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Sept. 20, 2009
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - Senior Caylin Woodward (Garden Grove, Calif.) registered her 1,000-career kill Sunday, but it wasn't enough as the Pittsburgh Panthers defeated the University of Maryland Eastern Shore volleyball team, 3-0 (25-20, 25-23, 25-13), in the Pitt Blue and Gold Tournament at Fitzgerald Field House. The six-foot outside hitter needed 25 kills coming into the weekend to reach the milestone and did so with a swing assisted by freshman Bella Jade Romero (Arlington, Texas) to tie the second game, 10-10. Woodward finished with a team-high-tying eight kills with fellow senior and the Hawks' lone all-tournament team selection Whitney Johnson (Prince Frederick, Md.) as UMES fell to 9-5 on the season. UMES now prepares for its home-opening Hampton Inn Invitational Saturday at the William P. Hytche Athletic Center against Sacred Heart and Norfolk State. Sophomore Christine Edwards (Lakewood, Calif.) and freshman Karin Vikterlof (Orebro Sweden) had six digs apiece and Romero chipped in with 29 assists against the Panthers.
Pittsburgh (7-6), guided by former UMES head coach and 2002 MEAC Coach of the Year Toby Rens, held the Hawks to a .193 hitting efficiency while the BIG EAST member boasted a .376 clip itself.
UMES scored the first point of the match on an attack error by Meagan Dooley and stuck with Pittsburgh throughout the game. The Panthers opened a four-point advantage at 13-9 on a Dooley kill but the Hawks pulled even at 16 out of a timeout by the hosts when Woodward and senior Thonya Joseph (Bridgetown, Barbados) combined on a block.
That was as close as UMES got the rest of game as Pittsburgh went on a 9-4 run spearheaded by three kills by Dooley to go up, 1-0.
The Hawks jumped out to a 5-3 lead in the second game only to have Pitt responded with four straight points for a 7-5 bulge. UMES later knotted the game on Woodward's historic kill and trailed only by one (16-15) heading into a Panthers' timeout.
UMES was within striking distance the rest of the way but Amy Town put it out of reach with a kill for a two-game lead.
Pitt took control in the final game, committing just two errors on 20 attacks with 14 kills and a .600 hitting percentage. The Panthers ran out to a 10-2 advantage and led, 17-7, after the Hawks' second timeout of the game and never looked back.
Dooley and Town led Pitt with 11 and 10 kills, respectively, while Alyson Hodnik added 31 assists. Michelle Rossi tallied a match-high 13 digs in the win. |
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