In volleyball, numbers don’t mean much unless a point is the result.

A team can outkill its opponent to appear dominant at the surface, but its plentiful and glaring errors will ultimately lead to a team’s demise.

Numbers have been in Point Park’s favor with high kill counts, hitting percentages and ultimately, an increased record.

“It’s easy for us to keep the energy up because we all really get into the game and want to win, and that makes it easier to get excited,” sophomore Ashley Castelli said. “Also, since we have that great chemistry, it makes it that much easier to get excited for one another when someone has a great play because we all want to see each other succeed.”

In addition to excitement, the team utilizes a positive mindset heading into every match.

“Our team is doing a really good job of going into every match with the confidence that we can come out with a win,” senior outside hitter Haley English said. “We all have the mindset of never giving up no matter what the score is, and that’s really helped us so far.”

Seven Pioneers hit double digits last Tuesday night at Washington and Jefferson College, four of which recorded doubles in two categories on the stat sheet.

Seniors Brittney Bianco, English, Maria Ferragonio and Julia Menosky walked off the court with double-doubles.

Menosky and Bianco split time setting. Menosky totaled 28 assists and 10 digs, and Bianco tallied 18 assists and 11 digs.

On offense, English and Ferragonio put down 12 kills apiece and 21 and 18 digs, respectively.

Freshmen Taylor Small continues to lead the Pioneers after last week’s match-up with the Presidents and tallied the match-high 17 kills. The freshmen outside hitter almost joined the double-double club with nine digs in the match.

“With offense, the setters are doing a great job of spreading the ball to our hitters, which makes it a lot easier for our offense to mix our shots around,” English said.

Libero Castelli picked up 26 digs to lead the Pioneer defense and dished out six assists.

With the help of nine Pioneers, Point Park boasted an 8-1 record at the time of publication. The green and gold took home the gold after winning 3-1 in a non-conference match-up against the Presidents.

“I think a lot of our success is due to our chemistry on the court and because of it, it has created trust between us when we play,” Castelli said.

“We are really working well together as a team, and it’s so cool to see everyone supporting each other on and off the court,” Ferragonio said.

Ferragonio also mentioned positive coaching as a significant factor in the team’s success thus far.

Point Park also dedicated two matches to the volleyball team’s reserves on Sept. 12 and 16. Point Park swept Penn State-Shenango at home last Thursday.

The team will be away for its next two games but not too far. The Pioneers face off against hometown opponents Carnegie Mellon University and Carlow University on Wednesday, Sept. 18, and Tuesday, Sept. 24, respectively.