No. 14 Pitt Outlasts Oklahoma, 3-1, to Remain Undefeated

Friday, August 31

South Orange, N.J.

4:30 PM EST

Pitt

4-0

Oklahoma

3-1

Oklahoma

Pitt

No. 14 Pitt Outlasts Oklahoma, 3-1, to Remain Undefeated

8/31/2018 7:52:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score Season Stats

Lund, Markovic and Van Buskirk Produce Double-Digit Kills in Win

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – The No. 14 University of Pittsburgh volleyball team improved to 4-0 on the season following a 3-1 victory over Oklahoma (3-1) in its opening match of the Seton Hall Classic Friday afternoon in Walsh Gymnasium.

Despite dropping the opening set to the Sooners 25-16, the Panthers found a way to win finishing on top in the final three frames 25-19, 25-21 and 25-22 to earn the victory.

"A lot of credit to Oklahoma for pushing us to our limits," said head coach Dan Fisher. "In general, we made a few too many attacking errors and didn't hit with great range. We need to do a better job offensively the remainder of the tournament. After the first set, we found our groove and became the better defensive team in the back row.

"Despite the start, we had a real team win," said Fisher. "We had a lot of players going on and off the court and found a way to win against a great opponent. I was happy with the victory and look forward to playing a new more tomorrow."

A full team effort on offense, three Panthers concluded the match with double-digit kills including junior Nika Markovic (17), sophomore Kayla Lund (15) and junior Layne Van Buskirk (11). Both Lund and Markovic finished with 13 digs apiece to complete double-doubles, marking Lund's third of the season.

In the assist column, senior Kamalani Akeo and redshirt junior Kylee Levers each finished with 25, while redshirt senior Angela Seman led Pitt on defense with 15 digs. Van Buskirk guided the Panthers at the net with four blocks.

Set One: Oklahoma 25, No. 14 Pitt 16

Pitt struggled from the start in the opening set, trailing by as many as five points early on, forcing the Panthers to call a timeout. Despite the pause in action, Oklahoma returned to the court and remained consistent, never surrendering the lead. Pitt battled to pull back within two points multiple times, but could never force a tie. Late in the set, the Sooners led by as many as eight guiding the Panthers' opponents to a 25-16 win.

Set Two: No. 14 Pitt 25, Oklahoma 19

Pitt found its groove in the second set, getting out to a quick 6-2 lead behind three straight kills by Levers, Van Buskirk and Lund. Over the next seven points, the Panthers took six, running up the score to lead 14-7. Oklahoma answered with six straight points to cut its deficit to 14-13, but the Sooners committed an attack error, which swung the momentum of the set back in Pitt's favor. Sophomore Chinaza Ndee and Lund followed up with kills to continue the shift, which eventually led to a 25-19 set victory to tie the match at one apiece.

Set Three: No. 14 Pitt 25, Oklahoma 21

Despite trailing for most of the set, the Panthers never gave up and battled back to win 25-21. Pitt was down by four points late the set, but completed three straight plays including a kill by Van Buskirk, ace by senior serving sub Hanna Markewycz and a block by freshman Sabrina Starks and Lund to pull within one, 16-15.

The comeback forced an Oklahoma timeout, but the stoppage in play didn't derail the Panthers' focus as Pitt tied the set and eventually found an 18-17 lead on back-to-back kills by Lund. The Panthers allowed the Sooners to knot the score 19-19, but Pitt found the hardwood twice in a row to regain a 21-19 lead. The Panthers capped the set with four straight points to end it.

Set Four: No. 14 Pitt 25, Oklahoma 22

In a set that saw 17 ties and eight lead changes, Pitt found a way to come out on top, 25-22, to complete the victory. The two teams exchanged back and forth points throughout the set, with either team's largest lead only reaching two.

With the score tied at 17 all, back-to-back points by the Sooners gave the opposing team a 20-18 lead, forcing Fisher to use his final timeout of the set. Out of the break, the Panthers tied the set once again for the 16^th time thanks to a Zoi Faki kill and an Oklahoma error. The Sooners called the first of two timeouts as Pitt tied it, with the second coming after two straight kills by Van Buskirk. Van Buskirk extended that into four-straight kills to close out the set for the Panthers.

UP NEXT
Pitt will close out play at the Seton Hall Classic, Saturday, Sept. 1 as they take on the host Pirates at 10 a.m. and VCU at 4 p.m.

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