Bradford, Pa. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford Volleyball team will return to their home court for their first game in Bradford since 2019 on Wednesday evening. Along with facing Buffalo State, the program will also be celebrating senior outside hitter Emily Cleveland, who surpassed the 1,000 kill milestone over the weekend.
Cleveland became the 6th player in program history to reach the milestone and the first since 2014 when Taylor McMillen did the same. Cleveland is the reigning AMCC Co-Player of the Year, was the 2017 AMCC Newcomer of the Year, and is a 3-time All-AMCC honoree. There will be a short ceremony prior to the start of the contest to celebrate Cleveland and her reaching this milestone.
Once the action starts, the Panthers will be looking to extend a home undefeated streak that stretches back to October of 2018. The Panthers started off their 2021 campaign at the Bearcat Invitational hosted by St. Vincent College, where they faced tough opposition to start their season. The Panthers went 1-3 on the weekend, losing to the hosts in five sets, and Hiram and Westminster in straight sets. They were able to pick up a comeback win over Waynesburg in five sets. Cleveland led the way for the Panthers, putting down 45 kills at a .191. Freshman Olivia Reese also had a productive weekend in her first collegiate action, recording 31 kills and four service aces. Junior setter Tabitha walker dished out 111 assists in the four games and also aided in the defensive effort with 41 digs.
The Bengals have started their season with three straight losses. They opened their season with a three-set loss to Rochester, then fell to Smith College in five, and closed the weekend with a straight-set loss to RIT. Alena McKelvey led the Bengals with 21 kills. Riley Domin picked up 62 assists in 11 sets played, Jenna Hugenschmidt had 37 digs over the weekend, while the Bengals picked up 16 blocks as a team in the three matches.
The contest will be the first indoor game of the season and has the following regulations in place that align with Pitt-Bradford's COVID-19 mitigation efforts. All spectators, game staff, officials and team members not actively participating on the court are required to wear a mask at all times. Masks must be affixed to cover the wearer's nose and mouth. All spectators will be required to sign in upon their entrance into the facility, as the lists will be used in any contact tracing efforts that may become necessary. They will be required to provide a name and contact phone number to game staff.
The game is scheduled to begin shortly after 7:00 p.m.
