Volleyball: Panthers look to bounce back

After falling to two of the top teams in the Big East, the Pitt women’s volleyball team will… After falling to two of the top teams in the Big East, the Pitt women’s volleyball team will look to rebound with wins against conference opponents St. John’s and Connecticut this weekend.

Marquette and Syracuse handed Pitt two consecutive 3-0 losses, but the Panthers (14-12, 4-7 Big East) are using those defeats as learning experiences for their next two matches.

After losing to the fast-paced Marquette and Syracuse squads, the Panthers realized that they will need to focus on controlling the pace of the match when they take the court against St. John’s on Friday and Connecticut on Sunday.

“I felt like we let the opponent dictate the speed of play,” sophomore outside hitter Monica Wignot said after the recent losses. “Moving forward, we need to take on that role and be the team in control.”

Freshman setter Lindsey Zitzke said the Panthers can play at a faster pace if “the defense [gets] passes on target so the hitters can be quick.”

The Panthers will face a St. John’s (10-17, 1-9) team that currently ranks in the bottom five in the conference for digs, kills, assists and opponent hitting percentage.

In order to take advantage of that struggling defense, the Panthers will look to middle blocker Kiesha Leggs for continued offensive production.

After being named Big East Player of the Week, Leggs led the Panthers last weekend with 23 kills in two matches. Leggs is also accurate, as she is third in the conference in kill percentage.

Additionally, Leggs contributed to the team’s blocking efforts and currently leads the Panthers with 93 rejections this season.

“Kiesha is such an asset to the team, both in terms of her offensive production and her on-court presence,” Rens said. “The energy level she brings is evident and that only helps inspire our other hitters.”

While the Red Storm does not have the record to show it, Panther head coach Toby Rens believes that St. John’s has the ability to compete at a high level.

“St. John’s may not have many wins, but many of their losses have been decided by only a few points,” Rens said. “They are certainly a capable team that will present a challenge for us, as does any team in the Big East.”

In the second half of their road trip, the Panthers will travel to Connecticut to take on the Huskies (13-12, 3-7) in another conference match-up.

Despite having a losing record in the conference, the Huskies won their most recent Big East matches with a 3-2 victory over Notre Dame and a 3-1 win against DePaul.

Young players lead the Huskies, as freshman outside hitter Devon Maugle paced Connecticut in kills in the team’s most recent matches.

The Panthers’ defense needs to be on target to face that offensive attack.

Junior libero Margy Acton and Zitzke have been two key contributors to that defensive effort this season. Both players earned double-digit dig totals this past weekend.

According to Zitzke, a good defense is necessary to run the offense efficiently.

“Everything starts with a good pass,” Zitzke said. “If the defense is sound, then the offense has options and the whole game plan works more effectively.”

Rens agreed with his setter and noted that defense will be a major focus at practice this week in preparation for both St. John’s and Connecticut.

“We have been great at times defensively, but consistency is necessary in that part of our game,” Rens said. “If we can work on that defensive consistency, it will be a major asset to our offense as well in the upcoming matches.”

Looking forward to facing St. John’s and Connecticut, Wignot emphasized the importance of consistency in all aspects of the game.

“We have shown glimpses of great defensive and offensive capability,” Wignot said. “Our major focus in preparing for St. John’s and Connecticut will be putting those pieces together to come away with two big wins.”