Volleyball: Panthers stretch winning streak to seven games

The Pitt volleyball team made defense a focus prior to this season, and so far, thanks in large…

Led by senior Margy Acton (12), the Pitt volleyball team is 8-2 this season.

Ryan Samson, For The Pitt News

The Pitt volleyball team made defense a focus prior to this season, and so far, thanks in large part to senior libero Margy Acton, it has followed through with that aim.

Acton, who led the team in digs in all three matches last weekend as Pitt (8-2) went undefeated at the Allstate Sugar Bowl Collegiate Classic in New Orleans, recorded her 1,000th career dig in Friday’s contest against Sam Houston State.

She is the 10th player in school history to achieve that milestone.

Pitt head coach Toby Rens acknowledged her accomplishment as a culmination of hard work and dedication.

“I don’t think anyone works as hard as Margy does,” Rens said. “She continues to impress me with her defense, and I think she took it to another level this weekend.”

After three impressive victories against Sam Houston State, Tulane and Mississippi State, the Panthers currently hold a seven-game winning streak.

Pitt 3, Sam Houston State 1

In the first match of the tournament, the Panthers defeated the Bearkats with set scores of 25-13, 25-20, 18-25 and 25-21.

Pitt controlled the first set of the match, leading the entire time, and sophomore outside hitter Jessica Wynn posted seven of her season-high 18 kills in the first set.

Defensively, Acton led the way with a match-high 29 digs, and sophomore Kate Yeazel tallied four of the team’s 20 total blocks.

“Blocking is an aspect of our game that we will focus on in the future,” Rens said. “We know that it can be one of our strengths if we continue to work on it.”

The Panthers dictated play in the second set as well, building a 20-12 advantage before the Bearkats orchestrated a run to bring the score to 23-19. But two kills by Yeazel and senior Alexa Campbell sealed the set victory.

After losing the match’s third set, the Panthers regained their momentum and led the entire fourth set en route to a 25-21 victory to clinch the match.

For setter and tournament MVP Lindsey Zitzke, the efforts of both the offense and defense allowed the team to be successful.

“We had a great team effort today,” Zitzke said. “The defense had good passes to me, so we could run the offense efficiently. That combination helped us get the win.”

Pitt 3, Tulane 1

The Panthers dropped the first set to the Green Wave 25-19, but they rallied to secure their second victory of the tournament with set scores of 25-19, 25-18 and 25-19.

Campbell and freshman Jessica Boddy reached career highs by contributing 15 and 12 kills, respectively, to the Panther offense. Boddy’s 12 kills represented her first career double-digit performance.

“I was just happy to be able to help the team win,” Boddy said of her efforts. “It feels good to know that I can contribute to the offense.”

Pitt trailed early in the first set, 9-2, and was unable to battle back as the Green Wave jumped out to a 1-0 match lead.

The opposite occurred in the second set as the Panthers began with a 7-2 lead and held on for the victory, evening the match with Tulane at one set apiece. In the second set, Campbell recorded a team-best of six kills.

The Panthers held the lead for the majority of the third and fourth sets as they dominated play at the net.

Pitt finished the contest with a .294 hitting percentage, whereas Tulane managed only a figure of .173. The Panthers also recorded 67 digs, including 19 from Acton.

Pitt 3, Mississippi State 1

In the final match of the tournament, the Panthers once again defeated their opponent in four sets — 25-23, 25-21, 18-25, 25-19 — to take home the championship.

The Panthers and the Bulldogs battled to an 8-8 tie in the first set, but the Panthers put together an 8-4 run and eventually closed the set with a kill by Boddy.

The Bulldogs took the early lead in the second set, but the Panthers utilized junior outside hitter Monica Wignot to come back for a 25-21 set victory. Wignot led the team with 14 kills, including four in the second set.

Panther mistakes in the third set, including four attack and two service errors, helped the Bulldogs.

In the fourth set, Pitt was able to keep the lead from the 18-point mark on, and with the win over the Bulldogs, the Panthers earned the overall tournament championship.

For Rens, the weekend was a success and allowed him to see the depth of his team.

“I was really pleased on how we executed our game plan throughout the weekend,” he said. “I was equally as pleased with some of the adjustments we made during the matches and how we had multiple players contribute.”

The Panthers will return to action next weekend at the Ball State Tournament in Muncie, Ind., facing Ball State, Wyoming and Wright State.