BRADFORD, Pa. – The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford women's volleyball team defeated Elmira in three straight sets in its home opener Wednesday night at the KOA Arena.

"It was great to be back playing at home, on the floor we're comfortable on and in front of our fans," Head Coach Tom Roof said. "The tournament over the weekend allowed us to become more and more comfortable playing together, and I think that showed with how we played tonight."

The Panthers got off to a strong start as they took a 25-16 win in set one. Pitt-Bradford hit its offensive stride mid-way through the set, scoring five straight points with Laura Hildebrand at the serve.

Set two saw very little rally scoring after the Panthers scored four straight with Riley Anderson serving early in the game. With the score tied, 22-22, the Panthers took care of business and capitalized on three-straight Payton Orzech serves to secure the set-two victory.

The two teams were tight early on in set three, but the Panthers caught fire and scored seven straight points with Anderson serving to take a big lead early.

They let Elmira back in the game, though, but eventually secured the overall victory in straight sets, 25-20.

Emily Cleveland led the Panthers with 12 total kills while Anderson followed closely with eight.

Orzech assisted 18 Panther kills and Caitlyn Schnell contributed 13 assists.

Hildebrand, the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference's leader in digs, had 25 total.

The Panthers will compete next in the Rochester Tournament hosted by the University of Rochester. They will play four games – two apiece on Friday and Saturday.