Keuka Park, N.Y. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford women's volleyball team dropped two games on Saturday, as they wrapped up play at the season-opening Keuka College Invitational. They started the day with a straight sets loss to Fredonia, before losing a tough 3-2 match to Thiel to close proceedings.
Match 1: Fredonia 3 - Pitt-Bradford 0
The Panthers had a slow start to the day, falling to the Blue Devils in straight sets 15-25, 10-25, and 16-25.
In the opening set, the Panthers fell behind early 1-4 but battled back and took a 7-5 advantage. After a Fredonia error, Marissa Bowman put down a kill to start the rally. Following two side-outs, the Panthers scored 4 straight with Ruby Smith at the service line. She picked up an ace before Taylor King converted back-to-back kills. After another Blue Devil error, the Panthers lost momentum, as Fredonia scored 10 of the next 12 points to take a commanding lead. Hannah Hirata, Emma Pablic, and Ryley Pago all had kills in the stretch, but their efforts did not slow down Fredonia enough, who outscored the Panthers 18-4 to put the set away.
Things did not improve for the Panthers in the second, as they quickly fell behind 3-8 after another long dry spell. Mia Gonzales ended a run with a kill and then later added a block, however, Pitt-Bradford could not rally as they were limited to 1 point while serving in the entire set. Jenna Louser picked up two kills late in the set and Alycia Wilson added another.
The Panthers got off to a much better start in the third. Wilson started the set with two early kills and then Pitt-Bradford took advantage of three Blue Devil errors and a Pago Kill to go ahead 7-4. The Panthers' offense quickly hit a dry spell after the Pago kill, only scoring 3 points on errors over the next 20, allowing their opponents to open up a 10-point edge. Late in the set, Louser registered three kills, while Pago added one kill and a solo block, but the deficit was too great, and the Panthers lost the set 16-25, ending the match.
Jenna Louser led the Panthers with 5 kills and a .214 hitting percentage. Alycia Wilson added 4 kills, while Ryley Pago had 3 kills and 1.5 blocks. Alexah Martinez finished with 12 assists and 15 digs.
Match 2: Thiel 3 - Pitt-Bradford 2
To close the trip, the Panthers took on Thiel. The Panthers lost the first set 19-25 but quickly battled back with a 30-28 marathon win in the 2nd and a 25-20 win in the third. They could not close out the game in the 4th, falling 21-25. In the deciding set, the Panthers fell behind early, and could not close the gap, dropping the 5th 10-15 and the match three sets to two.
Pitt-Bradford started the match slowly, allowing the Tomcats to respond to two early Panther points with 9 of their own. Alycia Wilson slowed the run with a kill and a block with Ryley Pago, but the momentum stayed with Thiel, who pushed their lead to 9 points at 18-9. Pitt Bradford rallied late, cutting the advantage to three with a 5-0 run with Dylan Amic at the service line. Amic started the rally with an ace before Wilson set down a kill and Louser and Taylor King combined on a block. A service error ended the run, and Thiel was able to see out the set with a few side-outs and a three-point run to close.
The Tomcats jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead to start the 2nd, but the Panthers responded, scoring 11 of the next 12 points. The Panthers used three solo blocks, kills from Taylor King, Wilson, and Louser, and a pair of aces from Amic. Thiel chipped away at the lead, citing it to three points before Kayla MAslowski served the Panthers to a 5-point run to restore an 8-point edge. The Pitt-Bradford lead did not last, as an eight-point Thiel rally tied the set at 21, setting up a thrilling finish. the teams exchanged the lead 3 times with 13 side-outs until the Panthers finally ended the set with 4 out of 5 points. On set point, Ruby Smith kept the Panthers in the set with a clutch kill and then Pitt-Bradford went back in front on a Thiel error. After one final side-out, Gonzales and Louser set down back-to-back kills to win the set 30-28 and tie the match at 1.
The third set saw the Panthers fall behind early, but quickly rally to tie the set at five. Despite the Pitt-Bradford rally, Thiel was able to remain in front for the majority of the set. The Panthers kept the lead in check until they were able to put together a long scoring rally to take the lead. Trailing 20-17, the Panthers finished the set with eight straight points to take a 201 lead. Gonzales started the rally with a block, sending Kayla Maslowski to the service line. Maslowski finished the set, as the Panthers scored the final 7 points of the set with three Louser kills, three Tomcat hitting errors, and an ace.
Pitt-Bradford took an early lead in the 4th, as they looked to close out the match. Martinez and Amic each had aces early on, while Gonzales, Louser, and Wilson all recorded kills. The Panthers did not stay ahead for long, as Thiel quickly tied the set at 6 and eventually built a 13-10 lead. Following a service error, Louser took over, recording three straight kills to start a rally that saw the Panthers go ahead 16-14. The Tomcats took the momentum right back, pulling off a 6-point run of their own to move back in front. Two Wilson kills around one from Louser moved the Panthers to within one, but Thiel closed with 4 out of 5 points to win the set 25-21 and force a deciding 5th set.
The Panthers stayed with the Tomcats early in the 5th, using kills from Taylor King and Mia Gonzales to stay tied at 3. Tiel was able to take control from there, outscoring Pitt-Bradford 9-3 to take a commanding 12-6 lead. The Panthers cut into the lead with a pair of kills by Gonzales and two Thiel errors, but the comeback came up short as Thiel scored two straight to win the set 15-10 and secure the match victory.
Alycia Wilson had a highly productive match for the Panthers, recording 17 kills, 17 digs, 4 total blocks, and 2 aces. Jenna Louser also reached double figures in kills with 12, while also chipping in 5 total blocks. Freshman setter Alexah Martinez registered 26 assists in the loss, while also collecting 14 digs. Abby King added 12 helpers. Kayla Maslowski led the defensive effort with 35 digs, while Dylan Amic led the Panthers with 4 aces.
The Panthers wrap up opening weekend with an 0-3 record. They will be back in action on Tuesday, September 3rd when they travel to Penn State-Shenango.
