Buffalo, N.Y. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford women's volleyball team played their final two games of the Bengal Challenge, hosted by Buffalo State, on Saturday. They began with a 3-0 loss to the hosts, before finishing with another straight-set defeat to Capital.
Game 1: Buffalo State 3 - Pitt-Bradford 0
After a tough matchup with St. John Fisher on Friday evening, the Panthers had a better start against Buffalo State but were unable to come away with a set victory. They lost the first 25-17, before dropping both the 2nd and 3rd sets 25-16.
Pitt-Bradford was able to stick with the Bengals early, using a pair of Alycia Wilson kills and two blocks to remain tied through 12 points. Following a side-out, the Panthers struggled to receive the Buffalo State serve, as the Bengals rolled off three straight service aces. Pitt-Bradford slowed the rally with a Buffalo State error and a Wilson Ace but quickly saw the deficit grow to 7 with another 4-point rally. Jenna Louser recorded three kills in short order to help the Panthers cut the lead to 4, however, the hosts scored 6 of the final 8 points to close the set.
Wilson put down a pair of kills to start set two, but the Panthers could not build off of them and Buffalo State jumped out to a 6-2 lead. Trailing by 5, Dylan Amic served the Panthers a 4-point run that saw them cut the deficit to just one. Pitt-Bradford never tied the set and the Bengals regained momentum with a 6-point rally. Trailing 16-20, the Panthers were kept scoreless for the remainder of the set, allowing 5 straight from the Bengals.
The Panthers started the 3rd set positively, holding a 5-4 lead due to kills by Louser and Wilson. They lost any momentum they had after Buffalo State kill, as the hosts scored 5 in a row to take control of the set. From that point, the hosts limited the Panthers' rallies while maintaining and slowly adding to their advantage. Brooklyn Bellavia had two late kills, but it was not enough as the Bengals won the set 25-16 to secure the match.
Jenna Louser and Alycia Wilson each had 8 kills for the Panthers. Louser hit .353 in the game and also added an assist and two assisted blocks. Wilson had an ace and 6 digs. Alexah Martinez had 11 assists and 5 digs, while Abby King had 8 assists and a team-high 8 digs.
Game 2: Capital 3 - Pitt-Bradford 0
The Panthers finished the competition with a match against Capital.
Pitt-Bradford struggled to find space to put down kills in the match and finished with a -.008 hitting percentage. They lost the opening set 25-13, the second 25-15, and the final 25-16.
The Panthers fell behind early in set one but were able to rally through kills by Jenna Louser, Ruby Smith, and two from Taylor King. A Baylee Fitzsimmons ace tied the score at 8, however, it was quickly followed by an 8-1 run by Capital. Louser added a pair of late kills in the set, but the Panthers could not string a rally together as the Comets saw out the set.
In the 2nd, the Panthers built a small lead through kills by Ryley Pago and Brooklyn Bellavia. After Capital took the lead with a service ace and a Panther attack error, the Comets were able to record 6 straight kills to push their advantage to 7. A service error slowed the rally, but it was followed by 5 more to put the Panthers down 23-15. The Panthers cut into the lead with a Ruby Smith Kill and an ace from Dylan Amic, but it only prolonged the set shortly, as the Comets quickly finished the set.
Pitt-Bradford scored the first two points of the third set, but Capitl grabbed momentum immediately, scoring 7 of 8 to move into the lead. Smith stopped the Rally with a kill, and then shortly afterwards added another. Capital slowly extended their lead to 9 before putting the game on match point with a 5-1 run. The Panthers were able to score 4 late points with a few Capital errors and an Emma King kill until a hitting error brought the match to an end.
Ruby Smith led the Panthers with 4 kills. Brooklyn Bellavia and Jenna Louser were just behind her at 3 each. Alexah Martinez led with 8 assists and 11 digs. Dylan Amic and Baylee Fitzsimmons each had a service ace in the loss.
Kayla Maslowski represented Pitt-Bradford on the All-Tournament Team.
The Panthers finish the Bengal Challenge at 1-11. They will be back on the road in their midweek matchup, as they will take on Alfred on Wednesday. The match is slated to begin at 7:00 p.m.
