BLACKSBURG, Va. -- Virginia Tech volleyball fell to No. 7 Pitt in three sets (14-25, 17-25, 17-25) Sunday at home in Cassell Coliseum.
The loss dropped Virginia Tech's record to 9-14 overall and 2-10 in ACC play. The Panthers improve to 22-2 and a perfect 12-0 in conference play.
Ava Francis finished with six kills on the day to lead the Hokies offense. Defensively, Maddie Slagle and Sierra Cates finished in double figures in digs, as Slagle added 11 and Cates added 10. Four different Hokies also had a hand in a block for Tech.
Game Notes
» Maddie Slagle had a match-high two aces in the loss.
» Ava Francis had a team-high six kills for Virginia Tech.
» Virginia Tech got a team-high 11 digs from Maddie Slagle.
» Virginia Tech attackers were helped by a team-high 20 assists from Hanna Borer.
How It Happened
The Hokies found themselves in an early deficit, dropping a tough first set 25-14. Pitt hit a match-high .419 in the first set with 16 kills and held the Hokies to just seven kills and a -.031 hitting percentage.
A 25-17 second-set loss put Virginia Tech behind two sets to none in the match. Virginia Tech trailed by as many as nine points as Pitt grabbed the advantage for good at 5-4 in a set that was tied up four times before the Panthers took over the lead. Defensively for Tech, Slagle had three digs and the Hokies recorded a block. For Pitt, Julianna Dalton led the way with five kills and a .444 hitting percentage.
Virginia Tech was not able to win set three and was swept by the Panthers. The Hokies lost a tough set 25-17. Tech went point-for-point for the first couple but Pitt took the lead for good at 4-3. Dalton and Serena Gray finished with a match-high eight kills for the Panthers. Emmy Klika had 13 digs and Rachel Fairbanks added 24 assists.
The Hokies will take on Wake Forest next on Wednesday, Nov. 2 at 6 p.m., followed by a Friday matchup with Duke in Blacksburg.
Gallery: (10-30-2022) VB: Pitt Match