Elmira, N.Y. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford Women's volleyball team began its 2023 campaign on Friday afternoon, falling to Elmira 3-0.
The Panthers lost a thrilling first set 24-26. They fell behind early in the set before clawing back to tie the set at 9. The Soaring Eagles were able to hold off the Panther charge, as the teams split the next 16 points. The Panthers were able to take their first lead of the game when Summer Anderson rolled off three straight service aces to put Pitt-Bradford ahead 19-17. The hosts were able to score 4 straight to jump back ahead, before the Panthers made one final charge, pushing Elmira to set point at 24-23 after a Taylor King kill. The Panthers were unable to finish off the hosts, as Elmira scored three straight to win the set.
The Panthers struggled to regain momentum in the second set, as Elmira followed a set-opening kill from Bridget Kasting with 10 straight points. They pushed their lead to 17-3 before coasting to a 25-12 win. The Panthers were able to close strong, scoring 5 of the final 6 points of the set.
Pitt-Bradofrd was able to battle with the Soaring Eagles early on in set three, splitting the first 16 points of the final set. The hosts jumped ahead with a 5-point run, but the Panthers battled back, whittling away at the lead until a block from Anderson and Alyssa Radtke tied the set at put them down 22-20. They cut the deficit down to 1 point at 23-22, but the hosts scored on two straight to close the match.
Emma King led the Panthers offensively, as she finished with 6 kills. Taylor King added 5, while Morgan Frishkorn tallied 4. Chloe Bellis led the team with 9 assists, while also adding in 3 kills and 8 digs. Kayla Maslowski led the defensive effort with 10 digs. Summer Anderson led the team with 3 service aces.
The Panthers will have two chances to get into the win column tomorrow, as they stay in Elmira overnight. They will start day two of the quad match at 10:00 a.m. with a matchup against William Paterson, before taking on New England College at 12:30.
