PITTSBURGH, Pa. - The undefeated start to the season came to an end for American University volleyball at the hands of No. 7 Pitt, as the Panthers took down the Eagles in three sets in AU's first match of the Panther Invitational. The offensive power of Pitt, which included 14 service aces, led to the Eagles falling 25-9, 25-11 and 25-15.

NOTABLE

• The three players who posted kills for AU all finished with five apiece - Zeynep Uzen, Adelina Berisha and Carlie Fikse. 
• Rachael Bennett led the Eagles with five digs, Onuchi Ndee had two blocks and Inbal Peleg finished with 10 assists.
• The Panthers finished with 11 blocks to AU's three and 36 kills to AU's 15.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• After a 3-3 start to the opening set, the Panthers used a 9-0 run to take control and never looked back.
• The second set was much the same, with Pitt scoring first and making a huge push midway to put the set out of reach for the Eagles. Seven of the Panthers' 14 aces came in the second set alone.
• The Eagles hung around the longest in the third set, leading 8-6 before Pitt began to make a move.
• The score was still close with Pitt leading 18-15, but the Panthers then closed out the match with a 7-0 run.

NEXT UP

• The Panther Challenge continues on Saturday as the Eagles face Towson a 11 a.m. and Bowling Green at 4 p.m.

KEEP UP WITH US

• For the latest on American University Volleyball, stay tuned to AUEagles.com and follow the team on Twitter (@AU_Volleyball), Facebook (/AU.Volleyball) and Instagram (@au_volleyball).