Skip to navigation Skip to content Skip to footer

Panthers Unable to Finish Off Hawks, Fall in 5

Panthers Unable to Finish Off Hawks, Fall in 5

Bradford, Pa. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford volleyball team could not convert a 2-1 set lead into a win over Hilbert on Tuesday, as they dropped the final two sets, losing to the Hawks 3-2 in KOA Arena.

The Panthers started the match strong, rallying late in the first set to win 25-13. They held a 16-10 lead and then, following a Hilbert service error, recorded 5 straight kills and an ace to take a commanding lead. Ryley Pago finished off the set with a pair of kills. 

The visitors took control of set two early, winning the first seven points. The Panthers chipped away at the deficit and eventually built a 13-12 lead after back-to-back aces from Kayla Maslowski. They could not hold onto momentum, and the Hawks scored 11 of the final 15 points to even the match with a 25-18 set-two victory. 

Pitt-Bradford found themselves trailing Hilbert by 7 points in the third set but rallied with a 14-3 run that saw them turn a 14-7 deficit into a 21-17 lead. Unlike set two, they kept the momentum to finish the set, scoring 4 of 5 to win the third 25-20 and go ahead 2 sets to 1.

In the 4th, the Panthers stayed with the Hawks early, but 4 consecutive hitting errors allowed the guests to open up a lead that they would not relinquish. The closest the Panthers would get to erasing the deficit was 4 points when an Abby King ace cut the lead to 12-8, however, the Hawks outscored the Panthers 13-5 down the stretch to force a deciding 5th set. 

The Panthers started off the fifth slowly, dropping to an early 6-2 lead. They staged a comeback before the change and scored 7 of 10 points to go ahead by 2 points. Pitt-Bradford could not hold on to the final lead, as Hilbert tied the match at 12 and then outlasted the Panthers to win the set 16-14. 

Jenna Louser recorded 15 kills for the Panthers, posting a .250 hitting percentage with 3 aces and a block. Alycia Wilson recorded 9 kills, while Ryley Pago had 7. Abby King led Pitt-Bradford with 23 assists, while Alexah Martinez finished at 15. Kayla Maslowski ked the defense with 30 digs. Wilson and Danielle Sasuga were just behind her, each collecting 29 digs. Pago added 2.5 blocks in the match. 

The loss drops Pitt-Bradford to 3-17 on the season, and 0-4 in AMCC play. They will return to action on Saturday, as they will take on the conference front runners, Penn State-Altoona on the road. The match begins at 1:00 p.m. in Adler Arena at Penn State-Altoona.