Volleyball: Pitt wins two, loses one at Invitational

No. 2 Penn State dominated in nearly every statistical category as the Pitt volleyball team fell… No. 2 Penn State dominated in nearly every statistical category as the Pitt volleyball team fell to the four-time defending national champions on Friday night in front of 2,000 spectators in the Fitzgerald Field House.

With few empty seats remaining in the building, the atmosphere seemed more like a Big East basketball game than a preseason volleyball match, but the Panthers were unable to pull off the upset and fell in three straight sets — 25-13, 25-12 and 25-18.

Despite the loss, the Panthers finished the University of Pittsburgh Invitational with a winning record of 2-1 — with victories over New Hampshire and Miami (Ohio) — bringing them to 6-1 for the year.

The Nittany Lions finished with more kills, blocks and digs than the Panthers on Friday. Sophomore middle hitter Ariel Scott led all players with 12 kills while fellow sophomore and outside hitter Deja McClendon contributed 10 with a .625 kill percentage.

Still, the Panthers appreciated the atmosphere that the nationally ranked Nittany Lions helped bring to Pittsburgh.

“It is definitely exciting to welcome one of the best teams in the country and see the fan support that it draws,” senior middle hitter Keisha Leggs said before the match. “You hear so much about a team and their rankings, but it comes down to the play on the court.”

Sophomore outside hitter Monica Wignot agreed, noting that the Pitt team welcomed the challenge of facing a nationally recognized opponent.

“We always say we take things one game at a time, but when a team like Penn State comes to play us on our court, it definitely is a match that we anticipate and look forward to playing,” Wignot said.

The Nittany Lions improved their record to 2-1. Penn State opened its season with a loss to then-unranked Oregon before bouncing back against then-No. 2 USC. Currently, the Nittany Lions are ranked No. 2 in the country behind 6-0 California.

Leggs led the Panther offense with her 10 kills while junior Margy Acton set the tone on defense with nine digs.

Pitt did not manage to gain a lead until the third set when they jumped out to a 6-2 advantage, which lasted until an 8-3 Penn State run put the Nittany Lions ahead for the remainder of the set and secured the match victory.

“Overall, the weekend was a success,” head coach Toby Rens said. “Of course, we would have liked to go 3-0, but with so much hype surrounding the Penn State match, I was glad we were able to focus on the other matches as well and come away with wins.”

The Panthers defeated New Hampshire 3-1 earlier on Friday and then swept Miami (OH) 3-0 on Saturday afternoon.

Against New Hampshire, sophomore Monica Wignot and junior Jasmine Dittrich joined Leggs with double-digit kills while freshman setter Lindsey Zitzke dished out 34 sets and contributed nine digs on defense.

The Panthers won the first set against New Hampshire 25-15, but fell in a close second set with a score of 25-23. Pitt rebounded to take the final two sets 25-17 and 25-11.

“New Hampshire was able to put us on our heels in the second set and won some big points,” Rens said. “Still, I was pleased with our ability to communicate during the break and come back out to win the match.”

Wignot echoed the sentiments of her coach and recognized the progress that the Panthers have made in the early part of the season.

“Winning tough matches is a huge confidence builder, especially for the younger players,” Wignot said. “These experiences help the team grow together.”

The win against New Hampshire was followed by the loss to the Nittany Lions. Pitt recovered from the loss to defeat Miami (Ohio), which Leggs said showcased the team’s mental focus.

“Losing hurts, but you cannot afford to bring it into the next match,” Leggs said. “We could look back to the Penn State match and missed opportunities, or we could move on mentally and take care of Miami (Ohio).”

The Panthers did recover in their final match of the Invitational as they defeated the Redhawks 25-22, 25-22 and 25-18, and had two players, Dittrich and Zitzke, named to the All-Tournament team.

Dittrich, a middle blocker, finished with 20 kills and eight blocks on the weekend and led the Panthers with a .312 hitting percentage. Zitzke turned in an impressive all-around performance, recording 88 assists, 22 digs, five aces and five blocks in the tournament.

“I was very impressed with the play of Jasmine and Lindsey throughout the tournament,” Rens said. “Jasmine was extremely consistent and as a captain, was a great leader for us. As a freshman, Lindsey has been very successful at running our offense.”

The Panthers will leave Pittsburgh for the first time next weekend as they travel to compete in the University of Central Florida Tournament.