Volleyball sweeps Robert Morris

Pitt women’s volleyball swept Robert Morris Tuesday for its 10th win of the season. The… Pitt women’s volleyball swept Robert Morris Tuesday for its 10th win of the season. The Panthers (10-2 overall, 0-0 Big East) won 30-20, 30-20 and 30-28, out-hitting Robert Morris by more than .200 percentage points.

“We had a good, solid match,” Pitt head coach Chris Beerman said. “I blame myself for the Marshall loss [this past weekend], which was a letdown. But we bounced back after that and played well at Robert Morris.”

Pitt freshman Megan Dooley made her presence known, compiling 21 points and three solo blocks. The Ohio native also racked up 16 kills while hitting .522 from the outside hitter position.

“She’s been putting up solid performances for us,” Beerman said. “She’s turning into a good, consistent player.”

Junior Diana Andreyko added 14 kills and 14 points from the outside hitter position. A member of the 2005 Big East All-Conference first team, Andreyko also had 10 digs.

“[Andreyko] had her typical, solid match,” Beerman said. “She was dependable and consistent as usual, and that always helps us.”

Setter Azadeh Boroumand topped the stat sheet with 41 assists while hitting a perfect 1.000 with six kills. Paired with freshman middle hitter Kim Kern, the senior blocked a key Robert Morris spike in the first set, pushing Pitt to game point.

“Azadeh is a leader for us,” Beerman said. “But with that experience, she also gives us a great finisher. She finishes plays extremely well.”

Kern contributed one solo block, performing well in her role as Pitt’s best blocker. The Floridian added six assists and shot .455 for the Panthers.

According to Beerman, Kern’s fellow freshman Michelle Rossi also performed well, giving him confidence in his younger players.

“[Kern and Rossi] are two of our best freshmen,” Beerman said. “They have done very well in big roles for us and I think they’ll keep improving each match.”

The third set was certainly the closest as Pitt stormed into the lead at 25-24 and held off a scrappy Robert Morris team to take the set.

“Third sets are always tougher,” Beerman said. “You win the first two sets easily and kind of switch into coast mode. But we’ve been working on closing out matches and staying focused at the end.”

Friday presents a difficult challenge for Pitt as they travel to Evanston, Ill., to compete in the Wildcat Classic hosted by Northwestern.

On Friday, Pitt tests the No. 24 Arizona Wildcats at noon (CDT) and Northwestern at 7 p.m. (CDT).

“Those matches will definitely be an upgrade in difficulty,” Beerman said. “We’ve had some tough matches against [No. 12] Tennessee and Conference USA champion Marshall, so we’re used to good competition. We just want to and can play at that level, it’s just a matter of taking blows and responding.

“We can strike first, but good teams hit back. Our focus is continuously returning the blows when our opponents show some fight. And that’s really how we can get better heading into conference play.”

Saturday will feature Pitt and Eastern Illinois at 7:30 p.m. (CDT).

The tournament is the last non-conference competition before Pitt hosts St. John’s on Sept. 22.

“The Big East is wide open this year,” Beerman said. “There are five or six teams that could win the conference, so we want to come into conference play feeling good and playing well.”