University of South Florida
Pittsburgh
Bulls Victimized by Scrappy Panther Defense
September 20, 2014 | Women's Volleyball
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PITTSBURGH, SEPT. 19 - An impressive offensive first set served as the high point for the USF volleyball team Friday night as the Bulls opened the Pitt Panther Invitational with a four-set loss to Pittsburgh, 26-24, 16-25, 13-25, 18-25. USF (4-6 overall) looked like the better team in the first set, but never recovered after the scrappy Panthers' defense made adjustments, holding the Bulls to an average of just nine kills per set in the final three sets of the match. Pittsburgh out-hit USF .268-.141 in the match, out-digging the Bulls 72-59 and out-blocking them 12-6. The Bulls started off strong, pounding out 15 kills with just two errors in the first set to hit .342 as a team. Erin Fairs accounted for seven of USF's kills, but it was sophomore outside hitter Dakota Hampton who knocked down the go-ahead kill with the teams tied at 24, helping send the Bulls to a first-set win. UConn out-dug USF 21-14, but sophomore Amy Van Sant stayed busy, collecting seven digs in the win. The Panthers keyed in on Fairs in the second set, slowing the junior down and using four blocks to control the tempo in a 25-16 win heading into the break. USF managed just eight kills and were forced into six team hitting errors as Pittsburgh evened up the match heading into the break. After falling to the Panthers in the third set, the Bulls used four kills from Adyson Goodnight to restart the offense in the fourth, but Pittsburgh countered by hitting .275 as a team with 15 kills, and forced USF into eight hitting errors to top the Bulls in four sets. Fairs led the team with 15 kills and a pair of service aces, adding nine digs in the loss. Coming off the bench, junior Wylie Devlin posted a team-high 12 digs, while junior setter Natalia Soares contributed 19 assists and nine digs. USF gets back on the court tomorrow, playing Delaware and Sacred Heart in a Saturday doubleheader to finish off the Pitt Panther Invitational.
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