Wake Forest Athletics
Wake Forest University
Pittsburgh
Demon Deacons Cruise Past Pittsburgh, 3-1
10/9/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
By Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeVolleyball)
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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Wake Forest jumped out early and never looked back, as the Demon Deacons defeated Pittsburgh by final score of 3-1 on Sunday. The Deacs, who had lost all four previous contests against Pitt, move to 7-10 (3-3 ACC).
Pitt (13-5, 4-2 ACC) entered Sunday tied for second in the conference standings, but the Panthers offense were stymied by a Demon Deacon defense that tallied 13 team blocks on the day. Katie Moore and Hanna Lee each tallied one solo and four assist blocks while Caitlyn Della added five assist blocks.
Kylie Long paced the attack for the Deacs, as she recorded a match-high 20 kills. The junior would notch a double-double with 12 digs on the afternoon. Caroline Rassenfoss was the second Demon Deacon to tally 10 or more kills as the freshman added 12 Sunday.
Bailey Shurbet dished out 34 assists while Caroline Wolf added a match-high 20 digs. As a team, Wake Forest hit at a .252 percentage while limiting the Pitt attack to a .103 percentage, including a -.062 mark in the final set.
The Deacs came out hot in the opening frame, building an 8-2 advantage to force a Pitt timeout. Wake Forest, who never trailed in the opening set, saw their lead cut to two at 20-18 before using a 4-0 run to jump ahead 24-19. An attack error by Pitt ended the first set in favor of the hosts, 25-21.
Wake Forest made it 2-0 in the match, as the Deacs claimed a victory in the in the second set in which neither team led by more than three points. Trailing 20-19, Rassenfoss connected from the outside on back-to-back points to make it 21-20 Deacs, and Caitlin Clarke served up an ace to force Pittsburgh to call a timeout. The slim lead would hold, however, as Long's kill gave the Deacs a 25-22 victory.
After dropping the third set, 25-21, the Deacs put an exclamation point on the fourth and final set. Wake Forest jumped out to an 8-1 lead, prompting a pair of Pitt timeouts. The Deacs cruised the rest of the way, easily claiming the match with a 25-11 victory. As a team, Wake Forest hit at a .423 clip in the fourth set with 15 kills compared to just four errors.
In the middle of a six-match homestand, the Deacs are back in action on Wednesday, October 12, as Wake Forest plays host to Duke. First serve is set for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on RSN.
