Returning home after a successful two-game road campaign, Virginia volleyball fell to No. 1 Pittsburgh in three straight sets Friday night. The stands were packed as a Memorial Gymnasium record 1,150 fans watched the Cavaliers (17-5, 7-4 ACC) take on the Panthers (20-1, 10-1 ACC).
Despite the sweep, the Cavaliers put up a good effort. Senior middle blocker Abby Tadder and sophomore outside hitter Lauryn Bowie made eight and five kills, respectively, and freshman setter Zoey Dood had 12 assists.
To start the night off, the Panthers came out hot and put Virginia on the back foot with nine unanswered points. The crowd did their best to cheer on the team, but Virginia struggled to put together a consistent attack against Pittsburgh.
The Cavaliers trailed 21-2 at one point in the first set but closed strong with seven of the last 11 points, highlighted by back-to-back kills from Tadder. Pittsburgh took the opening set 25-9.
In the second set, the Panthers went up seven points early on before Bowie was able to get a point for Virginia. Pittsburgh dominated the court, keeping a fast pace and applying pressure to the Cavaliers. Virginia tried to capitalize off lucky blocks or Panther errors but failed to keep any momentum that it gained.
Sophomore middle blocker Lily Gervase’s kill shortened Pittsburgh’s lead to 20-9, but that was the last point the Cavaliers scored as the Panthers notched five straight to close the second set.
The final set saw the Cavaliers start to figure some things out. Pittsburgh got out to an 8-2 lead, but junior outside hitter Kaydence Booth and Gervase teamed up for a block, which saw the Cavalier offense begin to click.
Following a huge kill by Tadder, Virginia began a 10-6 run. Pittsburgh looked rattled with attacks from Tadder, Bowie and Dood. A point by Bowie brought the Cavaliers the closest they would be to the Panthers all night at 15-12.
Calling a timeout, Pittsburgh steadied itself after an intense run from Virginia. The Cavaliers struggled once more to put together any meaningful offense as errors kept getting in the way. The Panthers led the Cavaliers 24-15 when a service error by Virginia ended the night, confirming a 3-0 sweep by Pittsburgh.
Coach Shannon Wells applauded the Panthers’ performance postgame, emphasizing that there is plenty for her team to learn from the tough defeat.
“There’s a reason [Pittsburgh] is number one in the country, there’s a reason they should be the number one seed,” Wells said. “They’re a great team, and that’s what we’re trying to get to, so it was great to have our team see that and the work that we still have to do.”
Virginia is right back in action Sunday afternoon against No. 12 Southern Methodist, who represents the Cavaliers’ second-straight ranked opponent. The Mustangs are the only team who has beaten Pittsburgh this season, so Virginia will be in for a challenge. The match begins at 2 p.m. and will be broadcast on ACC Network.
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