Volleyball: Panthers fall in backyard brawl

For the second year in a row, the WVU Coliseum became a site of heartbreak for the Pitt… For the second year in a row, the WVU Coliseum became a site of heartbreak for the Pitt volleyball team.

In the 2010 season, the Panthers fell to the Mountaineers 3-2 in a hard-fought match, and on Saturday evening, nearly the same scene played out. The Pitt team lost to WVU after five competitive sets.

“The Big East is a tough league, and there are no easy matches on the schedule,” head coach Toby Rens said. “We know that West Virginia will always present us with a challenge.”

For WVU head coach Jill Kramer, the WVU-Pitt matchup is always full of emotion, which can have an impact on the players’ performances.

“In a rivalry match like this one, it is a high-stress environment,” Kramer said after the match. “Sometimes you make some errors you wouldn’t normally make. But we fought through together, and that’s how we got the win.”

In this year’s edition of the volleyball Backyard Brawl, the Panthers (13-9, 3-4 Big East) came out strong in the opener and earned the 25-19 victory. According to senior middle hitter Lauren Hartman, starting the match strong is something the Panthers stress each week in practice.

“Coming out early and winning the first few points is essential,” Hartman said. “When we are able to do that, it sets the tone and keeps us focused for the rest of the set.”

In the next two sets, however, the Mountaineers (5-13, 3-4 Big East) were able to gain control of the match with 25-23 and 25-21 wins. Pitt rebounded in the fourth set after taking advantage of an early 8-0 lead en route to a 25-21 final score.

The fifth set summed up the frequent changes in momentum that took place throughout the match, which saw 31 ties and 10 lead changes.

“The entire match was a game of back and forth,” Hartman said. “The fifth set showed the battle that both teams went through.”

At the half-way point, the Mountaineers led 8-5, but the Panthers put together a 7-4 run to tie the score at 12.

Then the Mountaineers put together their own run, scoring three consecutive points for the 15-12 win and the overall match victory.

“I have to give West Virginia credit for their poise in the final set,” Rens said. “They were able to push through and get the key points when we were not able to do so.”

Despite the loss, Rens was pleased with the defensive efforts of his team, which tallied 88 total digs. Pitt also out-blocked WVU 17-8 thanks to senior middle blocker Kiesha Leggs, who earned a season-high 8 blocks.

“Even in defeat, I could see that our passing and especially our blocking were strengths,” Rens said. “The solid defense gives us a foundation to build up our offense.”

That offense was led by sophomore outside hitter Monica Wignot, who finished the match with 16 kills and 20 digs in her fifth double-double of the season.

Wignot’s all-around play has been consistent in the Panthers’ 2011 season.

“Monica is a six-rotation starter who has an immense presence on the court and at the net,” Rens said. “Her totals against West Virginia show that, and she had a great match despite a loss.”

Freshman setter Lindsey Zitzke also recorded a double-double performance as she distributed 41 assists and contributed a team-high 23 digs.

For Hartman, the difference in the match was not a result of what the teams did well, but where they erred.

“In close, five-set matches, it usually comes down to who makes the fewest errors,” Hartman said. “We had mental and physical lapses that allowed West Virginia to close out the match with a win.”

The Panthers committed 12 serving errors while totaling 31 errors on attempted kills. The Mountaineers had 35 errors on kills, but limited their serving errors to seven.

“As we go forward, minimizing our own mistakes when the pressure is on will be a main focus for sure,” Hartman added.

After a week of practice and preparation, the Panthers will look to improve to a winning Big East record this weekend as they travel to face conference opponents Louisville and Cincinnati on Saturday and Sunday.