Pitt captures championship

The Pitt volleyball team captured the Big East Championship this weekend with sweeps of… The Pitt volleyball team captured the Big East Championship this weekend with sweeps of Villanova and No. 17 Notre Dame, giving the Panthers their first title since 1994 and an automatic berth in next month’s NCAA tournament.

Pitt played both of their tournament opponents earlier this season, winning five-game matches against both teams. Head coach Chris Beerman said it definitely benefited the Panthers to play these teams again because they knew which lineups worked best against each opponent.

Pitt 3, Villanova 0

Pitt (24-4) started its semifinal match against Villanova (14-15) on Saturday with a back-and-forth game. The Wildcats held the lead late in the first game with a 23-22 advantage, but the Panthers rattled off eight of the final nine points to win, 30-24.

Villanova jumped out to an early lead in game two, but Pitt went on a 7-0 run to take an 11-7 lead and held on for the 30-26 win. Pitt completed the sweep with a come-from-behind victory in game three, winning it 30-25.

Outside hitter Wendy Hatlestad was one of three Panthers with double-digit kills. She had eight digs to go along with her match-high 16 kills.

Setter Lindsey Macke and outside hitter Sarah Rollman added double-doubles for Pitt. Macke had a match-high 47 assists and 14 digs, while Rollman had 15 kills and 11 digs.

Outside hitter Abby Fechhelm had 11 digs and seven kills while hitting .357. Middle hitter Megan Miller was the third Panther with double-digit kills, registering 10 to go along with her three blocks and two service aces.

Libero Megan McGrane led the defense with a match-high 22 digs, and middle hitter April Puzauskas contributed a match-high five blocks and four kills.

Katie Lanting led the Wildcats with 10 kills and five blocks.

Pitt 3, Notre Dame 0

Notre Dame (23-5) went into Sunday’s championship match against Pitt with a 61-match home winning streak against Big East opponents, but fell to the Panthers for the second straight Sunday. Last weekend, Pitt edged out the Fighting Irish 3-2 to capture a share of the regular season conference title.

After the Irish jumped out to a small lead in game one, Pitt went on a 15-5 run to go up by eight. Notre Dame fought to within four points, but the Panthers finished the Irish off with 11 of the final 16 points to win 30-20.

Pitt and Notre Dame battled in the last two games, with the Panthers coming out on top in game two, 30-26. Pitt needed an extra point in the final game after a late Irish charge, but got it and completed the sweep with a 31-29 victory.

“We played almost a flawless match from game one through game three, which is what you have to do to beat Notre Dame [at the Joyce Center],” Beerman said.

Miller led the way for the Panthers and was rewarded with the championship’s Most Outstanding Player award. She had match-highs with 20 kills and a .545 hitting percentage.

Hatlestad recorded seven of her 15 kills in the final game to go along with her 11 digs and six block assists. Rollman also had double-digit kills, with 17 to go with her eight digs.

Macke just missed a double-double with a match-high 55 assists and nine digs, while McGrane led the team with 14 digs.

Also contributing for the Panthers were Fechhelm with 12 digs and Puzauskas with six kills, five digs and four block assists.

“Our role players, Abby [Fechhelm] and April [Puzauskas], really made some big plays against Notre Dame that really helped us win,” Beerman said. “It really was a total team effort.”

Meg Henican and Emily Loomis led the Irish with 21 digs and 14 kills, respectively.

Beerman not only credits Pitt’s outstanding serving and passing for the victory, but also the team’s hitting. The Panthers hit .329 for the match, compared to Notre Dame’s .214.

“We really hit smart,” Beerman said. “We mixed our shots up and really played with a lot of composure all the way through.”

The conference title is the 11th overall for Pitt, the most of any Big East team. Notre Dame had won three straight titles, and seven of the last eight. This also marked the first time that the Irish were swept since last year’s season-ending NCAA tournament loss.