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| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
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 Pitt (18-4) | 25 | 17 | 17 | 21 | 1 |
 Virginia Tech (10-13) | 21 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
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BLACKSBURG, Va. – After falling in the first set, the Virginia Tech volleyball team came back strong to take the next three, defeating Pittsburgh 3-1 (21-25, 25-17, 25-17, 25-21) on Friday evening at Cassell Coliseum.
“I thought we played really well against a really solid Pittsburgh team tonight,” said head coach Chris Riley. “It was a quality ACC battle and we came out on top because we were a little bit cleaner on the attack than they were.”
Lindsey Owens knocked down 14 kills for the Hokies (10-13, 3-7 ACC) to lead all attackers in the match. LaTasha Samson-Akpan added nine kills, hitting .412 and Amanda McKinzie tallied eight. Jordan Fish and Kyra Coundourides put up 27 and 15 assists, respectivey.
The Hokies were hot on defense with Megan Beckwith picking up 16 digs. Owens added 14, recording her 11th double-double of the season, and was also strong at the net with five blocks. Ashley Battle led in the front-court, recording 10 blocks, including three solos to help the Hokies to a season-high 15.5 blocks as a team.
Pittsburgh held the lead midway through the opening set, going on top 13-10. The Panthers extended their advantage, taking their largest lead of the set at 20-15. Tech looked to make the late run, cutting it down to 23-20 off a block from Battle, but the Panthers closed it out to take it 25-21.
The Hokies jumped out to the lead in the second set and were up 14-11 after a kill from McKinzie. Tech extended the difference and led by seven at 22-15. Pitt cut to within five (22-17), but the Hokies had a block from Battle and Bryan followed by a kill from McKinzie to get to set point, 24-17. An error by Pitt gave Tech the point needed to win the set.
Virginia Tech again took control, getting out to a 17-9 lead in the third set. The Hokies extended their lead to 10 at 23-13. Pitt would score four more times, but the Hokies used a Panthers error and a kill from Caine for the final two points to win 25-17 and take a 2-1 lead in the match.
The Hokies dominated in the early part of the fourth set, taking a 9-0 lead off a kill from Samson-Akpan. Pitt got on the board, but Tech still led at the mid-point and was on top 13-5, but the Panthers clawed their way back, cutting it down to three at 20-17. Tech extended the lead again, taking a five-point advantage at 24-19 as Battle and Owens combined for the block. Pitt had a final chance, closing to 24-21, but a kill from Owens on the final rally gave the Hokies the point to win 25-21.
Amanda Orchard led Pittsburgh (18-4, 6-3 ACC) with 11 kills while Maria Genitsaridi added nine. Lindsey Zitzke and Delaney Clesen tallied 10 digs each and Jenna Potts notched three blocks for the defensive efforts.
The Hokies will be back on the court on Sunday, Nov. 2 when they host No. 21 Duke. Match time is set for 1 p.m. at Cassell Coliseum.
For updates on Virginia Tech volleyball, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @VT_VBall
