Kylee Levers had 14.

From the service line, Pitt tallied a season-high 11 aces, which more than half coming from the hands of junior Hanna Markewycz. Markewycz came off the bench as a serving sub to post a career-high six aces.

Defensively, redshirt junior Angela Seman recorded 14 digs to lead the Panthers, while Van Buskirk finished with five of Pitt's 21 blocks. Seman, who has 1,073 digs during her time with the Panthers, now sits 10^th all-time in career digs in program history.

Set One: No. 25 Iowa State 25, Pitt 16

At the start of the first set, Pitt and Iowa State battled in a back-and-forth affair. Neither team led by more than two points at a time until midway through the set when the Cyclones pushed out in front 15-12.

The Panthers called a timeout to regroup but Iowa State scored three straight out of the break to extend its lead to 18-12 and force another Pitt timeout.

The Cyclones remained on top the remainder of the set, winning 25-16.

Set Two: No. 25 Iowa State 25, Pitt 19

The Panthers continued to struggle in the second set, falling behind early on. Iowa State took a five-point lead, 10-5, and held on to it through most of the set.

Pitt was unable to get its offense going, registering just nine kills, but found a way to work its way back within two towards the end of the set.

The Panthers trailed 21-19 but the Cyclones posted four straight points to win 25-19

Set Three: Pitt 25, No. 25 Iowa State 16

Pitt began its turnaround at the start of the third set, battling in the opening points to find a 10-8 lead.

Iowa State called a timeout at this point, and came back to tie the score 10-10 but the Panthers roped off four straight points, including two aces by Markewycz to force a second timeout from the Cyclones.

Out of the break, Pitt increased its point streak to six, taking a 16-11 lead. The Panthers remained in control of the set and went on to win 25-16.

Set Four: Pitt 25, No. 25 Iowa State 19

Pitt found success late in the fourth set after the two teams exchanged multiple lead changes early on.

With the score tied 11-11, back-to-back kills by Markovic, in addition to a kill and block by Williams put Pitt out in front 15-12. Iowa State called its first timeout at this point, before calling its second as Pitt went ahead 20-14.

The Panthers defense remained strong, holding the Cyclones offense in check, giving Pitt's attack the chance to come out on top 25-19 and force a fifth frame.

Set Five: No. 25 Iowa State 21, Pitt 19

Pitt and Iowa State opened in a tight race in the fifth and final set. The two teams were tied three different times before the Panthers found a two-point lead, 7-5, forcing the Cyclones to call a timeout.

Pitt's offense dominated in the opening points, as Markovic found the opponents side of the floor three times, while a clutch ace by Markewycz gave the Panthers the two-point advantage.

Following the break, Iowa State pulled within a point, but a kill by Markovic and a huge block assist from freshman Chinaza Ndee and senior Alex Rosignol called for the Cyclones second timeout as they trailed 13-10.

Iowa State returned from the pause in action to tie the set, 13-13, but a service error by the Cyclones gave Pitt the first match point of the day.

The Panthers were unable to capitalize, which led to six more tie scores before Iowa State found its fifth match point, 20-19. A final block by the Cyclones would end the match, 21-19.

Up Next
Pitt will face Dayton in its final match of the weekend, Sunday, Sept. 3 at 1 p.m. The game will be a rematch of the opening round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament, where the Panthers defeated the then-ranked Flyers, 3-1.

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