Volleyball wins 11th straight Big East match

Azadeh Boroumand floated a high set above the net to middle hitter Megan Miller who hung… Azadeh Boroumand floated a high set above the net to middle hitter Megan Miller who hung suspended in the air ready to meet the ball.

When she connected, the ball roared to the opposite side of the court, meeting the floor to give Pitt a 12-11 lead in game one. The Panthers continued on and grounded the Eagles at Fitzgerald Field House 3-1.

With the win on Saturday, the Pitt volleyball team captured its seventh straight victory and its 11th straight Big East win to remain undefeated in the conference. The Panthers, (17-5 overall, 5-0 Big East) won the first two games, with scores of 30-23 and 30-28, before the Eagles took game three 30-20. The Panthers then fought hard to win game four 30-22 and the match.

After being down for a majority of game three and the beginning of game four, Pitt fought back and finished in the fashion it started. Freshman outside hitter Diana Andreyko provided the spark the Panthers were looking for. Megan McGrane dug a well-hit Boston College ball for Boroumand who set up Andreyko. Andreyko finished the volley with a forceful kill to move the score to 10-9 Pitt.

From that point on, the Panthers never looked back.

“For some reason we need a reason to play,” head coach Chris Beerman said after the game. “We need a reason to play hard.”

Beerman said he wants to get his team to a point where they don’t allow their opponents to dictate the way they play. He would like to see the same determination at the start of the match that he sees after the Panthers fall behind or come to a competitive moment.

Junior Gini Ullery led the Panthers throughout the match, providing powerful kills that Boston College could not answer. But Ullery felt her performance in this match was no different than what she expects of herself.

“Every time you go up to contact the ball you want to use as much power as you can,” Ullery commented. “The sets were on. I went up and ripped it.”

Ullery finished the match with 19 kills and nine digs.

Boston College used placement and tipped balls in an attempt to catch the Panthers off guard. On five separate occasions, McGrane dove across the floor just in time to slide her hand between the ball and the court, denying the Eagles of a point.

“I should probably make those plays better by staying on my feet,” McGrane said following the game. “It’s more of an emergency play where I just don’t read the ball the right way.”

Emergency play or not, McGrane got the job done for Pitt matching her season-high of 17 digs. She also contributed one kill.

Miller finished the match with 17 kills and two digs. Boroumand led the team in assists with 50 and also racked up 16 digs and three kills. Senior Lindsey Macke matched her season-high of 14 digs, and added six assists and two service aces.

During game three, Beerman pulled starters Miller and Boroumand. The team had been down almost the entire game, and he felt his starters need to refocus.

“Sometimes it’s good to get [starters] out of there. Let them relax. Let them watch,” he said.

Beerman went on to say that he isn’t afraid to lose a game if it means winning a match in the end. And that was how he handled the loss in game three.

“I’d rather lose a battle to win the war,” Beerman stated.

With this victory, the Panthers are now 22-1 overall against Boston College.