Panthers Swept in Season Opener by No. 3 Washington

Friday, August 25

Seattle, Wash.

9:00 PM EST

Pitt

0-1

Washington

1-0

Pitt

Washington

Photo by: Alex Mowrey/Pitt Athletics

Panthers Swept in Season Opener by No. 3 Washington

8/26/2017 12:26:00 AM | Volleyball

Box Score Season Stats Box Score (PDF)

Pitt Continues Husky Invitational vs. No. 9 Creighton Saturday

SEATTLE – The University of Pittsburgh volleyball team fell in its opening match of the season to No. 3 Washington by way of sweep Friday evening.

The Panthers opened the match with a 25-17 loss in the first set and dropped set two 26-24 despite battling with the Huskies. Pitt was unable to win a set, as Washington took the third 25-16.

The Panthers recorded more kills and digs than the Huskies, but errors plagued Pitt in the long run.

"The biggest story of the night was that we blew up in errors," said head coach Dan Fisher. "We're better offensively and we didn't show that tonight."

"We did fight defensively and I liked the direction we were headed there. Hopefully we got the jitters out, can settle in and make some better decisions."

Redshirt sophomore Stephanie Williams and sophomore Nika Markovic stood out for the Panthers, recording double-doubles in their opening match of the season.

Williams led the squad with 13 kills and hit .290, while tallying 10 digs and three consecutive aces in the second set. Markovic also had 10 digs, and recording double-digit kills with 12. Junior Kamalani Akeo aided the offense with 36 assists.

Defensively, redshirt junior Angela Seman recorded 10 digs, while sophomore Layne Van Buskirk posted three blocks at the net.

All-three of Pitt's newcomers saw action this evening, as freshmen Chinaza Ndee and Kayla Lund found themselves in the starting lineup, while senior transfer Alex Rosignol entered the game as a sub.

Set One: No. 3 Washington 25, Pitt 17
The Panthers opened up the match with a 25-17 loss to the Huskies.

The two teams remained close in the beginning of the set as Pitt trailed 13-9, however midway through the set, Washington found a groove and began separating itself from the Panthers with four straight points to make it 22-15.

Pitt was unable to stop the Huskies as they went on to win 25-17.

Set Two: No. 3 Washington 26, Pitt 24
Despite out-hitting the Huskies and tallying four aces in the second set, the Panthers fell behind 2-0 in the match as Washington fought back from a seven-point deficit to defeat Pitt 26-24.

The Panthers came out swinging early in the second set, pushing out to a 7-3 lead. All seven of Pitt's points came off swinging kills, forcing a Huskies timeout.

Out of the break, Washington scored four straight to tie the score but after back-and-forth points, the Panthers went on a 6-1 run to put the squad out in front by five, 17-12.

Pitt's offense continued to push forward, as three straight aces by Williams gave the Panthers a seven-point advantage late in the set, 21-14, but the lead wasn't enough as the Huskies outscored the Panthers 12-3 to fight back and take the set 26-24.

Set Three: No. 3 Washington 25, Pitt 16
Pitt struggled to find momentum early in the final set as Washington got out to an 8-2 lead, forcing two timeouts from the Panthers in that point span.

The squad was unable to catch the Huskies who remained out in front by a large margin the remainder of the set.

Up Next
The Panthers continue play at the Husky Invitational Saturday, Aug. 25 with two matches. Pitt will face No. 9 Creighton at 1 p.m. EST and Saint Mary's at 9 p.m. EST.

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