Women’s Volleyball falls in five-set battle at Pitt Bradford

BRADFORD, Pa. --- Carlow University women's volleyball lost a 3-2 Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference match to Pitt Bradford on the road Saturday.

The Panthers (4-19,1-5 AMCC) picked up their first conference win of the season over the Celtics (7-16,1-6 AMCC).

Bradford won sets one, three and five by scores of 25-18, 25-17 and 15-11, while Carlow won the second and fourth sets, 25-19 and 27-25.

Rebecca Hess (New Alexandria, Pa./Greensburg Central Catholic) led the Celtics with a season-high 22 kills and recorded a double-double by adding 24 digs on the day. Alison Humberston (Uniontown, Pa./Laurel Highlands HS) and Javonna Perkins (Pittsburgh, Pa./Obama Academy) added 16 and 10 kills apiece, while Sarah Porter (Monroeville, Pa./Gateway HS) and Claire Yezovich (Irwin, Pa./Woodland Hills HS) combined for 26 digs.

Carlow led 4-1 to begin the first set as the Panthers quickly tied the game with a block and two kills in a row. A kill and another Carlow error gave Bradford an 8-6 lead, and it was one they would not relinquish the remainder of the game. A 4-0 run late in the set put the Panthers ahead, 22-14, followed by a four-point run from the Celtics to close the gap at 22-18. Following a Bradford timeout, the Panthers scored the final three points of the set for the 25-18 victory.

The Celtics hit .206 and held the Panthers to just five kills in the second set to win, 25-19. Tied at 4-all early on, the Celtics outscored Bradford 8-3 to gain a 12-7 advantage. A Carlow attack error saw the Panthers trailing by two, 19-17, before two kills and a Bradford error put the Celtics ahead by five. Three Bradford errors in a row put Carlow up, 24-18, and Hess landed the final kill to end the set in favor of the Celtics.

The Panthers hit .324 in the third set. With both teams tied at 5-5, a 10-5 run for Bradford put the Panthers ahead, 15-10, forcing Carlow to burn a timeout to regroup. Bradford steadily piled on the points to pull away for the 25-17 victory to lead the match, 2-1.

Both teams tied the score 13 times in 27-25 fourth set. A kill from Humberston put the Celtics up, 24-22, before Ryley Pago landed back-to-back solo blocks to tie the game at 24-all. The teams traded kills to tie once again, 25-25, as Hess swung on a kill to give Carlow a 26-25 edge. Megan Cooper (North Canton, Ohio/Jackson HS) and Paige Keller (Liberty Borough, Pa./South Allegheny HS) produced a huge block to end the game, 27-25, in favor of the Celtics.

Carlow jumped out to a 6-2 lead in the final set, but it was short-lived as a Panthers kill set off a 5-2 run that saw Bradford trailing by one. A Panthers kill and a Celtics attack error tied the game at 10-all and prompted a Carlow timeout. Bradford outscored Carlow, 5-1, to win the set and the match.

Alycia Wilson led the Panthers with 15 kills and Danielle Sasuga added 17 digs. Jenna Louser recorded eight of Bradford's 15 blocks on the day.

The Celtics conclude the regular season with a 7 p.m. AMCC road match at Mount Aloysius College Nov. 5.