Feeding off the energy of a thundering student section, Pitt-Bradford volleyball swept D'Youville Saturday in the AMCC semifinals to advance to Sunday's conference championship.
It marks the fourth time in the last seven years the Panthers will play for a league title and NCAA tournament berth.
The top-seeded Panthers made quick work of the fifth-seeded Spartans, winning by scores of 25-14, 25-19, 25-23, in a brisk time of 1 hour and 11 minutes.
Waiting in the wings is a familiar nemesis in Penn State Altoona. The two teams met in the 2010 title match, with Pitt-Bradford winning in four sets to capture the program's first AMCC championship. The Lions returned the favor one year later, defeating a relatively young Panther team to secure their second-ever title.
Pitt-Bradford was sharp from the onset against D'Youville, building a 6-2 lead in the opening set. The Spartans clawed back though, inching within a point on two occasions. Leading 12-11, Alexis Dhayer's kill ignited an 8-1 Panther run to pull away for good.
The Panthers trailed 13-8 in the second set before rallying to tie the game at 17 apiece on a D'Youville attack error. Pitt-Bradford surged ahead on Mandy Finch's kill and stretched the lead to 20-17 behind Kirsten Platz' solo block. The set ended with a block assist by Platz and Erin Fagan, pushing the Spartans to the brink of elimination.
Pitt-Bradford methodically pulled away in the third set, eventually building a 24-19 lead. The Spartans refused to go quietly, ripping off four straight points to pull within one point. However, Platz' team-leading ninth kill on the ensuing play secured the win, and the Panthers spilled onto the court, sending the student section into a frenzy.
Dhayer totaled eight kills, and Finch, Rose Thacker and Christina Rauh had six apiece. Rauh netted a double-double with 29 assists and 10 digs, and Brianna Majot added 12 digs. Platz finished with five blocks to lead the Panthers up front.
"It was a great environment, exactly what we hoped for today," head coach Tom Roof said. "I loved the way the girls responded playing in front of a big crowd, especially as the top seed.
We played with a lot of excitement and energy. I don't know if we played our best, but we played with heart and determination which has carried us through all season."
The victory improved the Panthers to 24-5 on the year, matching the 2010 squad for the most wins in a season.
Roof served as an assistant on that team and sees many similarities with this year's Panthers.
"I see a lot of parallels between 2010 and this year," Roof said. "We're strong in the middle, really solid on the outside and experienced on the backline. We're very balanced and probably have more depth."
Pitt-Bradford won the regular season meeting against Penn State Altoona, 3-0, on Oct. 24. Roof expects Sunday's match to be much more competitive.
"We played Altoona the first conference match of the season but that seems so long ago," Roof recalled. "I expect a great match. They've improved tremendously over the season so we will need to be at our best."
Penn State Altoona advanced to the championship match by erasing a 2-0 deficit to La Roche in the semifinals, prevailing in five sets.
Sunday's title match is scheduled to start at 1 p.m.
