Pitt-Bradford Women's Volleyball Battles Back From Down Two Sets To Claim AMCC Championship
Down, but never out.
That's the only way to describe the 2018 University of Pittsburgh at Bradford women's volleyball team's gutsy performance Sunday, Nov. 4.
Pitt-Bradford battled all the way back from being down two sets to none to defeat top-seeded Penn State-Behrend on its home gym to claim the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Championship.
The conference title is the team's second in three years and the third in program history (2010).
Penn State-Behrend capitalized on 11 Pitt-Bradford attack errors and cruised to a 25-18 win in set one.
Things were looking even worse for the Panthers in the second set as Behrend rode a .361 hitting percentage to an easy 25-15 win.
Looking to take the Panthers out in three sets, Behrend grabbed the first two points of the third, but Pitt-Bradford answered with a seven-straight of their own to spark life back into their game.
The Lions battled back, though, and eventually, the two teams stood locked at 14-14.
Neither team gave way and 20 points later, the score stood at 24-24.
But a kill from Riley Anderson followed by a Behrend attack error kept Pitt-Bradford alive and sent the title match to a fourth set.
Set four was all Panthers.
Backed by raucous "Let's Go Pitt" chants from the Panther faithful, Pitt-Bradford stormed to a 25-15 win, knocking 13 kills on 42 attempts along the way.
But Behrend returned to form in the deciding set, and neither team held a two-point lead until back-to-back Panthers attack errors brought the score to 7-5 in favor of the Lions.
Three-straight points from the Panthers capped by a kill from Alexandra Segura gave the Panthers an 8-7 lead, but the Lions eventually erased it with two straight points of their own.
Back-and-forth they went, trading the lead until Behrend earned a 15-14 advantage – one point away from clinching their second-straight AMCC title.
But Pitt-Bradford rose to the occasion, with Katie Treat collecting a perfect set from Payton Orzech and hammering the match-tying kill, and once again keeping Pitt-Bradford alive.
The two teams traded points until a Behrend attack error tipped the score to 17-16 in favor of the Panthers, setting up match point.
Off the Alayna Seggi serve – with all Panther fans on their feet, chanting "Let's Go Pitt" -- Behrend sent their attack into the net and the Panthers erupted in celebration.
Anderson led the team with 15 kills, followed closely by Emily Cleveland with 14.
Segura once again topped her career high with 13 kills. She assisted five blocks as well.
Orzech notched 51 assists and had 17 digs for a double-double effort.
Laura Hildebrand led the way with 20 digs.
With 13 digs, Anderson had a double-double as well, and Alexis Constantino (13) and Seggi (11) also had double-figure digs totals.
Anderson Named Co-Player of the Year; Hildebrand, Cleveland, Orzech, Treat Earn All-AMCC Honors
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. – The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford women's volleyball team is once again well represented on the All-Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Teams.
Sophomore Riley Anderson has been named the AMCC Co-Player of the Year, while sophomores Laura Hildebrand and Emily Cleveland, and senior Payton Orzech were named to the All-AMCC Second Team. Rounding out the Pitt-Bradford honorees is sophomore Katie Treat, who was named to the All-AMCC Third Team.
"Incredibly pleased to get five AMCC All-Stars for the second year in a row," Head Coach Tom Roof said. "It's a nice testament to where we are as a program that our players continue to get recognized by the league's coaches. And, what's nice, is that they're all great students."
Anderson becomes the sixth Player of the Year in Pitt-Bradford women's volleyball history and the second in three years (Kirsten Platz, 2016). She shares the title with Lexi Irwin from Penn State-Behrend.
The Cresson, Pa., native led the AMCC with 388 total kills and 3.66 kills per set. Her kills total ranks 41st in NCAA Division III while her kills per set ranks 59thnationally. On the season, she has The outside hitter also amassed 1,134 total attacks, the 34th most in the country.
