Aston, Pa. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford volleyball returned to the court on Friday, playing its first game at the Knights Invitational hosted by Neumann University. The Panthers took on Cabrini on Friday night and were able to breeze to a 3-0 victory.

The Panthers used an early advantage to take set one 25-18, won a tighter contest in the second 25-19, and had a strong close of the game in the third, winning that set 25-18.

• Set one saw the Panthers jump out to a 7-1 lead courtesy of long serving runs by Olivia Reese and Jordan Sitler. The Cavaliers responded to the early deficit, cutting the lead to just one at the midpoint of the set before two Reese kills around a service Ace by Stephanie Carson saw the Panthers regain momentum to win the set and take a lead into the second.
• The beginning of the middle set saw the teams get off to a seesaw start. The Panthers scored the first 4 points of the set before Cabrini responded with 6 straight of their own. The Panthers quickly pushed their advantage back to four, only to see it erased once more by their opponents. The Panthers got hot again to close the set, scoring the final 6 points in a row to put Pitt-Bradford up two. 
• The final set of the night was once again even for the majority of play. The Panthers found themselves tied at 14, before closing the match by going on an eleven-to-four run. Emily Cleveland bookended the final stretch, putting down 3 of the Panthers' 5 kills including the clincher.

Emily Cleveland led the way for the Panthers with 13 kills. Jordan Sitler and Olivia Reese both finished with 7. Freshman Talia Magno made an impact in the middle, recording 3 kills on 6 swings, as well as being a part of 4 blocks.

As a team, the Panthers only trailed twice in the second set. 

Looking forward, the Panthers (8-3) will play two more institutions at the Knights Invitational. On Saturday morning, they take on the host at 10:00 a.m. and close their trip to Eastern, Pa with a match against Ursinus at 2:00 p.m.