No. 6 Pitt Volleyball Splits Series with No. 4 Penn State

Sunday, September 22

Pittsburgh, Pa.

1 PM ET

Pitt

11-1

Penn State

7-2

Penn State

Pitt

No. 6 Pitt Volleyball Splits Series with No. 4 Penn State

9/22/2019 5:34:00 PM | Volleyball

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Panthers Set Program Attendance Record against Nittany Lions

PITTSBURGH – The No. 6 Pitt volleyball team (11-1) played in front of program-record 5,195 fans at Petersen Events Center Sunday afternoon, falling just short to No. 4 Penn State (7-2) in five sets (26-28, 25-21, 21-25, 25-20, 14-16).

The Panthers split the home-and-home weekend series with the Nittany Lions, after sweeping PSU Friday night at Rec Hall. Over the two matches, Pitt won more sets (5-3). Two of the eight sets went to extra points.

Junior outside hitter Kayla Lund posted a season-high and match-high 23 kills for a double-double with 17 digs. Classmate Chinaza Ndee had a double-double with 16 kills and 10 blocks, while hitting .294 for the match. Senior middle blocker Layne Van Buskirk rounded out Pitt's trio of Panthers in double-figure kills with 13.

Redshirt senior libero Hali Hillegas had a match-high 24 digs as the Panthers out-dug Penn State (73-62). Freshman setter Lexis Akeo posted a match-high 47 assists.

Pitt was held to a season-low hitting percentage of .153, but out-hit Penn State (.112).

Set One: No. 4 Penn State 28, No. 6 Pitt 26

The Panthers fought through five set points to push the frame to extras, but fell, 28-26. The Nittany Lions held Pitt to .048 hitting in the set.

Set Two: No. 6 Pitt 25, No. 4 Penn State 21

A fast 5-0 start gave the Panthers an early advantage, but Penn State was able to keep things close. The Nittany Lions took a 20-19 lead after a 4-1 run, but Pitt was able to fend them off for the remainder of the frame, finishing on a 5-0 run.

Set Three: No. 4 Penn State 25, No. 6 Pitt 21

Despite a strong 7-1 start for Pitt, a 6-1 Penn State surge gave the Nittany Lions a 15-13 lead. Pitt was able to tie the set at 18, but ultimately fell victim to a 7-3 run to end it.

Set Four: No. 6 Pitt 25, No. 4 Penn State 20

Pitt showed resilience with a 5-0 run to earn an 8-3 lead, and extended its momentum with a 7-1 run to go ahead, 16-9. Pitt kept its lead for the remainder of the set, despite a 5-2 run cutting the advantage to 22-19. The Panthers forced a fifth set with a 25-20 win.

Set Five: No. 4 Penn State 16, No. 6 Pitt 14

A slow start put the Panthers behind 4-0 early in the short set. The teams switched sides with Penn State in the lead, 8-5. Pitt forced a 12-12 tie after a 3-0 run. Following two more ties, Penn State earned the final two points of the match to secure the victory in extras.

UP NEXT
The Panthers will begin ACC play at Virginia Wednesday, Sept. 25, with a 6:30 p.m. first serve on ACC Network in Charlottesville, Va.

PITT VOLLEYBALL TICKETS
Flex season ticket packages as well as single-match and group tickets for the 2019 volleyball season are now on sale and can be purchased by calling the Panthers' Ticket Office at (800) 643-PITT (7488) or online at PittsburghPanthers.com.

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