A two-time AMCC Player of the Week, Anderson also recorded the fifth-most digs in the conference with 421, the most of any non-libero/defensive specialist. She was also named to the AMCC Championship All-Tournament Team for her performance during the conference playoffs.
For Hildebrand, 2018 marks the second-straight year she has earned All-AMCC honors as a season ago she landed on the Third Team.
The Panthers' libero led the conference and is 17th nationally with 617 total digs. She is third in the conference with 5.27 digs per set. The State College, Pa., native's season was highlighted by reaching the 1,000 career digs plateau – doing so in just 56 matches in her two-year career as a Panther.
As the reigning AMCC Newcomer of the Year, Cleveland has also earned All-AMCC honors her first two years as a Panther, claiming a spot on the First Team a season ago.
The Winchester, Va., native finished second in the AMCC to her teammate Anderson with 355 total kills and recorded the third-best kills per set average at 3.38. Her .270 hitting percentage is also fifth-best in the conference. A go-to player for the Panthers this season, she was named the AMCC Player of the Week on Sept. 10.
Orzech is also a two-time All-AMCC honoree, landing on the Third Team last season.
A transfer from the Chicago area, Pitt-Bradford's primary setter made a lasting impact on the program in her two years as a Panther, amassing 1,678 total career assists. This season, she led the AMCC with 1,029 assists and 9.71 assists per set – 1.71 assists per set better than the second-place finisher. She also leads the team with 34 service aces while recording 58 kills, 31 total blocks and 331 total digs.
Treat emerged as a dual threat to earn the first All-AMCC selection of her career.
The Cyclone, Pa., native finished second in the AMCC with 96 total blocks and 80 assisted blocks. Her 0.86 blocks per set total ranked third in the conference. Offensively, she knocked 215 kills and swung at a .222 hitting percentage – both ranking in the top 10 in the AMCC. She was at her best late in the season, earning the AMCC Player of the Week for her performance during the final week of the regular season.
Panthers Face Thomas More In NCAA Tournament First Round
HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford women's volleyball team wrapped up its 2018 season in the NCAA Tournament First Round Friday, Nov. 9.
The defeat came at the hands of Thomas More (32-3), who entered the NCAA Tournament ranks No. 7 in the Nov. 6 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top 25.
Though the opponent on the other side of the net entered with a strong national reputation, Pitt-Bradford (20-13) hung tough.
The Saints opened up the first set with a 9-2 lead, but Pitt-Bradford rallied eventually took a 13-11 advantage and forced a Thomas More timeout.
But the Saint regrouped and took the first set, 25-17.
Pitt-Bradford controlled the lead early in set two, opening up a 9-2 lead and eventually building an 11-4 advantage.
Once again, though, the Saints found their offensive stroke and rallied to a 25-18 victory, taking a two-set lead.
The Saints continued their strong play and rolled to a win in the third set to take the match in straight sets and advance to the NCAA Tournament Second Round.
Treat led the team with six kills while Riley Anderson added five.
Anderson led the team with 15 digs while Laura Hildebrand and Payton Orzech had eight apiece.
Orzech assisted 18 of the team's 19 kills.
The defeat caps a memorable campaign for Pitt-Bradford, which won 20 games, went 7-2 in AMCC action, swept its way to the conference title match and pulled off a thrilling two-set comeback win at and against top-seeded Penn State-Behrend to advance to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years.
As a result, Anderson was named the AMCC's Co-Player of the Year, while Emily Cleveland, Hildebrand, Orzech and Treat picked up All-AMCC honors.
Pitt-Bradford will graduate its primary setter Orzech, who amassed 1,696 assists in her two years as a Panther. Katie Sedon, who was set to play a key role in the Panthers' success this season but had her campaign cut short due to injury, will also graduate this academic year. Both provided irreplaceable leadership.
However, Pitt-Bradford is set to return 19 players from this season next year -- three for their sophomore year, 10 for their junior year and six for their senior year.
