Pitt sweeps in Backyard Brawl match

Pitt volleyball shut out the West Virginia Mountaineers 3-0 in the Backyard Brawl on Friday… Pitt volleyball shut out the West Virginia Mountaineers 3-0 in the Backyard Brawl on Friday at the West Virginia Coliseum.

With game scores of 30-22, 30-27 and 30-22, the Panthers (13-10, 6-3 Big East), recorded their seventh shutout of the season. Pitt needed the win against the Mountaineers (12-9, 3-5) after dropping its last two conference games at Georgetown and South Florida.

“[Georgetown and USF] are both good teams,” said Pitt head coach Chris Beerman. “Top to bottom, the Big East is very difficult. This time, we put our head in the right place.”

Leading the Panthers to their shutout victory was junior Jessica Moses, who posted a match-high .733 hitting percentage.

“Jess has flown under the radar for awhile, but she’s very consistent,” Beerman said. “She’s a kid that’s improved every year, and this year she took it up a notch.”

Along with her hitting percentage, Moses recorded 11 kills, seven blocks and three digs.

“It’s what a coach asks for,” Beerman said. “You say, ‘I just want you to compete as hard as you can.’ That’s exactly what she does. She’s become a great leader.”

Also leading were senior Diana Andreyko with 13 kills and seven digs, and sophomore Michelle Rossi, who put up 21 digs.

“We got better at a few things,” Beerman said. “It was more mental than physical.”

The closest game of the match was the second one, in which the Mountaineers and the Panthers were tied five different times. After a tie at 5-5, Pitt took control of the game and the lead following a kill by sophomore Megan Dooley that put the Panthers up 15-10.

Dooley had four kills in the second match.

The Mountaineers made a quick comeback and ended up tying the game at 21 points. Pitt came back on its next play with a kill by Moses.

The play was assisted by freshman Emily Burke, who led with a match-high 41 assists.

After that, an ace by Moses and a kill by Andreyko gave the Panthers their eventual game win and later, a match win.

Moses’ five kills and three block assists highlighted the first game, and with the third game came five kills from Andreyko.

After Friday’s game, the Panthers will have five full days of practice to work on fundamentals training, something that Beerman says doesn’t happen very often.

The Panthers will take on Marquette and Syracuse this weekend after a game-free week.

The games will be crucial to the Panthers, as they look to extend their eight-game winning streak at home and maintain standing in the Big East Conference.

“We’re third in the Big East right now,” Beerman said. “We just have to take care of business.”