Volleyball wins first Big East match

Pitt’s volleyball team ended its first weekend of Big East play with a split against St…. Pitt’s volleyball team ended its first weekend of Big East play with a split against St. John’s and Connecticut, respectively.

St. John’s took the first match, 3-1, and Pitt defeated UConn on Sunday, also by a 3-1 count. The Panthers are now 12-5 overall and 1-1 in Big East play.

The Panthers return to action on the road, going east to face Rutgers on Saturday at 2 p.m. and going across the Delaware River to face Villanova on Sunday, also at 2 p.m.

St. John’s 3, Pitt 1

Though a considerable amount of students cheered the Panthers on for the Field House Frenzy promotion, Pitt could not upset the Red Storm, who are now 17-1 overall (2-0 Big East).

St. John’s showed that its record spoke for itself, leading throughout the first game. After Diana Andreyko’s kill cut St. John’s lead to 9-7, the Red Storm went on a 7-2 run to blow the game open, as the Panthers made three attack errors in that span.

Pitt played catch-up the rest of that game, losing 30-25, and trailed throughout the second game, too. In that game, Stephanie Ross’s kill cut the Red Storm lead to 27-25, but two hitting errors and St. John’s kills gave them the upper hand at 30-26.

St. John’s looked to put the Panthers away, by taking a 16-12 lead in game three, but eight hitting errors by the Red Storm spurred the Panthers to a 30-25 advantage to cut the match in half.

After taking a 7-6 lead in game four, St. John’s gave Pitt a reality check as a 16-3 run put the game away, giving the Red Storm a 30-19 win in the decisive match.

Meagan Dooley led the Panthers with 19 kills while Andreyko had a double-double with 16 kills and 14 digs. Stephanie Ross had 12 kills but also had 10 errors. Azadeh Boroumand set up 54 assists and contributed 13 digs.

St. John’s was led by Hui Ping Huang’s 20 kills and Caitlin Rimgalia added 15 kills of her own. However, her 11 errors were a game high. Wioleta Leszczynska had 53 assists for the Red Storm.

“St. John’s is the team to beat right now. They’re having a great year and they certainly were tough,” Pitt coach Chris Beerman said. “I thought we actually played really well, but they just handled us pretty easy.

“I’m expecting them to be one of the top teams this year.”

Pitt 3, Connecticut 1

The Panthers followed Friday’s defeat by playing the game at their pace, bouncing back to defeat UConn in four games for their first Big East win of the season.

The first set went back-and-forth and was tied at 25 before Andreyko’s two kills began a 5-0 run that sealed the game for Pitt. Game two was similar until the Huskies used a 6-1 spurt to put the game away.

Pitt suffered four attack errors during that span and UConn held on for a 30-25 margin in its favor. Pitt had 11 hitting errors in the second game. This prompted Beerman to reinvigorate his team’s focus.

“We had a good talk at intermission and they were very upbeat,” he said. “I felt the 11 hitting errors in the second game caused us to lose and I thought if we could cut those in half or limit them, we’d be in good shape for the match and that’s what happened.”

Back on the floor, the Panthers were a rejuvenated bunch, with Andreyko taking charge and Dooley following her lead. Pitt broke a 10-all tie with an 11-2 run.

In the fourth match, each time the Huskies made a run, Dooley stepped in to squash their hopes. The freshman’s kill ended the match at a 30-23 score on Pitt’s side. The Panthers responded to Beerman’s halftime talk by making just six hitting errors in the second half.

Dooley tallied 20 kills, which is the highest in her young career. She also recorded a .324 hitting percentage and a season high of seven assists. This was while playing two positions, middle and outside hitter.

“We had to have this match coming off a loss and I felt the team really responded. I thought it was a great team effort,” Beerman said. “I just thought everybody played really together and we’ve had some confidence issues lately, but tonight we played with a lot of confidence.”

Andreyko had another double-double with 16 kills and 18 digs, taking her defensive cue from Megan McGrane, who is now a student-assistant coach for Beerman.

“I’ve had to step up since Megan left,” Andreyko said. “I’ve had to make my digs. But it’s definitely great to have her on the bench because she’s an incredible defensive specialist.

“Plus I’m a junior now. I have to make those plays, so it’s something for my team I’m accountable for.”

Jessica Moses’ seven blocks were tops for Pitt and Boroumand had another stellar game with 51 assists. Ross chipped in with 14 kills and 14 assists. The Huskies were led by Gina Heiderman’s 12 kills, Bridget Denson-Dorman’s 49 assists and Jessica Issac’s 19 digs.