Pitt extends winning streak

Sarah Rollman recorded a double-double and setter Lindsey Macke had 44 assists as the Pitt… Sarah Rollman recorded a double-double and setter Lindsey Macke had 44 assists as the Pitt volleyball team extended its winning streak to 10 matches with a 3-0 win over city rival Duquesne at the A.J. Palumbo Center.

Rollman hit .290 with 13 kills and 16 digs as the Panthers (16-3) won the first two games 30-23 each before holding off the Dukes (8-12), 30-28, in the final game.

“I thought Rollman played exceptional,” Pitt head coach Chris Beerman said. “She played with a lot of focus, and I’d say she was the star of the match for us. All-around, she just played great.”

Outside hitter Wendy Hatlestad and middle hitter Megan Miller chipped in with 13 kills each, and libero Megan McGrane added 19 digs for Pitt.

Sarah Brown led the Dukes with 22 assists, and Erin Trageser added 12 kills. Stephanie Hopkins added 14 digs for Duquesne.

Pitt combined to hit .250, including a match-high of .370 on the second game, while Duquesne hit just .163 for the match.

Despite letting Duquesne stay in the match, Beerman felt that his players did a good job of staying focused but having fun at the same time.

“Well, it’s always tough [to stay focused] because obviously, conference [games] mean so much,” he said. “We don’t want to play poorly, we want to play focused, but tonight, I was actually pretty proud of [our players]. I thought they focused pretty well.”

After winning the first two games, Pitt fell behind early in the third game, with Duquesne jumping out to a 5-3 lead.

The Panthers battled back and took a 14-12 lead, but Duquesne was able to tie the game at 14.

Pitt scored 10 of the next 17 points to take its largest lead of the game, at 24-19. But again, the Dukes came back, going on a 6-2 run to pull within in one point before Pitt called a timeout.

The Dukes tied the score at 26 after the timeout, but Pitt regrouped and went ahead, 29-27, before Duquesne called a timeout.

“I trust this team a lot,” Beerman said. “This team has earned my trust; they come through always composed, and all I told them [during the timeout] was ‘let’s settle down and take care of the ball a little better.’ We just wanted to make Duquesne earn their points if they were going to get them, and I think we did that at the end.”

Duquesne scored first after the timeout, but Pitt was able to put the game away, winning 30-28.

“[Duquesne] did all the things that I would do against us,” Beerman said. “We were just a little sporadic with the ball tonight – too many errors giving Duquesne points.”

The Panthers started off the match strong, jumping out to a 12-4 lead in the first game before the Dukes called a timeout. After the break, Duquesne pulled within three at 20-17, but Pitt held on for the 30-23 win.

In the second match, Pitt was able to fight its way to a 13-7 lead and held on for a 30-23 win.

The 10-match winning streak is Pitt’s longest since winning 11 in a row during the middle of last season. The Panthers now have 10 days off before returning to action, and Beerman plans to give the team some time to rest.

“We’ve had quite a haul here, when you count [the preseason trip to] Europe,” he said. “It’s been a little bit longer season than most teams, because we played eight matches in Europe. We’re going to give [the players] a little rest and then come back refreshed on Monday and head into another Big East week.”

Pitt returns to the court on Oct. 24 when it resumes Big East play by hosting Seton Hall at Fitzgerald Field House at 7 p.m.