Latrobe, Pa. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford Women's Volleyball team was able to come away with a split on the second day of competition at the Bearcat Challenge in Latrobe, Pa. They opened the day with a 5 set victory over Waynesburg, before falling to Westminster in straight sets.

Game 1:

The Panthers were able to pick up their first win of the season in their second straight five-set thriller, this time with Waynesburg. The Panthers won the first game 25-23, and after dropping two straight 18-25, roared back with a 25-16 win in set four and a 15-11 victory in the deciding set.

• The Panthers were able to get off the mark in the first set that saw both teams battle and stay within three points throughout the set. They saw an early three-point lead disappear, and even fell behind the jackets 21-20 with the set nearing an end. With the score tied at 22, Kaitlyn Sexton put down a kill after a long rally to force a Waynesburg timeout. 
• After the timeout, Sexton and Jordan Sitler combined on a block to put the Panthers on set point. Following a Waynesburg sideout, Emily Cleveland put down her third kill of the set to put the Panthers up 1-0. 
• The Panthers dropped the second set after the Jackets were able to build an early 5 point advantage. Pitt-Bradford was able to cut the lead to 3 after an Oliva Reese kill at 16-19, but saw their opponents close the set on a 6-2 run to tie the match at 1.
• The third set started off similarly to its predecessor, as Waynesburg scored the first 4 points of the set and never looked back. they led for the entire set and closed on another 6-2 run to take a 2-1 set lead. The set did see Olivia Reese lead the Panthers, as she was able to record 5 kills on only 8 swings.
• With their backs against the wall in the 4th, the Panthers were able to battle back, breezing to a 25-16 victory. The Jackets were able to stay within shouting distance early on, but three consecutive kills from Emily Cleveland saw the Panthers build an insurmountable lead. To close the set, The Panthers scored 12 of the final 18 points to send the match to the deciding 5th set. 
• In the 5th, the Panthers had a slight change of tactics, as they focused their attack from the middle. Middle hitters Jordan Sitler and Taylor King accounted for 7 of the Panthers' 9 kills in the set. Sitler was able to put the match away, finishing off Waynesburg with her 9th kill of the match.
• Olivia Reese and Emily Cleveland paced the Panthers, each finishing with 14 kills. Reece also added three service aces and 8 digs.
• Tabitha Walker had another huge game at setter, picking up 43 more assists in the match.
• On the Defensive side, four Panthers picked up double-digit digs. Kayla Maslowski led the way with 26, while Walker had 19, Emily Treat had 15 and Stephanie Carson finished with 14.
• Jordan Sitler was a force in the middle as she had 2 solo blocks and 10 assisted blocks, totaling 7 in the match.

Game 2

The Panther's second game of the day did not go as well as the first, as they faced off against a tough opponent in 4-0 Westminster. They stayed with the titans early on, dropping the first set 21-25, but lost the second set 6-25 and the third 15-25.

• The Panthers were able to get off to a hot start in the match, scoring 6 of the first 7 to jump out to an early lead. They were able to push the lead even further, to seven points when Olivia Reese put down a kill to force a Westminster timeout. Following the stoppage, the Titans responded, winning back the serve and scoring 8 of 9 to quickly cut the lead away, and eventually tie the set at 18. 
• The Panthers traded points with the Titans to a 20-20 tie, but another 4 point run saw Westminster put the set away. In the set, the Panthers used a balanced attack as 5 different players recorded multiple kills, led by Reese who had 4.
• The Titan momentum continued to grow as the game moved into the second set. Westminster began the 2nd with an 8-0 run and never looked back. The Panthers were able to dig into the lead and cut it in half at 5-9, but The Panthers would then be outscored 16 to 1 to close the set and put Westminster up 2-0.
• Pitt-Bradford started well with two points to begin the third, but another big rally by Westminster quickly saw them behind 2-9. The lead grew to 12 before the Panthers made a short run to close the gap. They were able to get the lead into single digits, but it was too little too late as the Titans were able to easily put the match away.
• Reese and Sitler each had 5 kills in the match.
• Walker picked up 11 more assists, while Maslowski led the way with 10 digs.

The Panthers are now 1-3 on the young season. They will return home to KOA Arena for the first time since October 2019 for a home match against Buffalo State on Wednesday. The game will begin at 7:00 p.m.