Bradford, Pa. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford women's volleyball team will look to return to form in 2024. They will look to bounce back into playoff contention under the direction of new head coach Mark Lucas, who joined the program from Wells College, where he led the express to an AMCC playoff birth last season.
In 2023, The Panthers finished the season with a 4-21 record overall and a 1-8 mark in AMCC play. Offensively, they were led by Middle Hitter Jenna Louser, who registered 115 kills with a .116 hitting percentage. She also added 50 total blocks. Three other Panthers eclipsed the 100-kill mark as Marissa Bowman had 109 in her debut campaign, while Ruby Smith added 108. Senior middle Summer Anderson had a strong season to finish her career, putting down 107 kills, 18 aces, and 49 total blocks. Libero Kayla Maslowski once again led the defensive effort for Pitt-Bradford, collecting 448 digs. She averaged 4.98 digs per set, the 3rd best in the AMCC.
Louser, Bowman, and Smith are back to contribute on the offensive end in 2024, and the Panthers have also added another potent outside weapon, as 2nd Team All-AMCC performer Alycia Wilson has joined the program. Last season at Wells, the now sophomore had 224 kills, averaging 2.04 per set. She also chipped in defensively, tallying 217 digs and 25 total blocks. Maslowski will serve as the Panthers' primary libero, while she will be aided in the defensive effort by Dylan Amic and Baylee Fitzsimmons, who registered 185 and 167 digs respectively.
The Panthers will begin their season on the road, as they open the campaign at the Keuka College Invitational, where they will play 3 matches over two days. They will take on the hosts to start the season on Friday, August 30th, and then play Fredonia and Thiel on Saturday. The Panthers' first home match will be on Tuesday, September 10th, when they face Houghton. The Panthers' AMCC Schedule will begin on October 8th at Penn St. Behrend, and stretch until the regular season finale on November 9th against Pitt-Greensburg.
"Based on the strides we've made in the last 10 days, I'm very excited to see what the team is capable of as we work our way through the season," said Lucas. "We can hardly wait for the first whistle on Friday night!"
In the AMCC's annual preseason poll, the Panthers were predicted to finish in 8th place. The conference's coaches selected Penn State-Altoona to repeat as conference champions with Alfred State as the runners-up.
