(MARQUETTE COMMUNICATIONS) PITTSBURGH – The Marquette University women’s volleyball team fell, 25-18, 25-18, 25-16, to No. 1 Pittsburgh on Sunday afternoon at Fitzgerald Field House.
The Golden Eagles (4-5) hit .162 in the loss and were led by right-side hitter Ella Foti, who posted a team-best 11 kills on a hitting mark of .435 with a pair of service aces.
Setter Yadhira Anchante became the seventh player in MU history to reach 2,500 career kills on Sunday in the opening set. She entered the match with 2,497 in her two-plus seasons at Marquette and posted 25 on Sunday alongside seven digs. The native of Lima, Peru now has 2,522 in her NCAA Division I career.
The Panthers (8-0) were led by 14 kills from sophomore Olivia Babcock, while classmate Torrey Stafford hit .440 with 13 kills. Pitt hit a combined .398 in the win.
NOTABLE:
- MU outside hitter Aubrey Hamilton landed six kills, three blocks and a pair of service aces. Hamilton’s aces came consecutively in the second set to give MU a 7-5 lead. Her first forced Pitt into its first timeout of the match.
- Redshirt sophomore outside hitter Natalie Ring hit .500 with six kills.
- Anchante is currently in possession of 716 career digs at MU and with 284 more this season, would become the first player in MU history with 2,500 assists and 1,000 digs. She’s also 33 service aces away from 100 in her career.
- The Panthers are the only team in the country to have not lost a set this season.
- The Panthers own a 8-6 advantage in the all-time series, which dates to a 2003 neutral site match at Duke. MU had won five consecutive matches prior to losses to Pitt in each of the last two seasons.
- MU and Pitt met every season from 2005-12 as members of the BIG EAST Conference and the Golden Eagles defeated the Panthers in the 2006, 2010 and 2012 BIG EAST tournament quarterfinals. Marquette’s 3-1 win in the 2012 league quarterfinals was Pitt’s last match ever as a member of the BIG EAST.
UP NEXT: MU begins BIG EAST Conference play at home against UConn on Friday, Sept. 27.
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