Bradford, Pa. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford volleyball team will host LaRoche in an AMCC Tournament First Round matchup on Wednesday Night. It is a repeat of the 2019 AMCC playoffs first round, which saw the Panthers prevail in straight sets.

 

Pitt-Bradford enters the matchup as the 4th seed in the tournament after finishing the season with a 17-7 overall record, and a 5-3 record in AMCC play. They are on a two-game losing streak, after falling to Fredonia in a midweek non-conference matchup, and Alfred State in the AMCC regular-season finale.

 

The Panthers have been led by senior Emily Cleveland, who leads the AMCC in kills, and kills per set. she has totaled 321 kills, with 99 of them coming in conference play. On the opposite side of Cleveland, freshman Olivia Reese has registered 201 kills, the 3rd most in the conference. Setter Tabitha Walker has been an important cog in the Panthers' attack, logging 716 assists and adding 55 kills. Three separate Panthers have collected 200 or more digs, as Kayla Maslowski has 276, Stephanie Carson has 263 and Walker has 226.

 

The LaRoche Redhawks finished their regular season with a 7-15 overall record, and a 4-4 record in AMCC play, which secured the 5th seed in the postseason tournament. They secured the 5th seed with a straight-sets victory over Pitt-Greensburg last Tuesday.

 

Senior Bethany Nulph leads the LaRoche attack with 189 kills. Mackenzie Juric is the only other Redhawk to reach triple figures, recording 141. Cassidy Rossi has served as LaRoche's primary setter, dishing out 290 assists on the season. Senior Libero Sydney Herzer leads the defensive effort with 392 digs.

 

The following regulations will be in place to align with Pitt-Bradford's COVID-19 mitigation efforts for indoor events. 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 at 7:00 p.m. in KOA Arena.