Volleyball: Panthers to face tough competition this weekend

This weekend the Pitt volleyball team will compete in its fourth tournament of the season, but… This weekend the Pitt volleyball team will compete in its fourth tournament of the season, but it will also be seeking its second match victory.

After defeating Tulane 3-0 in the final match of the Pitt Invitational, the Panthers improved their record to 1-6.

The next step in preparation for the beginning of Big East Conference play will be the Ohio University Invitational, which begins today when the Panthers take on the host school in the first match.

Ohio (5-2), a member of the Mid-American Conference, is a volleyball team with an impressive history. With seven consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament and six conference titles in those seven years, the Bobcats will prove to be a challenge for the Panthers, a team still struggling to develop a sense of identity.

The Pitt team saw the departure of three key seniors last year, and as a result head coach Toby Rens has been manipulating the lineup, searching for a winning combination of talent on the court.

Despite the work in progress, members of the sophomore class have emerged as candidates for leadership roles.

In the victory over Tulane, outside hitter Alexa Campbell had a career night, recording nine kills and six digs, and fellow sophomore Jenn Katona added ten kills and four blocks from the middle hitter position.

After facing the Bobcats, the Panthers will turn their attention to the Wildcats of Northwestern University.

Northwestern outside hitter Sabel Moffett will be an offensive threat to the Panthers, as she has been for nearly every one of the Wildcats’ opponents.

Moffett, a senior, has earned six straight All-Tournament honors, and in her last match she tallied a season-high 19 kills and recorded eight blocks.

To combat this offensive attack, the Panthers will need to rely on their defense, an aspect of the game that Rens believes can be one of Pitt’s strengths.

The Panther defense is led by senior liberos Brittany Fallis, Tara Rohall and Melanie Feldman. Feldman and Fallis saw significant playing time last season, and their experience will give them an advantage against strong hitters such as Moffett.

Pitt will close out the weekend tournament with a match against No. 14 Tennessee. Pitt has already faced a nationally ranked opponent when it fell to No. 21-ranked Dayton in the first tournament of the year.

The Tennessee Volunteers (6-0) have defeated all of their opponents in three straight sets and have won their previous two tournaments.

Like Ohio, Tennessee has the experience of NCAA Tournament appearances, as it advanced to the second round in last year’s playoffs. Like Northwestern, the team also has a senior phenom in Nikki Fowler, an outside hitter.

Fowler came away from Tennessee’s last tournament with 39 kills overall and an MVP award, and she will come to Ohio looking for more against the Panthers.

In the Ohio Tournament, Pitt will face teams with both talent and experience. These opponents, while presenting a challenge to the Panthers, can also allow the Pitt team to discover its weaknesses as they hope to improve for the Pitt Blue and Gold Tournament, which starts next Thursday.