The Pitt-Bradford volleyball team finished second at the Vassar Invitational Saturday after going 1-1. The Panthers opened the day by falling to Vassar before rebounding to sweep New England.

Vassar swept the Panthers 25-22, 25-22, 27-25 in what proved to be the championship match. The Brewers hit .242 as a team while limiting Pitt-Bradford to a .210 attack percentage and netted nine aces. Kirsten Platz had a team-high 11 kills and five blocks, and Christina Rauh posted a triple-double with 11 kills, 19 assists and 10 digs.

Pitt-Bradford bounced back to defeat New England 25-19, 25-9, 25-22, its third sweep of the weekend. Platz finished with 11 kills and Mandy Finch added seven. Erin Fagan recorded six aces, Rauh totaled 26 assists and 10 digs, and Finch had a match-best 13 digs.

Both Rauh and Platz were named to the all-tournament team for their performances.

"We played a very experienced and good Vassar team today," head coach Tom Roof said. "We dropped three to them but only by a total of 10 points. We came back really strong against New England.

I thought our freshmen really stepped up today when they were called upon. I like what I am seeing with this team...we're excited to finally play in front of our home crowd on Thursday."

Pitt-Bradford stands at 6-2 on the season and will host Houghton Thursday in its home opener at 7 p.m.

Vassar Invitational Day 1 Recap

The Pitt-Bradford volleyball team opened the Vassar Invitational Friday night with consecutive sweeps of Purchase St. and Alfred.

The Panthers hit .340 as a team while defeating Purchase St. 25-5, 25-6, 25-11. A total of 11 players recorded a kill, led by Sydney Shepherd's five. Gesica Ferrar collected eight assists and Christina Rauh had seven. Meagan Welsh and Rauh each netted five service aces, and Brianna Majot led the defensive effort with five digs.

Pitt-Bradford dispatched of Alfred in the nightcap 25-13, 25-21, 25-23. Alma Turpin had a match-high nine kills, Mandy Finch added eight and Kirsten Platz had seven. Christina Rauh totaled 30 assists and Platz converted three aces. Finch posted 13 digs, Emily Reitz had 11, and Platz had a team-leading three blocks. The Panthers limited the Saxons to a .029 hitting percentage for the match and totaled 10 blocks.

Pitt-Bradford improves to 5-1 on the season and will play Vassar and New England Saturday to wrap up tournament play.