BRADFORD, Pa. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford women's volleyball team pulled out a strong, three-set victory over Allegheny Tuesday at the KOA Arena.

"It was really nice to get home and play in front of our home crowd, which was really terrific tonight," Head Coach Tom Roof said. "I thought we played a really solid game. We're continuing the process of getting better. We got a pretty good defensive effort tonight, and we got a really nice presence from our outside hitters. We came off a tough weekend, but I think this is a step in the right direction."

The victory is the Panthers' first of the season, as they improve to 1-4 on the season.

The Panthers got off to a strong start, capturing the first set, 25-17.

Set two was more of a dominant show for Pitt-Bradford, as the Panthers rolled to a 25-14 win.

The two teams put together a dramatic third set, with Allegheny looking to extend the match.

The Gators controlled the lead early on, but using the electric atmosphere from the KOA Arena crowd, the Panthers clawed back and eventually forced extra points.

In the match point, Payton Orzech flipped it toward the Gators' back line, just out of the closest Allegheny defender's reach.

Riley Anderson led the Panthers with 10 kills, while was right behind with nine. Emily Cleveland contributed eight kills for Pitt-Bradford

Anderson, Laura Hildebrand and Orzech all earned double-digit dig totals.

Orzech assisted 36 of the team's 40 kills.

Up next, the Panthers will play four matches competing in the Misericordia Tournament Friday and Saturday.