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DePaul Volleyball Falls to Pittsburgh
PITTSBURGH - Despite a .318 team-high attack percentage from Sarah Cullen, the DePaul volleyball team could not overcome Pittsburgh's precision hitting and suffered a 3-0 (25-23, 25-12, 25-11) on Sunday afternoon. The Blue Demons slip to 6-15 overall and 0-7 in the BIG EAST Conference, while the Panthers improved to 14-8 and boast a 6-2 league record.
Amy Town starred for Pittsburgh, setting the pace with 13 kills on a staggering .722 (13-0-18) clip. Meagan Dooley added 12 put aways of her own to register a .556 attack percentage. On DePaul's side of the net, Cullen put together a team-high nine kills on 22 attempts for a .318 success rate. The Blue Demons came out swinging in the first frame, led by Cullen and Lauren Blasi, who combined for eight put downs. A pair of service aces from Kate Letcher gave DePaul the biggest lead of the match, and forced Pittsburgh to call a timeout at 17-14. The Panthers would not go away quietly, however, and reclaimed the lead, 19-18, following a kill from the swing of Dooley. Letcher was able to erase one set-point after terminating the ball off an assist from Sammy Geiger, but Town gave the Panthers the one game lead after recording her ninth kill of the stanza. Pittsburgh carried over its blistering .515 game-one attack percentage into the second, and controlled the offensive rhythm for the duration of the match. While Cullen was able contribute a strong .444 (4-0-9) clip in the second frame, the team's dismal -.088 was not enough to make it past the Panther's 13 kills. Town, Dooley and Jen Katona combined for nine kills and just one attack error heading into the break after a 25-12 second-set win. The intermission didn't cause Pittsburgh to lose much momentum, and cruised to a 25-11 third-game victory. Conservative kill-totals were tallied by both squads, but attack miscues from the Blue Demons gave the Panthers the advantage. Blasi led DePaul with a pair of put aways, while Imani Harper gave Pittsburgh three. Geiger managed the offensive effort, dishing out 22 assists, and Chelsea Thurlby led the defense with seven digs. Pink Week kicked off earlier today, as the women's soccer team sported pink jerseys in efforts to raise money and awareness for breast cancer. Action continues on Fri., Oct., 23 against Notre Dame for DiG Pink. In addition to wearing pink jerseys and using pink volleyballs, raffle tickets can be purchased at the door for a chance to win an autographed game ball as well as other pink gear. All proceeds go to the American Cancer Society and the Side Out Foundation. Cancer patients and survivors are invited to be DePaul's guest and will be recognized in between the second and third sets. The first serve is slated for 7 p.m. Noting the Blue Demons
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