The Pitt women’s volleyball team had 799 total victories in school history going into this… The Pitt women’s volleyball team had 799 total victories in school history going into this weekend’s Buckeye Classic at Ohio State University.

Pitt also returned home after the Classic with 799 all-time victories.

Despite many Pitt players posting some of their best numbers of the season, the Panthers fell twice in two days in closely contested matches. Undefeated Brigham Young University beat Ohio State Saturday to capture the Buckeye Classic Championship while Duke finished third.

Ohio State 3, Pitt 1

Just as the Panthers only needed one match victory to achieve a milestone, senior libero Megan McGrane only needed to record 20 digs to achieve a milestone of her own.

A season-best 28 digs on Friday helped McGrane become just the 12th NCAA Division I player to record 2,000 digs in a career, but she did so in a losing effort as the Panthers (7-5 overall, 0-0 Big East) dropped a 3-1 decision to 14th-ranked Ohio State (7-1) at the St. John Arena in both teams’ first match of the Buckeye Classic.

“This is an awesome accomplishment,” head coach Chris Beerman said of McGrane’s feat. “This puts her in an elite group of athletes. Megan isn’t the type to focus on individual accomplishments, but she deserves everything she gets.”

Pitt struggled to gain control of the match during the first two games, and lost to the Buckeyes by scores of 30-19 and 30-24 to quickly fall behind 2-0.

Sophomore outside-hitter Diana Andreyko earned a double-double, using a match-high 20 kills and 13 digs to help the Panthers capture game three by a score of 33-31 and force a fourth set. Pitt led for the majority of the fourth game and needed to score just two points to force a fifth game.

The Panthers couldn’t hold on to a 28-26 lead, however, and allowed Ohio State to score the final four points of the game, losing their first match of the weekend.

“We need to finish games,” Beerman said. “We need to finish and make the plays to get to 30 [points.]”

The Buckeyes were led by two sophomores, Ami Stevens and Danielle Meyer. Both players earned double-doubles in the math — Stevens with 19 kills and 15 digs and Meyer with 16 kills and 13 digs.

Senior Gini Ullery tallied nine kills, while freshman Jessica Moses added 10 kills and five blocks for the Panthers. Pitt’s defense was also aggressive and dominant at the net, blocking 13 shots to the Buckeyes’ six.

Freshman Allie Cherven and senior Ashley White paved the defensive path for Pitt. Cherven posted two solo and five assisted blocks, while White racked up one solo and five assisted of her own.

Duke 3, Pitt 1

In the tournament consolation match on Saturday evening, Pitt dropped a 3-1 decision to Duke with two of the four sets going into overtime. The loss overshadowed the play of Andreyko, who was named to the Buckeye Classic All-Tournament team following her performance against the Blue Devils.

Andreyko finished the match with a career-high 23 kills while also blocking two shots for the Panthers. She also got her second double-double for the weekend by recording 11 digs.

Pitt fell in the first game by a close score of 32-30, but came back attacking strong at the net in game two for a 30-21 victory. The Panthers out-hit the Blue Devils, who have been picked to win the Atlantic Coast Conference 15-8 in the second contest.

Just as it had the day before, Pitt was only points away from winning another close game. With the score standing at 29-26, the Panthers could not reach 30 before Duke came fighting back to take the third game by the score of 33-31. Facing a match-ending game, Pitt fell once again in the fourth set, 30-22, to drop its season record to 7-6.

Moses made the best match of her young career against the Blue Devils. She recorded an errorless six kills in 14 attempts for a .429 hitting percentage. She also added a service ace and four digs as well as a match-high eight blocks, a total no other Panther has reached in a single match this season.

“Our freshmen are doing much more than I thought they’d have to,” Beerman commented following the game. “They’ve been stepping up when we need them, and we’re going to keep that positive attitude.”

Seniors Ullery and McGrane also contributed heavily as the Panthers battled. Ullery finished the match with 12 kills, three digs and two blocks while McGrane added a match-high 22 digs, pushing her career total to 2,030.

The Panthers will return home to the Fitzgerald Field House to open Big East play this weekend. Pitt will take on Villanova on Saturday and Rutgers on Sunday, with both matches scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.