Pitt drops two on the road

After winning six straight matches, the Pitt volleyball team dropped two in a row this… After winning six straight matches, the Pitt volleyball team dropped two in a row this weekend against Big East opponents. With a win in either match, Pitt could have claimed sole possession of third place in the conference standings. With the losses, the Panthers (13-9 overall, 6-2 Big East) are now tied with Cincinnati and Villanova for third in the conference.

On Saturday, Pitt traveled to Louisville, Ky., to face a Cardinal team that is ranked sixth in the nation. After a 3-1 loss to an unbeaten team, the Panthers headed to Cincinnati on Sunday to square off with the Bearcats. Pitt did not fare well once again, and dropped a 3-2 decision to Cincinnati.

Louisville 3, Pitt 1

Junior setter Azadeh Boroumand entered game two off the bench and provided the Panthers with a small glimmer of hope.

After Pitt dropped the first set to the Cardinals by a score of 30-16, Boroumand replaced starting freshman setter Nicole Taurence. Under Boroumand’s lead, Pitt evened the match score with a 30-28 win in game two.

“She just seemed a little overwhelmed,” head coach Chris Beerman said about taking Taurence out of the match. “Azadeh went in there and did a great job for us.”

Despite Boroumand’s match-high 36 assists, four kills, four digs and three blocks, the Panthers fell in the next two games by scores of 30-22 and 30-25. Louisville (19-0, 7-0) stayed unbeaten as they handed Pitt its first loss in seven matches.

“In order to beat a team like Louisville, you have to play almost perfect. We would hang with them until points 18 to 20 and then we would give up three [points] or so by making errors without being able to make up the gap,” Beerman said. “You can’t do that [fall behind] against a team like Louisville.”

Three Panthers earned double figures in kills on Saturday. Sophomore Diana Andreyko racked up 19 and also added 10 digs for the double-double while senior Gini Ullery had 11 kills and five digs and fellow senior Ashley White added 10 kills of her own.

Megan McGrane had another good showing, compiling more than 30 digs for the second match in a row, recording 31 in the loss.

Cincinnati 3, Pitt 2

For the second match in a row, Andreyko tallied a match-high 19 kills. For the third match in a row, McGrane posted a match high of at least 30 digs. But, for the second time on the weekend, the Panthers recorded a loss.

Despite key players putting up big numbers, Pitt fell in a close five-set, Big East match. The Panthers captured victories in the first and third games, but a determined Cincinnati (15-7, 6-2) team fought back from a 2-1 deficit, winning the last two sets to take the match.

“We had a lot of hitting errors in this match,” Beerman commented, “too many, and we got on a bad roll.”

Andreyko and White earned the last two points of game one as Pitt defeated the Bearcats by a score of 31-29. White finished the match with 13 kills, while teammate Ullery posted 18 of her own. Taurence, who hadn’t played since the first game on Saturday, racked up a match-high 53 assists.

Cincinnati had a stronger showing in game two, coming out with a 30-22 victory. The Panthers answered with an even stronger 30-19 win in the third set while game four went back and forth with seven tied scores and four lead changes. Facing a match-ending game, the Bearcats fought hard and came out on top with a 30-23 win, forcing a fifth game.

“The momentum really shifted with the help of a big home crowd for Cincinnati,” Beerman said about the feel of the match following the third game. “Volleyball is totally a momentum-driven sport. In rally scoring, you can’t fall behind. We didn’t maintain our composure and did just that.”

Junior setter Noel Olson nearly earned a triple-double for Cincinnati, racking up 53 assists, 14 digs and eight kills. Sophomore outside hitters Jenny Custer and Erin Maldo led the Bearcats in kills with 16 apiece.

The fifth game went to Cincinnati by a score of 15-9. With momentum in their favor, the Bearcats led the entire set and cruised to claim a victory over Pitt.

The Panthers have a home stretch ahead with their next three games at the Fitzgerald Field House. Pitt will take on Seton Hall on Friday at 7 p.m. before DePaul comes to town on Nov. 5, only a day before rival Notre Dame will face off with the Panthers on Pitt’s home court. Both matches that weekend are set to start at 2 p.m.