Buffalo, N.Y. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford volleyball team traveled to Buffalo on Friday to begin play at the Bengal challenge, hosted by Buffalo State. The Panthers started the event with a match against St. John Fisher, losing to the Cardinals in straight sets.
The Panthers struggled to find points against the Cardinals, as they were limited to -0.152 hitting percentage. They lost the first set 25-10 and then found some success in the second set despite falling 25-17. They could not maintain their momentum in the 3rd and finished the match with a 25-9 loss.
In set one, Pitt-Bradford fell behind from the start, dropping 9 of the first 10 points. They were only able to get on the board through St. John Fisher service errors until Alexah MArtinexz and Ryley Pago combined for a block with the score 18-5. Following a 6-1 run by the Cardinals, they picked up another block from Pago and Emily King and an ace from Kayla Maslowski before losing the set.
The Panthers got off to a terrific start in set two, quickly jumping out to an early lead. They lost the first point, but then after a service error, rolled off 4 in a row. Ruby Smith put down the first kill of the match for the Panthers, and then the Panthers picked up two more blocks, a solo effort from Jenna Louser and a double block by Louser and Brooklyn Bellavia. The rally was slowed by a St. John Fisher kill but the Panthers tacked on two more on back-to-back kills by Bellavia and Smith. Following a pair of sideouts, Pitt-Bradford lost the momentum and the Cardinals pounced, scoring 10 of 11 points to turn the deficit into a 5-point lead. They continued adding to their lead before the Panthers made one final push, scoring three in a row to cut the lead to 6. Pitt-Bradford would not get any closer as the Cardinals scored two in a row to end the set and take a commanding 2-0 lead.
Pitt-Bradford stayed close to St. John Fisher early in set three, earning a pair of early points on an Emma King Kill and a block by Louser, but another long scoring rally saw the Cardinals put the game to rest. They scored 13 of 14 points to build a 16-3 lead. Pitt-Bradford earned 6 late points through Cardinal errors, but could not threaten to extend the match.
Pitt-Bradford struggled offensively, recording only 8 kills. Emma King and Ruby Smith had three each, while Brooklyn Bellavia added two. Alexah Martinez assisted on 4 of the kills. Kayla MAslowski led the defense with 13 digs, while Jenna Louser finished with 2.5 blocks.
The Panthers fall to 1-10 on the season. They will be back in action tomorrow with two more matches in Buffalo. They will take on the hosts, Buffalo State, before facing off against Capital to close the event. The games are scheduled for 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.