PITTSBURGH –The No. 8 University of Pittsburgh volleyball team (13-2, 4-0 ACC) dominated on Sunday afternoon against Syracuse (2-12, 0-4 ACC), winning in three straight sets once again. Blaire Bayless came up big and recorded a career-high eight kills in the match.
Syracuse started off strong, keeping things close at 8-7. The Panthers extended the lead to 14-10 behind an Emmy Klika ace, Bayless kill and Syracuse hitting errors. The Orange would only win five more points in the first set, as graduate middle blocker Emma Monks went on a 6-0 run behind the service line and Torrey Stafford registered back-to-back-to-back kills. After a 23-12 lead, Bayless recorded two kills to clinch the set.
Similar to set two, Pitt and Syracuse were tied early at 8-8, but service runs from Klika and Logan Mosley caused Syracuse to be out of system as Mosley caused three straight hitting errors to bring the lead to 17-12. The Orange came within four at 20-16 after a pair of kills and an ace, but the Panthers were able to finish the second set, 25-18 to go up 2-0.
The Panthers would win set three in dominant fashion, 25-6 behind service runs from Cat Flood, Monks, Stafford and Dillyn Griffin. Pitt recorded 16 kills in the set and hit a blistering .577. Haiti Tautua’a and Lexis Akeo record five and six assists, respectively in the set, while five Panthers killed at least three balls.
NOTES:
– Lexis Akeo recorded her first start of the season
– Blaire Bayless registered a career-high eight kills
– Cat Flood recorded a career-high three kills
– The Panthers averaged five kills a set as they totaled 15 team blocks
UP NEXT:
The No. 8 Panthers return to the Fitzgerald Field House next weekend, playing No. 11 Georgia Tech on Friday at 7 p.m. and Clemson on Sunday at 1 p.m. Both matches are available for viewing on ACCNX.
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