Bluffton, Oh. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford volleyball team played their second consecutive 5-set match on Friday night, dropping their first game at the Sommer Center Spiketacular 3-2 to the hosts, Bluffton.
For the second time in as many matches, the Panthers were able to jump ahead of their opponents, winning the opening set. Despite falling behind early, the Panthers were able to slowly cut into Bluffton's lead, taking their first lead of the game on a Stephanie Carson service ace at 14-13. The teams traded points before the Panthers went on a big rally to close the set. After a Jenna Louser kill tied the score at 17, Olivia Reese tallied two kills around a Darby Deniston ace to force the hosts into a timeout. The Beavers were able to force a side out after the timeout, but the Panthers rattled off 5 of 6 to end the set. Reese added two more kills and Deniston finished the set with a kill of her own.
The Panthers took the advantage in the second set, using three Bluffton errors to build an immediate 3-0 lead. Up 7-3, the Panthers lost momentum, as they allowed the Beavers to score 10 of 13 points to reverse the 4-point lead into a 4-point deficit. Pitt-Bradford was able to cut the lead to just 1 after a pair of Deniston kills and one each from Louser and Talia Magno. The Panthers were finally able to erase the deficit at 21-21 when Jenna Louser recorded a solo block and even took a 1-point lead on a Bluffton attack error. Unfortunately, the Panthers were unable to hold on, as Bluffton scored three straight to even the match at 1 set apiece.
Pitt-Bradford was able to retake the advantage at the beginning of set 3 as they jumped out to a quick 6-1 advantage. The Beavers quickly answered to cut the lead to 2, but the Panthers proved to be resilient as they quickly restored their 5-point edge at 11-6. After a kill by Stephanie Carson, the Beavers made another push, once again cutting the lead to 1. Pitt-Bradford was once again able to respond, scoring 6 of 7 points to take a commanding lead in the set. Bluffton made one final charge at the end of the set, but Deniston put down the final kill to put the Panthers up 2-1.
The fourth set was also full of scoring runs for both teams, but the Beavers used the biggest stretch to take control of the set. Tied 9-9 the Panthers were unable to slow Bluffton, as they scored 8 of the following 10 points to take a 7-point advantage, which they were able to maintain for the rest of the set. They eventually won set 4 25-15, forcing a match-deciding tiebreaker.
In the 5th, The Panthers stayed with the Beavers through 6 points, but the hosts were able to score 7 straight to grab an insurmountable lead. The Panthers did make a late charge, cutting the lead to 2 on a Tabitha Walker kill, but Bluffton scored two straight to end the match.
Sophomore outside hitter Olivia Reese set a new career high in the match, recording 23 kills. Her previous personal record was 16. She had a hitting percentage of .298 and also added 7 digs. Tabitha Walker dished out 41 assists and added 12 digs, 3 kills, and 2 service aces. Freshman Darby Deniston had the best all-around performance of her young career. She finished with 9 kills, 10 digs, and 5 service aces in the match. Jenna Louser also finished with 9 kills, swinging at a .474 clip. Kayla Maslowski led the defensive effort at Libero, picking up 28 digs, setting a new career high.
The tough loss moves the Panthers to 1-5 on the season. They will be right back in action early tomorrow, as they will play two more games in Bluffton. They will take on Bethany at 10:00 a.m. and then Baldwin Wallace at 12:30.
