SHARON — The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford hit the road for a matchup with Penn State-Shenango on Tuesday evening, defeating the Lions 3-1 to pick up their first win of the season.
The Panthers were able to win set one 25-18 but then faltered in the second, dropping the set 19-25. In the middle set, the Panthers used a massive 21-point run to win 25-4, before closing the match with another long run in a 25-14 win in set four.
The Panthers started off with a kill by Jenna Louser but found themselves trailing by a point short afterward. Following a service error, they took a 4-point advantage with two Lion errors, a kill by Alycia Wilson, and an ace by Louser. Pitt-Bradford let the hosts cut into their lead before an Abby King kill was followed by two Wilson service aces and a kill by Ruby Smith to extend the lead to 6. Three straight Panthers errors cut their lead to th433, but Pitt-Bradford scored five of the final six points to secure the opening set victory.
Pitt-Bradford jumped out to an early 3-1 lead in the second set after a Danielle Sasuga ace and maintained the lead through 11 points. The Panthers could not maintain their momentum, however, as they became stuck in a struggling rotation and allowed the Lions to go on a 12 to 2 run, putting the hosts ahead 9-16. A block by Ryley Pago and Taylor King led to a rally that saw the Panthers trim the deficit to two points, but the Lions quickly jumped back ahead and saw out the set 19-25.
Set three saw the Panthers take an immediate 3-0 lead thanks to a trio of Penn State-Shenango errors, but the Lions were able to quickly even the set with a 4-1 run. After an attack error ended the Lions’ run, Dylan Amic stepped up to the service line and took over, serving the Panthers to 21 straight points and ending the set. The Panthers were able to force numerous errors in the rally, but also successfully kept their serves and attacks in play. Wilson and Pago each had three kills in the run, while Amic added 5 aces.
The fourth set started off as an even matchup, as neither team could separate themselves from the other, and were tied 11-11 midway through the set. A kill by Marissa Bowman sent Alexah Martinez to the line, where she served the Panthers to 9 in a row. She had two aces in the run, while Ruby Smith added a kill and a double block with Jenna Louser. The Panthers limited the Lions from there, finishing the set and match with three points in a row.
Alycia Wilson had a dominant night for Pitt-Bradford, finishing with 15 kills and a .429 hitting percentage. She also added 2 blocks, 7 digs and half a block. Ryley Pago and Emma King each added 4 kills, while Ruby Smith and Jenna Louser finished with three apiece. Alexah Martinez finished with 26 assists and also tallied 2 aces and 7 digs. Dylan Amic led the Panthers with 5 aces. Kayla Maslowski led the defensive effort for Pitt-Bradford, collecting 17 digs.
The win moves the Panthers to 1-3 on the season.
They will have a week off before they make their KOA Arena season debut next Tuesday when they take on Houghton. The match is slated to begin at 7:00 p.m.
