Panthers Remain Undefeated with 3-1 Win Over Dayton

Friday, September 7

Pittsburgh, Pa.

7 PM EST

Pitt

8-0

Dayton

5-4

Dayton

Pitt

Photo by: Matt Hawley/Pitt Athletics

Panthers Remain Undefeated with 3-1 Win Over Dayton

9/7/2018 10:35:00 PM | Volleyball

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No. 13 Pitt Earns Best Start to Season Since 2006

PITTSBURGH – The No. 13 University of Pittsburgh volleyball team is off to its best start since 2006, following a 3-1 victory over Dayton in game two of the Panther Invitational Friday evening at the Fitzgerald Field House.

Pitt, who is now 8-0 on the season, hasn't opened with this many wins in a row, matching the 2006 squad. The Panthers will look to continue its steak Saturday as it takes on No. 12 Washington in a battle of nationally ranked teams.

Dayton moved to 5-4 on the season after falling to Pitt, despite earning an opening set win 25-20. The Flyers were unable to hold off the Panthers, who bounced back to win three straight sets: 28-26, 25-14, 25-7.

Pitt played well on both sides of the ball this evening, thanks to a balanced offensive performance as well as solid back row defense. The Panthers hit .356 in the match with four players earning double-digit kills, while Dayton hit just .214, consistently dropping each set. On defense, Pitt almost doubled the amount of digs the Flyers put up, tallying 56 to Dayton's 30.

Sophomore Kayla Lund (18), who has now hit for double-digits in every game this season, led the Panthers' attack. Juniors Nika Markovic (13) and Layne Van Buskirk (10) joined her in the double-digit realm, as well as redshirt junior Stephanie Williams (10).

Turning in a solid performance was senior setter Kamalani Akeo, who finished the match with a season-high 39 assists and a season-best 12 digs for her first double-double of the season.

Akeo came in second in the back row to redshirt senior Angela Seman, who posted a season-high 18 digs. At the net, sophomore Chinaza Ndee led with three blocks.

Lund also led Pitt at the service line, tallying a career-high four aces, while Markovic added three for a total of seven.

Set One: Dayton 25, No 13. Pitt 20

In a tough opening set that saw the Panthers fall 25-20, Dayton set the pace early on. The Flyers out-killed Pitt 17-12 and hit .406 in the frame, while the Panthers posted a .206 attacking percentage.

Dayton got out to a quick start, utilizing a 6-2 run to put the Panthers behind by five forcing the squad to play catch-up. Trailing 12-7, Pitt called a timeout but was unable to gain any ground. The Flyers got out to their largest lead following a second break by the Panthers, but Pitt scored five of the next six points to pull back within two. The Panthers comeback attempt fell short as Dayton finished the set on a 6-3 run.

Set Two: No 13. Pitt 28 Dayton 26

Pitt came out on top in the second set, following a back-and-forth affair that sent the frame to extra points. The Panthers rallied in the final moments of the set to earn a 28-26 victory, despite the Flyers having set point three different times.

Thanks to kills from Markovic and Williams, the squad got out to a 12-9 lead, but hit a bump as Dayton outscored the team 7-3 to take a 16-15 lead. The change in lead forced the Panthers to call a timeout.

Pitt began its comeback late in the frame, chipping away a few points at a time. A kill by Lund and an attack error by the Flyers tied the set 22-22, but Dayton remained in control, earning set point 24-22. Pitt fought off the first attempt by the Flyers and once again tied the set 24-24, but Dayton pushed out front 25-24. The Panthers found the lead and the win after outscoring the Flyers 4-1 in the final points.

Set Three: No 13. Pitt 25, Dayton 14

Pitt took a 2-1 lead in the match after winning the third set 25-14 behind top-notch efforts offensively and from the service line. The Panthers tallied 14 kills on 25 attempts in the frame to hit .400, and aced five serves.

Leading by just a point, Pitt broke open the frame with 11 consecutive points led by Lund from the service line. The run, which gave the Panthers a 20-8 advantage, cost Dayton both timeouts and set the Flyers up for the loss as Pitt closed out the set easily for the win.

Set Four: No 13. Pitt 25, Dayton 7

The Panthers absolutely dominated Dayton in the final set, giving up just seven points to the Flyers. Pitt's defense held Dayton to just three kills on 29 attempts. The Flyers committed seven errors and finished the set with a negative attack percentage.

The Panthers finished the frame with 15 kills in the same amount of attacks to hit .448, the highest in the match. Lund posted eight kills alone in the set.

Trailing 13-6, Dayton called a timeout to try to slow the Pitt, but was unable to do so. The Panthers gave up just one more point to the Flyers, outscoring the opposing team 12-1 to end the match.

UP NEXT
No. 13 Pitt will close out the Panther Invitational Saturday, Sept. 8, as the Panthers face No. 12 Washington at 2 p.m. in the Fitzgerald Field House.

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