Volleyball: Panthers end season with two losses

he Pitt volleyball season came to an end as the Panthers dropped two contests in the Aztec… he Pitt volleyball season came to an end as the Panthers dropped two contests in the Aztec Turkey Time Tournament held at San Diego State this past weekend.

The weekend capped a series of losses for Pitt: After falling to Louisville 3-1 in the first round of the Big East tournament, the Panthers traveled to California over Thanksgiving Break to face teams from the Mountain West Conference in their final competition of the 2011 season.

Inconsistent performance dogged the Panthers in both losses, as their opponents capitalized on early leads in most sets to keep the matches out of reach. Pitt head coach Toby Rens acknowledged that the problems Pitt faced against Texas Christian University and San Diego State have troubled the team repeatedly.

“A lack of consistency has been a problem for us this year,” Rens said. “Once the opponent builds a large lead, it is difficult for us to come back.”

TCU (25-7) defeated the Panthers (18-15) 3-1 with scores of 25-23, 20-25, 25-12 and 25-18 Friday night, in the first of Pitt’s two guaranteed matches.

The first two sets included competitive moments between the teams, resulting in 18 tied scores and 10 lead changes. In contrast, the final two sets saw just one tie and one lead change, both occurring in the fourth set.

In the opening set, the score was knotted as late as 22-22, but the Frogs used two kills and a Panther error to close out the victory with a 3-1 run.

The Panthers managed to reverse roles with the Frogs in the second set — they controlled the game from a 15-15 tie and put together a 10-5 run to tie the match at one set per team.

However, the Frogs jumped out to early leads in the remaining two sets, and the Panthers were unable to recover as TCU secured the match victory.

Offensively, Stephanie Holland and Yvonne Igodan of TCU led all players with 14 kills each while Pitt senior middle hitter Kiesha Leggs paced the Panthers with 13.

The Panthers were out-hit 56-42 but had three players finish with double-digit dig figures.

Freshman Cassandra Congemi earned 17 digs, while fellow freshman Jessica Wynn and junior Alexa Campbell finished with 11 and 10, respectively.

In their second match of the tournament, the Panthers faced host San Diego State and once again fell in a 3-1 decision with set scores of 25-20, 19-25, 27-25 and 25-22.

San Diego State (18-10) also competes in the MWC and earned its highest win total in 2011 since its 18-14 campaign in 2003.

The Aztecs raced to a 16-6 lead in the opening frame before the Panthers battled back to within three at the 20-23 mark. Nevertheless, the Aztecs earned the final two points with a kill and a block.

In the second set, the Panthers came away with the set win, thanks to a .391 hitting clip and defensive efforts that held the Aztecs to a .179 kill percentage.

During the contest, Leggs led the Panthers once again, contributing 17 kills and eight blocks to the team’s efforts.

Leggs, the Panthers’ only All-Big East selection finished the season with 117 total blocks, giving her the sixth spot on Pitt’s single-season blocking list.

For Leggs, such accolades are the culmination of her overall efforts to help her team in any way possible.

“I try not to pay too much attention to records and statistics,” Leggs said. “I just try to go out on the court and play with an aggressive style that hopefully results in a team victory.”

Rens has been impressed with his senior captain’s performance this season and is not surprised that her play has resulted in recognition.

“Kiesha has been such an offensive asset this year and her work ethic has been inspiring to the rest of the team,” Rens said. “She is truly deserving of all the honors she receives.”

Despite Leggs’ match-high performances, the Aztecs managed to win the final two sets and the overall match.

While the Panthers ended their 2011 season with three consecutive losses, Rens believes his team has gained a lot of experience that will help its players in the future.

With only two seniors on this year’s roster, many freshmen and sophomores saw significant amounts of playing time early in their collegiate careers.

“We were the youngest team in the Big East tournament this year,” Rens said. “At one point we had five freshmen and one upperclassman on the court. Going forward, we will be able to draw upon this experience of high-level competition that many young players do not have.”

Freshman outside hitter Wynn — who earned two double-doubles in kills and digs in her final three matches — agreed with her coach and has high expectations for next season.

“Every match helps us learn what we need to do to become better,” Wynn said. “As young players we got a taste of intense competition, and when we come back next year, we will only be hungrier and more prepared to face it.”