Volleyball’s struggles keep up in weekend’s conference loss

The Pitt women’s volleyball team dropped its second-straight Big East matchup to St. John’s on… The Pitt women’s volleyball team dropped its second-straight Big East matchup to St. John’s on Sunday, sliding the team into third place in the conference standings. The Panthers (14-10, 6-3) struggled to gain momentum against the two-time Big East champions, falling to the Red Storm by scores of 15-25, 18-25 and 23-25. Senior captain Kelly Campbell recorded her 13th double double of the season with 13 kills and 13 digs. ‘She led all players in digs,’ said Coach Toby Rens. ‘It shows that a lot of her focus and intensity is on defense, which is really good.’ The loss dropped the Panthers into a three-way tie with Notre Dame and Louisville for third in the Big East. The Panthers, who already defeated Notre Dame on the road this year, are focused on qualifying for and improving their seed in the Big East tournament, which Pitt hosts, in late November. ‘St. Johns was a good measuring point for us. They’re an experienced team and we were right there at times,’ said Rens. ‘We want to not only qualify for the Big East tournament but achieve the best seed possible.’ Junior Michelle Rossi contributed 10 digs, and sophomore Amy Town had nine kills against St. Johns. Pitt dropped the first two games of the match thanks to hitting percentages of .062 in the first game and .097 in the second. In the third game, however, Pitt fought to close a once six-point deficit to just two at 21-19 on a block from junior Meagan Dooley. Dooley added a kill to keep the two-point margin at 22-20, but after the Panthers fought off two match points, a St. John’s kill eventually sealed the match for the Red Storm. Senior Jessica Moses added to her career-record block assist total with five block assists to push the total to 394 for her career. ‘For her to break that record even with five matches left, it just says a lot about the level of consistency she brings to practice and competition every day,’ said Rens. ‘She’s one focused and determined player that leads by example by bringing a high level of competition to every match.’ The Panthers, who are just one win away from equaling their win total from last season, travel to Rutgers for a match against the Scarlet Knights on Saturday.