Volleyball: Panthers open conference play with mixed results

Senior outside hitter Alexa Campbell tallied a match-high 14 kills in a loss to Seton Hall on…

Alexa Campbell (14) and Monica Wignot (24) had strong performances over the weekend, helping Pitt split its matches.

Bobby Mizia, Senior Staff Photographer

Senior outside hitter Alexa Campbell tallied a match-high 14 kills in a loss to Seton Hall on Sunday, but her 21 kills the next day sparked Pitt’s victory over Rutgers.

Pitt volleyball head coach Toby Rens lauded Campbell’s performance.

“Alexa has been one of our most consistent players all season,” Rens said. “She has brought her play to another level, and I have been impressed with her play in every aspect of the game.”

To Campbell, her performance was the result of hard work in practice and a desire to help her team win.

“I am extremely happy with my career-high 21 kills,” she said. “I always try to contribute as much as I can to the offense, and I am glad that I was able to do that this weekend.”

Campbell led all players in kills in both Big East matches as the Panthers emerged 1-1 from the opening weekend of conference play.

Seton Hall 3, Pitt 1

In their first conference match of the season, the Panthers (10-6, 1-1 Big East) fell to the Seton Hall Pirates (12-1, 1-0 Big East) in four sets, with scores of 25-15, 25-18, 25-19 and 25-20.

After dropping the first set, the Panthers battled back, never relinquishing the lead in the second set. A large part of their success came from the 18 kills they registered while defensively holding the Pirates to 10 kills.

But even after Pitt evened the score, the momentum in the remaining two sets went in the way of the Pirates. They led the fourth set from the 13-12 point. The fourth set saw seven ties and five lead changes, but Seton Hall used a late 6-3 run to secure the match victory.

A lack of offensive balance contributed to the loss.

“We did not keep our middle hitters involved in the offense, and that enabled Seton Hall to be prepared for our attack,” Rens said. “We needed to do a better job of set distribution.”

Seton Hall setter Shelbey Manthorpe led her team’s winning effort, recording a triple-double with 12 kills, 34 assists and 16 digs.

Campbell and sophomore outside hitter Jessica Wynn each had 14 kills in the match. Defensively, senior libero Margy Acton recorded a match-high 22 digs, while sophomore setter Lindsey Zitzke contributed 10 digs and 23 assists in her sixth double-double performance of the season.

Pitt 3, Rutgers 2

The Panthers rebounded from their loss on Saturday and earned a hard-fought five-set victory over Rutgers (14-3, 0-2 Big East).

The match had set scores of 33-31, 25-17, 25-23, 25-17 and 15-11.

During the first set, neither team held a lead of more than four points. At the 31-31 mark, the Panthers used a Scarlet Knights error and a kill by junior Maria Nicholas to take the set.

Pitt led from the 1-1 point in the second set en route to a 25-17 victory. Wynn led the team with four kills in the set.

In the third and fourth sets, the Scarlet Knights managed to out-perform the Panthers on offense, recording more digs in both sets. The Panthers managed to keep both sets close, coming within one at the 20-21 mark in the third set and within four at the 17-21 point in the fourth, but the Scarlet Knights finished both sets on runs.

The Panthers secured an early 8-3 lead in the deciding set and held on to win the match.

“We fought hard for this win, and I was particularly pleased with our mental focus, especially in the long opening set,” Rens said. “We were able to maintain the momentum from that first set and carried all the way through to the end of the fifth set.”

Campbell led all players with her 21 kills and 12 digs — a double-double performance. Wynn and junior outside hitter Monica Wignot also finished with double-digit kills, recording 14 and 16, respectively.

“We did a better job of keeping everyone involved in the offense,” Campbell said. “That is something that we were able to change from the Seton Hall loss.”

Acton led the way defensively for the Panthers, once again, with her 26 digs.

“We were able to have solid defense throughout the match,” Acton said. “Against Seton Hall, we were stuck in a few rotations, but we moved and responded to the ball much better in the Rutgers match.”

The Panthers will return to action on Friday, Sept. 28, as they host Big East opponent Cincinnati at the Fitzgerald Field House.