Volleyball: Panthers rally for crucial five-set victory at DePaul

With the score tied 13-13 in the fifth and final set, the Pitt volleyball team relied on its offense to secure the 3-2 victory over DePaul. Kills by Monica Wignot and Jessica Wynn gave the Panthers the final two points that sealed the match win.

According to head coach Toby Rens, the win was a result of the team’s outstanding play in key situations.

“We played the pressure points very well, especially in the close fifth set,” Rens said. “We established our offense, and I was pleased with the overall team effort.”

Wignot agreed and added that mental focus is important in close matches.

“We were able to keep our composure in the match, and we focused on being aggressive, which was important to come from behind to get the win,” she said.

Sunday’s contest at DePaul was a chance for the Panthers to defeat a Big East opponent and redeem their 3-1 loss to Notre Dame on the road Friday.

Pitt (14-12, 5-7 Big East) is currently in 10th place in the conference, and only the top eight teams earn a spot in the season-ending Big East tournament.

Notre Dame 3, Pitt 1

The Fighting Irish (16-6, 9-1 Big East) defeated Pitt in four sets with set scores of 25-23, 20-25, 25-11 and 25-14 Friday night.

In the opening set, the Panthers managed to gain a 10-9 advantage after a five-point run. The score was tied 12 times after that point, but three kills by Notre Dame at the 22-22 mark secured the first set win.

Despite the early setback, Pitt sophomore outside hitter Mechael Guess believed that her team played good volleyball in the first set.

“I thought we really came together in the first set as a team and that we carried that momentum over to the second set,” Guess said.

The Panthers jumped out to an early 7-5 lead in the second set and were able to extend the lead to its largest margin at 23-17. Pitt closed the set victory on one of middle blocker Jasmine Dittrich’s three blocks of the set.

Despite leveling the match score at one set apiece, the Panthers were unable to keep the momentum in the third set. Notre Dame developed a 16-9 lead and allowed only two more points as the Fighting Irish took the third set. For Rens, the third set loss was the result of inexperience and a lack of focus.

“We did not come out with the necessary intensity to play an experienced team like Notre Dame in the third set,” Rens said. “To its credit, Notre Dame did a good job of taking its play to another level.”

The final set of the match was as one-sided as the third, as the Fighting Irish led for the entire frame. The Panthers came within three points at 15-12, but Notre Dame closed the match with a 10-2 scoring run.

Offensively, Pitt had no players reach double-digit kills, Wynn and Wignot finishing the match with nine kills each.

Senior libero Margy Acton led the Panthers with 10 digs, while setter Jenna Jacobson added eight digs and led the team with 19 assists in the match.

Pitt 3, DePaul 2

The Panthers rebounded from the Notre Dame loss to earn a tightly contested match victory over DePaul (8-16, 3-8 Big East) by set scores of 25-17, 18-25, 25-7, 17-25 and 15-13.

Wignot led all players with 15 kills, and she tallied a career-high 11 blocks in the match. Two other Panthers reached double-digit kills, Guess and Wynn contributing 13 and 10, respectively. Acton once again paced the defense with 23 digs, and Lindsey Zitzke recorded 38 assists.

In the first set, the Panthers pieced together a 10-0 scoring run to obtain the 12-11 lead that they extended to 18-11. Pitt closed the opening set with a solo block by Wignot.

“Blocking is something that we have been working on for the past month,” Wignot said. “It came together today, and I was happy with our team blocking execution.”

After DePaul battled back to take the second set, Pitt dominated the third set. The team’s success came especially from the serving line, where it recorded seven service aces.

But once again, the Blue Demons tied the match after claiming the fourth set.

The final set of the match was a battle, as the Panthers found themselves at a 10-6 disadvantage. But Pitt mounted a comeback built on the offensive kills of Guess, Wignot and Wynn before sealing a 15-13 final set win.

“We did a very good job on both offense and defense,” Rens said after the match. “Monica controlled the net and played aggressively all around, while Mechael’s offense really opened up a lot of options.”

The Panthers will return to action at the Fitzgerald Field House on Saturday, Nov. 3, as they take on conference opponent University of South Florida at 2 p.m.