WOOSTER, Oh. - University of Pittsburgh at Bradford volleyball coach Tom Roof knew his team would face some of the toughest competition they will see all season at the Ginny Hunt Kilt Classic at The College of Wooster.
The competition was as tough as advertised, as the Panthers fell 3-1 to Albion (19-25, 25-21, 17-25, 16-25) in the opener, and 3-1 to Bluffton (25-22, 15-25, 12-25, 17-25) in the nightcap.
"We knew what we were getting ourselves into when we scheduled this tournament," Roof said. "These are some of the best teams in the country and I was really happy with the way our girls competed tonight. We were in every set for the most part and really got great production from the outside hitters tonight, as opposed to our loss at Houghton Thursday night."
Kirsten Platz led the Panthers in the opener with eight kills and three blocks. Christina Rauh followed with 28 assists and 13 digs, while Mandy Finch added a team-high 17 digs. Jenessa Ceprish, Emily Reitz and Alexis Dhayer added double digit digs, while Alma Turpin finished with seven kills and Kaitlin McCann added two blocks.
Turpin led the Panthers in the finale with eight kills, while Rauh added 21 assists. Ceprish had a team-high 12 digs and Finch added nine digs. Platz led the blocking attack with two solo blocks and six assisted blocks, while Dhayer added five assisted blocks in the loss.
The Panthers return to action Saturday at 10 a.m. against Wooster.
*Photo by Wade Aiken*