Volleyball loses tough match to the Blazers

Despite an impressive comeback from a two-game deficit, the Pitt women’s volleyball team… Despite an impressive comeback from a two-game deficit, the Pitt women’s volleyball team suffered a five-game loss Friday night against the University of Alabama-Birmingham.

Though the Panthers (15-6, 5-1 Big East) kept the match competitive, the Blazers (8-13) took games one and two of the match, 30-26 and 30-27.

UAB registered 36 kills in the first two games while Pitt managed only 24.

Pitt came back to take the third and fourth games, 31-29 and 30-24, despite amassing 17 fewer total attacks than the Blazers.

The Panthers’ six-point win in the third game was the largest margin of victory that either team managed in any of the five games.

The Blazers held on to win the tie-breaking fifth game, 15-12.

Junior outside hitter Martina Shields led the Blazers with 15 kills and 20 defensive digs.

Kristi Lee and Karen Boyd had 17 and 13 attacks respectively in the UAB win.

“I thought we had a great team effort all the way around,” UAB head coach Melinda Claiborne said in a press release.

Junior outside hitter Wendy Hatlestad led the Panthers with 15 kills and 58 total attacks.

Junior Sarah Rollman had 14 kills and 40 total attacks, and senior Carrie Norris had 39 assists for the Panthers. Freshman Megan McGrane chipped in with 23 defensive digs in the loss.

The loss was Pitt’s second in its last four games and its sixth so far this season.

The Panthers will play the second date of their five-match road trip Friday when they travel to Notre Dame to take on the Fighting Irish.

Game time is scheduled for 8 p.m.