Volleyball places second in tournament

The Pitt volleyball team finished the Pittsburgh Invitational with a 2-1 record over the… The Pitt volleyball team finished the Pittsburgh Invitational with a 2-1 record over the weekend, giving it a second-place finish behind the Dayton Flyers.

Pitt entered the tournament with an overall record of 4-2 and with high expectations. What it hadn’t counted on was a season-ending injury to one of its star players, Gini Ullery, in the first match.

Pitt 3, Ball State 0

The Panthers’ first game against the Ball State Cardinals (3-7) was close, with Pitt winning by a score of 30-28. Pitt (6-3) dominated after the first game, winning the next two games 30-21 and 30-22.

Senior Wendy Hatlestad had 15 kills, leading a group of three Panthers’ players who scored double digits in kills. Megan Miller contributed 14 kills and a .379 hitting percentage.

Sarah Rollman registered 11 kills and had only two errors in her 30 attempts. Megan McGrane turned in a school-record-breaking number of 27 digs in Friday’s match, aiding in the shutout of Ball State.

During the third game of the match, Ullery had to be carried off the court, but was a major contributor in the Pitt victory, producing six kills and 11 digs.

Head Coach Chris Beerman later said that Ullery is out for the rest of the season with a damaged anterior cruciate ligament.

Pitt 3, Robert Morris 0

After a rocky start in the first game of Saturday’s match, Pitt went on to win all three games against the Robert Morris Colonials (7-4). The Panthers defeated the Colonials 30-22, 30-18 and 30-15.

This match was similar, statistically, to Friday’s against Ball State, with four players recording double digits in kills, and Pitt received another strong performance from McGrane.

Madelyn Egan joined Hatlestad, Rollman and Miller in having 10 or more kills in the match. Setter Lindsey Macke had 52 assists; this match marks the fifth time in eight games that she has had 50 or more assists. Defensively, the Panthers had a total of 56 digs and came up big in blocking.

Dayton 3, Pitt 0

The Panthers weren’t able to continue their winning streak on Sunday when they entered competition against the Dayton Flyers. The Flyers (7-3) swept the match, defeating Pitt 30-26, 30-23 and 31-29. The win secured Dayton’s victory in the tournament.

Hatlestad and Rollman each had 16 kills in the game, as both players earned spots on the Pitt Invitational All-Tournament Team.

After the game, head coach Chris Beerman claimed that the loss was partially due to Ullery’s injury.

“We need better leadership. Pitt really needs to figure out [when] we need to step it up,” Beerman said.

The Panthers will be hosting the Pittsburgh Classic, with their first opponent being Toledo on Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. at Fitzgerald Field House.