The Pitt-Bradford volleyball team cruised to a 3-1 victory over the visiting Hilbert Hawks on Tuesday night at the KOA Arena.
The Lady Panthers put the Hawks away 25-14, 25-22, 17-25 and 25-16.
Pitt-Bradford (9-17, 3-1) earned the victory on its annual Dig Pink Night, where the team showed its commitment to breast cancer awareness by sponsoring the event and asking all fans in attendance to wear pink.
Pacing the Panthers offensively was the senior duo of Brittni Cumberland and Taylor McMillen. Cumberland finished with a double-double that included 10 kills, 18 assists and five digs. McMillen tacked on 18 kills of her own to go with one assist and one dig. Fellow senior Peyton Kauffman registered 14 assists and six digs.
On the defensive front, junior Jenessa Ceprish tallied 16 digs. Close behind was sophomore Kelsey Repke with 13 digs of her own.
In the first set, Pitt-Bradford allowed Hilbert (2-14, 0-4) to jump out to an early lead before the Panthers knotted the score at five points each. Pitt-Bradford took over from that point on, claiming the first set 25-14. In the second set, Hilbert again took the first point while the score remained neck and neck for the duration of the set. The Lady Panthers pulled away in the end, stealing a 25-22 victory.
The third set belonged to the Hawks, who jumped to a 14-11 lead midway through. With the score 24-17 in favor of the visitors, a ball that fell just short of the net proved costly for the Panthers as Hilbert took a 25-17 win.
In the final set, the Panthers allowed Hilbert to win the first point before they came roaring back and held a 20-15 lead late. Cumberland nailed the final kill that awarded the Panthers the final point of the match, including a 25-16 victory.
“A win is a win,” said head coach Tina Phillips. “I thought after the first game, it was kind of a letdown. Megan gave us a spark offensively and Taylor was huge for us, especially in key situations. It was a great crowd on a great night for a great cause.”
Pitt-Bradford returns to action Thursday when the Lady Panthers travel to face Keuka at 7 p.m.
