Pitt volleyball recovered from a first-set loss to handily beat Jacksonville in a gentleman’s sweep, dominating the Dolphins in the last three sets.
The Panthers found themselves in unfamiliar territory with Jacksonville handing them a loss early in the game — the Panthers lost the first set 26-24. Quickly rallying after its shaky start, Pitt managed to beat Jacksonville, 25-17, 25-12 and 25-9, in the second, third and fourth sets.
A rocky start
The Dolphins came into the game hot after a three-set victory over Pepperdine on Saturday. Their victory was by a smaller margin than Pitt’s, winning each set by no more than four points.
Jacksonville came out swinging in the first set, hitting 0.412 compared to Pitt’s 0.265. Junior outside hitter Claire Mrukowski presented a challenge for the Panthers when she led the first set in both kills and points, notching five kills on seven swings and hitting an impressive 0.714.
Unfortunately for the Dolphins, this high was short-lived, seeing as their hitting percentage dropped consistently over the last three sets, going from 0.107 to 0.037, and falling all the way to -0.087 in the fourth and final set.
Key stat
The Panthers were once again on fire behind the service line, having five separate players each go on service runs. Senior setter Brooke Mosher and serving substitute Malorie Meyer were the main contributors.
“[Serving] is something in preseason that I didn’t think we were very good at,” head coach Dan Fisher said. “I challenged the team to be … a team that could keep other teams stuck in every rotation.”
When combining the service runs from Pitt’s weekend against Pepperdine and Jacksonville, the Panthers had 11 service runs that lasted for three or more points. Against Jacksonville, Meyer had two runs — five and six points — and Mosher had one five-point run. First-year defensive substitute Izzy Masten also notched a six-point run, and junior opposite hitter Olivia Babcock rounded out the fourth set with a five-point run.
Career highs
In three out of the last four games played, Pitt has had a player reach a new career high. Today against Jacksonville, this player was sophomore middle blocker Ryla Jones. Jones set a new career-high when she notched 11 kills on 13 swings and hit 0.769. Today’s performance is a continuation of Jones’ impressive weekend, bringing her total hitting percentage in the past two games to 0.810.
Give them their flowers
Redshirt senior middle blocker Bre Kelley led the match with nine blocks, falling one short of her career-high, but still setting a new season-high in the process. Junior opposite hitter Blaire Bayless also fell just one short of setting a new career-high in kills against Jacksonville, notching 13 kills on 21 swings, hitting 0.571
Babcock bounced back after not playing in the first set and hitting in the negatives — -0.143 — in the second set. She ended the game as the point leader, nabbing 14 points.
What’s next for the Panthers
Pitt will travel to Fort Worth, Texas, on Wednesday, Sept. 10, to face off against Kentucky in the Shriners Children’s Showdown at the Net at 6:30 p.m. and the game will air on ESPN.
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