PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The Miami Hurricanes volleyball team took on the No. 2 Pitt Panthers, Sunday, and despite a competitive final set, lost in three. With the loss, Miami falls to 8-9 on the season and 6-2 in ACC play.
Ruth Martinez had 10 kills to lead Miami, followed closely by Asia Harvey with seven. Four additional players had at least one kill for the Hurricanes. Ariana Rodriguez had 26 assists and added two service aces, further extending her career program record.
Martinez and Lal Akin each tallied five blocks, the team lead. Angelova had three blocks to add to her team leading 64.
Set 1: Pitt 25, Miami 12
The Miami Hurricanes got the first point of the match off a Ruth Martinez kill, but the Panthers scored 15 of the next 20 points to force the technical timeout leading 15-6. Pitt continued to control the first set allowing only six more points from the Hurricanes to take the first set 25-12.
Martinez led the Hurricanes in the first set with three kills while Denitsa Angelova followed with two kills and two blocks.
Set 2: Pitt 25, Miami 15
The Hurricanes opened the scoring again in the second set, taking a 2-0 lead on an Ariana Rodriguez ace and a block from Lal Akin and Martinez. The Panthers scored the next two to tie the set, scoring four of the next five to lead 6-3. The Hurricanes got one back, but Pitt posted another run, scoring seven of the next ten to make it a 13-6 match.
Out of the media timeout, Pitt scored two to extend its lead to eight. Miami capitalized on two Panthers’ errors to pull within six, but they controlled the rest of the set, allowing only three more Hurricanes’ points to take the second set, 25-15.
Set 3: Pitt 27, Miami 25
Miami went down 5-1 early in the third set, but pushed back, scoring three consecutive points to pull within one. The Panthers held on to their lead, building it back up to three to lead 9-6, but a 6-3 Hurricanes run capped by a Martinez kill tied the set at 12 points each.
The Panthers and Hurricanes traded back-to-back points, but Pitt found a way to force the media timeout leading 15-14.
Miami tied the set out of the timeout, but Pitt outscored the Hurricanes 5-1 to regain a four point lead. The Hurricanes scored three straight points, capped by a Rodriguez and Akin block to pull within one and force a Pitt timeout.
The teams traded points out of the timeout before Miami took one of their own, helping the Hurricanes score two straight to tie the match at 24. Martinez scored both points for the Hurricanes, recording a kill and a service ace. The Panthers went on to score three of the next four to defeat Miami 27-25 in the set and 3-0 in the match.
Up Next: The Miami Hurricanes will return home next weekend, first hosting Notre Dame on Friday, Oct. 23. First serve is set for 6 p.m.