Pittsburgh, PA -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford returned to AMCC action on Saturday with a road match at Carlow. The Panthers started the match slowly, but battled back and ultimately swept the Celtics 3-0.
The Panther erased a 7-point deficit in set one to win the opener 26-24, and then controlled set two from the start to win 25-15. In the Final set, they slowly built a lead early and then closed with a 6-3 run to finish the match with a 25-18 set victory.
The Panthers jumped out to a 3-0 lead to start the match, using an opening ace from Marissa Bowman and a pair of errors from the Celtics. The hosts rallied and scored six of the next seven points to take a 4-6 lead. After the Panthers trimmed the lead to one, Carlow opened up a 17-10 lead using 5 Pitt-Bradford errors. Lillian Bentley cut into the advantage with three straight kills, but the Celtics answered and restored their lead at 7, forcing a Panther timeout. Pitt-Bradford responded to the break, scoring six of the next seven points to bring the deficit to 1. Bentley had 2 kills and an ace in the run, while Jenna Louser put down one kill and combined on a block. Carlow pushed the Panthers to set point with a pair of errors, but the Panthers were able to come back and close the opening set with 4-straight points. Alycia Wilson recorded consecutive kills to tie the score at 24, and a Bentley kill and a Carlow error finished the set.
Carlow opened set two by scoring the first two points, but the Panthers found a quick answer and scored 5 of the next 6 to take the lead. Wilson tallied 2 aces in the run. After the Celtics retook the lead with 3 straight, Pitt-Bradford responded with 5 straight to go ahead 10-6. Ruby Smith had 3 kills in the rally, while Danielle Sasuga had an ace, and Louser put down a kill. They continued to add to the lead despite a side out, pushing their advantage to 15-8 after a Louser kill. Carlow put together a late rally, cutting the Panthers' lead to 3, but Pitt-Bradford finished strong, outscoring the Celtics 10-3 down the stretch. Bentley started the rally with two early kills, while Ryley Pago and Wilson combined on back-to-back blocks. Once again, the Panthers finished the set with four straight points, this time winning 25-15.
Looking to close out the match in the third, Pitt-Bradford took a lead at 5-4 and never trailed again. The teams exchanged three sideouts each until the Panthers opened up a lead with a 9-3 rally. Wilson started the run with two kills around a Baylee Fitzsimmons ace, and then Lillian Bentley added a pair to put the Panthers up 13-9. Leading 19-15, Wilson put down a kill to pick up a sideout, and the Panthers rolled off three more points to put Pitt-Bradford two points from victory. The Panthers were able to exchange sideouts, utilizing kills by Wilson and Bentley to secure a 25-18 set win and finish the match.
Lillian Bentley led the Panthers with 16 kills in the win. She also tallied 2 aces, 4 digs, and 4 total blocks. Alycia Wilson added 9 kills and 3 aces. Jenna Louser hit .308 to record 7 kills, while also tallying 5 total blocks. Marissa Bowman dished out 31 assists, while Danielle Sasuga led the back line with 13 digs.
The win moves the Panthers to 16-7 on the season with a 2-1 mark in AMCC play. They will be back in action on Tuesday, when they travel to Buffalo for an AMCC Matchup with Hilbert. The match is slated to start at 7:00 p.m.
