Volleyball Swept At Pitt

Sunday, September 28

Pittsburgh, Pa.

1:00 PM

Boston College

(6-7, 1-1)

Pittsburgh

(13-1, 1-0)

PITT

Topor was the lone Eagle to hit double digits today

September 28, 2014 | Volleyball

Box Score

Sept. 28, 2014

Box Score

Pittsburgh, Pa. - The Eagles and Panthers faced off in the Fitzgerald Fieldhouse on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh on Sunday for an ACC match that was televised on ESPN3. The Panthers held an 18-1 all time record over the Eagles since 1990. 

The Pittsburgh Panthers jumped out to a quick lead in the first set, forcing Coach Campbell to call an early timeout, regrouping his team. As the set progressed the Eagles worked on their hitting placement and clawed their way back in getting within three points at 10-7. A strong Pitt front line continued to put balls away, pulling out to a six point lead in the middle of the first set. 

Trailing three late in the first, senior setter Kellie Barnum went back to the service line and fired off three strong serves, two of which were aces. The Eagles pulled within one at 17-16. The momentum switch continued as the Eagles tied the score at 20 nearing the end of the first. Pitt grabbed four points in a row, holding set point twice, until ultimately closing out set one 25-22. 

The Eagles took an early lead in set two, putting balls away and keeping Pitt on their heels. The Panthers did not back down though, keeping the score tight early in the second. Aggressive hitting and smart ball placement from BC put the Eagles up by two in the middle of the second until Pitt came storming back with strong serving and hitting, grabbing their first lead of the set at 11-10. Mental errors and a lack of serve receive put the Eagles down 16-11 in set two. 

Pitt continued to excel, putting up strong blocks, shutting down the Eagles' go to hitter Katty Workman. Barnum increased her sets to right side, Julia Topor, who had a couple big kills late in the second set. 

After trailing seven points, BC inched their way back in making it 20-17 down the stretch of the second set. Despite a push at the end of the second set, the Eagles were not able to capitalize on the balls they were able to put away. Pitt took set two, 25-18.  

Set three began similar to the first, with Pitt jumping out to an early lead. Kills from Brittany Pavich and Topor kept the Eagles alive early in the third set. BC struggled to put a ball away on the Panthers' senior libero, creating another dire situation in the middle of set three. 

Trailing 18-10 in set three, Campbell called a timeout in a last effort to fire up his team. Unfortunately the Eagles were not able to pull out of their rut, as the Panthers went on a 7-1 run to finish set three and sweep the match. 

In the three set sweep, Topor was the only Eagle to achieve double-digit kills. Pitt's strong defense held Workman, Pavich, and Calvete to negative hitting percentages. As a team, BC hit just .084 % while pitt recorded a .289 hitting percentage. The Eagles were simply out-played in the three set loss, and never seemed to hit their stride. 

Coach Campbell and his squad will return home next Sunday after a month of road matches for a four game home stand. BC will face the Syracuse Orange at noon on October 5 in the Power Gym on the campus of Boston College. 