Volleyball: Pitt looks to recover from two straight losses

The Pitt volleyball team struggled in its last two matches, ultimately losing both, but the… The Pitt volleyball team struggled in its last two matches, ultimately losing both, but the Panthers have used those games to pinpoint their strengths and weaknesses as they head into matchups with two of the Big East’s best teams.   For senior middle hitter Lauren Hartman, the team’s biggest necessity is a reduction in errors on the Panthers’ own side of the court.

“We need to focus on our own game and work to minimize our mistakes, whether serving or kill errors,” Hartman said. “We have been beating ourselves at times, and we cannot do that against the best teams in the Big East.”

After falling 3-0 to Robert Morris and 3-2 to West Virginia, the Panthers (13-9, 3-4 Big East) will travel to play Cincinnati (13-8, 5-2) and Louisville (15-4, 7-0), who are currently third and first in the conference, respectively.

“Cincinnati and Louisville are both solid teams that are playing great volleyball right now,” Pitt head coach Toby Rens said. “We will have to be at the top of our game to get these two wins.”

Against Robert Morris, the Panthers committed 28 kill errors and ended the match with a hitting clip of just .044. That figure improved to .128 against West Virginia, but the Panthers totaled 12 service errors in the match compared to the Mountaineers’ seven.

“A big aspect of eliminating those mistakes will be starting strong in our matches, working to win the first few points and building our confidence,” Hartman said.

Rens said he believes the Panthers have been inconsistent, something that he attributes in part to a lack of experience.

“At times against West Virginia, we were playing high-level volleyball, and at other times we were committing mental errors,” Rens said. “We have a young team that is still looking to find consistency, and that will be our focus for the remainder of the season.”

The Panther roster includes just two seniors, allowing extensive court time for many freshmen and sophomores, including starters sophomore Monica Wignot and freshman Lindsey Zitzke.

With five double-double performances, outside hitter Wignot has been an all-around contributor for the Panthers. Most recently, she recorded 16 kills and 20 digs against West Virginia.

As the starting setter, Zitzke has the task of running the Panther offense. She’s been named the Big East Freshman of the Week twice this season.

Despite being placed in a high-pressure position as a freshman, Zitzke feels comfortable in her role on the court.

“Being the setter, I know I have to be consistent and work to make our offense run efficiently,” Zitzke said of her responsibilities on the team. “Keeping up communication on the court can help, and it gets everyone involved.”

Rens agreed and noted that these two young players are bright spots in Pitt’s future.

“Monica and Lindsey are really stepping up for us this year,” Rens said. “Hopefully they will only continue to improve throughout the season and in coming seasons.”

The Panthers will need to minimize errors and attain consistency this weekend when they take on some of the best players in the conference.

Louisville’s junior outside hitter Lola Arslanbekova was recently honored as the Big East Player of the Week for the third consecutive week thanks to her role in leading the Cardinals to two wins.

Arslanbekova averaged 20 kills in those two matches, and she currently leads the league with 326 total kills.

Cincinnati looks to junior middle blocker Jordanne Scott for its offensive production while sophomore Emily Macintyre paces the defense from the libero position.

For Rens, both teams will present unique challenges for the Panthers.

“Cincinnati and Louisville are both physical teams, but Cincinnati tends to alternate their attack while Louisville runs a quicker style of offense,” Rens said. “From our side, though, preparation will be similar this week as we focus on our game rather than their game.”