With Big East tourney approaching, Pitt looks for payback

It isn’t March, but tournament time hits Pitt’s campus with the kickoff of the 2008 Big East… It isn’t March, but tournament time hits Pitt’s campus with the kickoff of the 2008 Big East Volleyball Championship today at the Fitzgerald Field House. The Pitt women’s volleyball team faces first-round opponent Cincinnati at 6 p.m. Pitt dropped its only match against the Bearcats this season 3-0. Games begin at 10 a.m., with No. 4-seeded Connecticut taking on the No. 5 seed, Notre Dame. The Panthers (16-13, 8-6 Big East) are the seventh seed in the tournament and are coming off one of their best performances of the year in a 3-0 win at Marquette last weekend. ‘Everything just came together,’ said sophomore outside hitter Amy Town. ‘All year, we’ve had one or two players play really well, but against Marquette, everyone played their position well.’ Pitt coach Toby Rens repeated Town’s praise for the Panthers. ‘I feel like it was one of the matches where we all clicked at the same time,’ said Rens. Pitt traveled a long road to get to that point against the Golden Eagles, including a coaching change just prior to the start of the season and adjusting to a new playing style throughout the campaign. ‘Looking back, we definitely made some great gains,’ said Rens. ‘I’m just really happy with the work ethic of this group and their attitude. They showed a lot of character through adversity and I’m really happy with the progress they’ve made as a group.’ The Panthers’ progress from last year to this year included a berth in the Big East tournament, something senior middle hitter Jessica Moses was determined to achieve this year. ‘It was a heartbreaker last year,’ said Moses about missing the Big East tournament last season. ‘This year, with our team, nothing has happened to make us lose focus on the Big East tournament. It’s awesome to be back, especially in my senior year.’ Moses said Pitt’s season began last spring while the entire team played spring volleyball matches. She added that the team built up chemistry and camaraderie during the games, which has helped carry the players through the off-season and regular season. More importantly, the games established the seniors as leaders of the team. ‘Being around the seniors, with their mindset and their experience, has really helped me focus,’ said Town. ‘Being on the court with them every single game this year, I can see how much they want it.’ ‘I think they have the most to win and the most to lose,’ said Rens of the seniors. ‘They all had one season of eligibility left, and they, I’m sure, wanted to make the most of it. All five of the seniors have ended up really enjoying their senior season.’ The Panthers finished the year tied for sixth in the Big East. Senior captain Kelly Campbell led them with 402 kills and 26 aces. Campbell was named to the Big East Honor Roll squad after the season finale at Marquette. As for Pitt’s next opponent, the Bearcats were 25-5 on the year and finished their season tied for first in the Big East standings. Cincinnati is also the hottest team coming into the Big East tournament, having won 15 matches in a row. Its last loss came against No. 4-seeded Connecticut almost two months ago, on Sept. 28. In its only match of the season, Pitt fell to the Bearcats in three sets, all while committing 19 attack errors. ‘The team is excited to get this game back,’ said Moses. ‘The team knows that this is our chance to prove we’re better than that.’ Notre Dame and Connecticut kick off the action, followed by No. 1-seeded St. John’s and No. 8 South Florida at 12:30 p.m. No. 3 Louisville takes the floor against No. 6 Syracuse at 3:30 p.m., before Pitt’s matchup against Cincinnati.