Volleyball: Panthers start season 2-1 after upsetting No. 18 Wichita State

The Pitt women’s volleyball team avoided the slow, disappointing start that plagued it last… The Pitt women’s volleyball team avoided the slow, disappointing start that plagued it last season by taking two of its first three games of the season. The Panthers competed at Sheraton Riverside Cardinal Classic hosted by the University of Louisville on Friday and Saturday.

One of the wins was a 3-0 upset victory over No. 18-ranked Wichita State, a team that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and was coming off a 29-0 regular season last year.

“It was great. I think we won a lot this weekend and had really good success going 2-1 this weekend against good competition,” Pitt coach Toby Rens said. “It’s a really good measuring point, and I think we learned a lot about this team, their drive and determination.”

If this is any indication of things to come, it’s an encouraging sign for a team that Rens says has a legitimate shot of reaching the NCAA Tournament this year.

“It just really shows the work ethic and character of this team who have been really good since the spring, and they’ve picked up on where we left off last year,” he said. “Over the last three weeks, I told them I’m really proud of what they accomplished.”

The Panthers avoided last year’s disappointment, when they lost their first two games on the way to a 3-8 start, by winning their first two of the year this time around. They won their opening match against Belmont before upsetting Wichita State, but dropped their final game to Arizona in the tournament.

“Even though you don’t like to lose, a lot of encouraging things were taken out of it,” Rens said. “It was a great program weekend and we played great volleyball on both sides of the net and did an exceptional job of executing our game plan and pushing the tempo.”

In their matchup against Wichita State, the Panthers won their three highly contested games against the Shockers by the scores of 25-22, 25-23 and 25-21.

Senior Meagan Dooley led the Panthers with 16 kills and seven blocks, and senior Michelle Rossi recorded 21 digs. Junior Imani Harper led the Panthers with .800 hitting percentage.

Overall, Pitt out-blocked the Shockers 10-9 and held them to a .099 hitting clip.

“They’re a great program and a conference champion and top 25 team,” Rens said. “It was great to see our team grow and compete against the best. For an opening weekend, I was very happy with how we played.”

Pitt begins its second full season under Rens with a little renewed confidence after an inspired showing in last year’s Big East tournament. The Panthers upset the No. 2-seed Cincinnati in five sets, but lost to Louisville in the next round to end their season.

The Panthers lost four starters, with their biggest loss being outside hitter and captain Kelly Campbell who averaged 3.52 kills per game last season. But the Panthers returned junior Amy Town, Dooley and Rossi from last year’s team. Following the tournament, Dooley and Town were named to the All-tournament team.

“We had great leadership from Meagan, Rossi and Melissa [Stadelman],” Rens said. “All three are seniors and all are captains. A lot of the leadership was already there, and this spring they had a chance to grow into leaders on the court.”

Town led the Panthers in kills against Arizona with 21, and Rens said she is also an important leader of this year’s squad.

“Amy has certainly improved and I think she’s really worked hard on her all around game to become a better passer and defender,” Rens said. “She will lead us in scoring for a lot of matches and she’s a very consistent player.”

Rens also had high praise for players stepping into starting roles, such as Harper and sophomore Allyson Hodnik. Hodnik, the team’s setter, led Pitt in assists for all three matches and has improved from coming off the bench this year to taking a starting role.

Returning home with a winning record is good news for the Panther and Rens looks forward to playing in front of a Fitzgerald Field House crowd.

“I thought we represented Pitt quite well, and we played with a lot of pride and passion,” he said. “We have a lot of energy and enthusiasm and people really enjoy what they see when they watch us play.”

Pitt plays its home opener this Wednesday at 7 p.m. against Kent State.