Volleyball: Errors highlight Panthers loss

The Panthers needed just one more point, and they had three chances to score.

Pitt, leading… The Panthers needed just one more point, and they had three chances to score.

Pitt, leading the match 2-1, had the Ohio University Bobcats (5-5) on the ropes with a 24-20 lead in the fourth set. Then Ohio pulled off the unlikely as they earned six consecutive points to bring the match to a 2-2 tie. Eventually, they would take home the win after a 21-19 victory in the fifth and final set at the Fitzgerald Field House Tuesday night.

Sophomore setter and defensive specialist Maria Nicholas might have summed it up best.

“We let them back in the game and they took over from there,” she said.

Errors dogged the 8-3 Panthers throughout the close match. The Pitt team recorded 27 attacking errors and 17 serving errors, whereas the Bobcats committed 24 and eight, respectively.

Early in the match, the Panthers had the momentum. They won the first set 26-24 as sophomore Monica Wignot led the team with eight kills. The squad put together three serving aces to earn the initial win. Head coach Toby Rens has been pleased with Wignot’s play recently.

“Monica has been a huge offensive contributor for the team,” Rens said. “As a sophomore, she has shown leadership in the way she plays.”

Though the final score indicated a close contest, the Panthers were able to hold the lead for the entire first set.

“We were very aggressive early on in the match,” Nicholas said. “The set got close, but we never lost our focus or let Ohio take control.”

The second set was just as contested as the first, but this time the back-and-forth play ended in the Bobcats’ favor as they evened the series with a 25-23 win.

As junior middle blocker Jasmine Dittrich sees it, the second set loss came as a result of the Panthers losing their momentum.

“Ohio did not really show us anything that we couldn’t handle,” Dittrich, who finished with eight kills and five blocks, said. “We had the momentum from the first set, but we did not capitalize on it and carry it over. It was definitely a case of us beating ourselves.” Consistent with Dittrich’s assessment, the Panthers committed eight errors in the second set, including two attack errors in the closing points.

In the third set of the match, the Panthers regained their poise in a 25-20 victory, the most lopsided result in the highly competitive series.

The Panthers seemed to be on their way to the overall victory, but the late fourth-set rally by the Bobcats stunned the Panthers, and they were unable to recover.

“Anytime you let an opponent come back and beat you, especially on your court, it takes an emotional toll,” Nicholas said.

During the fifth set, the Bobcats jumped out to an early 9-5 lead, still feeling the momentum from their previous come-from-behind win.

“I think that the finish of the fourth set was still fresh in our minds once the fifth set began,” Dittrich said. “We let the negative emotions linger, and by the time we let go, it was too late.”

The Panthers still managed to make the final set close and even held a late 19-18 lead before a Bobcat kill, ace and a Panther attacking error gave the ultimate victory to Ohio.

Despite the loss, the Panthers had strong performances from several individual players.

Senior middle hitter Kiesha Leggs led all players with her 22 kills. She also maintained the match’s highest hitting percentage of .559.

On the defensive side, junior libero Margy Acton tallied a match-high 25 digs. Acton has been the overall match leader in digs in the past four contests.

“Margy’s defensive play has been outstanding lately,” Rens said. “When her passing is on-target as it has been, it allows our offense to be more effective.”

Although a tough 3-2 loss can be discouraging, Dittrich is hoping to use the defeat as a lesson in the importance of closing out matches.

“Volleyball is not like football or basketball where you can stall and run out the clock,” Dittrich said. “You have to play out every point and work your way to 25 without letting up, and we know that now. We need to be ready for an entire match.”

The Panthers will get their next chance on Friday at 1 p.m. at the Fitzgerald Field House, when they take on Temple in the first match of the Blue and Gold Tournament.