No. 12 Pitt volleyball sweeps Panther Challenge to begin season 3-0

Pitt’s 12th-ranked volleyball team was shocked in an exhibition this season by Dayton but in playing their first regular season matches, they looked every bit as good as advertised.

The Panthers first knocked off Cleveland State on Friday afternoon, winning 3-0. They then took care of Cincinnati by the same score that evening and again won 3-0 against South Carolina on Saturday. On the weekend, the Panthers did not drop a set and dominated the competition.

From a roster standpoint, true freshman Lexis Akeo looks to have solid control of the starting setter job after the injury to Kylee Levers. Pitt did give some time to redshirt freshman Maddie Soboleski over the weekend, but Akeo got the majority of the playing time. That looked like it would be the case after the Dayton exhibition but is clearly firmed up at this point.

The competition wasn’t great but it’s still nice to see the team rebound from that shocker to Dayton in the preseason. Winning nine straight sets against any competition means you played pretty well.

Next up, Pitt is hosting the ChampYinz Invitational with Duquesne next weekend. The Panthers will face Ohio State downtown at PPG Paints Arena on Friday and then play Green Bay and Duquesne back at the Field House on Saturday.

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