PITTSBURGH, Pa. --- The Jacksonville volleyball team fell to the No. 9 Pitt Panthers, 3-1, Sunday at Fitzgerald Field House. With their win in the first set, the Dolphins took a set off a top 10 team for the first time in program history.

The match was a homecoming for several of the JU staff, as head coach Alicia Manguiat, associate head coach Peter Manguiat and graduate assistant  Lucas Strickland all worked for the Panthers before JU.

How It Happened
Set 1
Jacksonville kept pace with Pitt in the early points of the first set. Senior Breanna McDonough recorded the Dolphins' first three kills as JU tied the set 3-3. When the Panthers took their first three-point lead, junior Claire Mrukowski was there with a lefty hammer to the open floor.

A hammer at the net from sophomore Haley Yount and a Pitt error pulled the Dolphins within one, 13-12. As the Panthers inched ahead, Mrukowski put back-to-back kills on the board to once again make it a one-point game.

The Dolphins block dialed up a pair of points to tie the game up at 16. Graduate student Madi Novak hammered a weak over from the Panthers to give Jacksonville its first lead of the match. JU led up to 19-17, but Pitt rallied with two quick points to tie the set.

McDonough laced the ball to the back left corner to kill the Panthers run and get Jacksonville to 20 points. Pitt cut the lead to one, but McDonough capped off a competitive rally with another kill. Another Panther error put the Dolphins two points away from stealing a first-set victory.

Pitt had an answer, though, tying the game at 23. Junior Rebekah Williams responded with a kill to put Jacksonville on set point. After the Panthers tied the set, Mrukowski roped a spike to put the Dolphins back on set point.

With the set on the line, grad student setter Bella Dearinger lofted a perfect assist to the right side where McDonough hammered the ball off a defender and into the open gym to give the Dolphins the set victory. 

Set 2
The opening points were more of the same for Jacksonville, as a Panthers service error tied the game at five early. The Dolphins pulled ahead with a three-point run, as Mrukowski and Yount scored kills off of Pitt to go up 8-6.

The Panthers tied the match eight, and went in front 12-10. Jacksonville answered, as Yount rose from the middle of the court for another kill to tie the game at 12. A Pitt error gave the Dolphins the lead, 15-14, and ten points away from a second-set win.

The hosts went back ahead, but Novak had the tying point for Jacksonville. The Panthers found their form the rest of the way in the second set, going up 22-16. Pitt closed the set on a 9-1 run to win the second set, 25-17.

Set 3
The Panthers took control of the lead early in the third set, 7-2. Williams ended the run with a powerful swing of her right hand, but Pitt stayed out in front through the first half of the set. JU went down 16-6, but the Dolphins rallied with a fury.

Junior Alija Heins scored a kill. On her serve, Jacksonville drew an attack error and Heins placed a service ace for a 3-0 run to make it 17-11. Pitt scored the next seven points in the set, and after Yount's first kill of the set, the Panthers closed out the set, 25-12. 

Set 4
Pitt took the first six points of the fourth set, and 10 of the first 13 points. Williams got JU's first kill of the set to make it 8-2, but the Panthers were in control through the match's final set. 

The Dolphins found their offense, with McDonough and Yount getting on the board to cut the lead to 16-6. It was all Pitt the rest of the way, though, as the hosts closed out the match, 25-9.

Coach's Comments
"It was a great weekend of volleyball," head coach Manguiat said. "It taught us a lot about our team and the level we can play at. We're excited about the growth our team has shown and ready to get back to work this week." 

Game Notes

• Jacksonville recorded its first set victory against a ranked team since 2018 against No. 11 Florida.
• The Dolphins are the first mid-major to take a set from Pitt since 2022.
• McDonough led the Dolphins with 10 kills.
• Yount recorded seven kills and hit .500. She's hit .500 or better in four of her six appearances this season.

Up Next
Jacksonville returns to the Sunshine State for the Bash at the Beach tournament in Daytona Beach. The Dolphins will face Charleston Southern (10 a.m. Friday), South Carolina State (4 p.m. Friday) and the hosting Bethune-Cookman Wildcats (1:30 p.m. Saturday) in the tournament.