No. 2 Pitt Suffers First Loss to No. 18 Georgia Tech in Five Sets

Sunday, October 10

Pittsburgh, Pa.

1 PM ET

Pitt

15-1,5-1ACC

Georgia Tech

13-3,4-2ACC

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Final F
Georgia Tech	21	25	25	18	15	3
Pittsburgh	25	23	23	25	9	2

No. 2 Pitt Suffers First Loss to No. 18 Georgia Tech in Five Sets

10/10/2021 4:34:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score

Panthers Fall at Fitzgerald Field House

PITTSBURGH – The No. 2 Pitt volleyball team (15-1, 5-1 ACC) suffered its first loss of the season in five sets to No. 18 Georgia Tech (13-3, 4-2 ACC) at Fitzgerald Field House Sunday afternoon.

The Yellow Jackets earned the win by scores of 21-25, 25-23, 25-23, 18-25, 15-9. Pitt's loss halted a streak of four consecutive sweeps and 15 consecutive match wins to start the season.

Georgia Tech had the advantage in kills (69-61), assists (65-60) and hitting percentage (.286-.271). Pitt had more service aces (8-6) and digs (52-51). Each team posted 10.5 blocks.

Julia Bergmann led the Yellow Jackets with 24 kills.

Right side hitter Chinaza Ndee put up 17 kills for Pitt on .406 hitting. Co-captain Kayla Lund had 16 kills on .333 hitting in addition to a match-best three service aces.

Two Panthers posted double-doubles: setter Lexis Akeo with 25 assists and 10 digs, and outside hitter Leketor Member-Meneh with 13 kills and 13 digs.

Middle blocker Sabrina Starks posted a match-high eight blocks, including one solo.

SET ONE: No. 2 Pitt 25, No. 18 Georgia Tech 21

A hot 5-0 start gave Pitt some momentum. The Panthers pushed their lead to 11-4 with a 5-2 surge, but the Yellow Jackets were able to answer, later cutting the margin to just one (17-16) after a 3-0 run. The score was tied at 18 and 19, but Pitt ended the set outscoring GT 6-2, including a 3-0 ending run, to earn the win. Member-Meneh had a match-best five kills in the frame.

SET TWO: No. 18 Georgia Tech 25, No. 2 Pitt 23

The second frame was a slugfest, marked by 15 ties and eight lead changes. Pitt gained a 19-16 lead with a 5-1 run but was unable to sustain it as GT answered with a 5-1 run of their own, taking a 21-20 lead. The set was tied at 21, 22 and 23, and then back-to-back Yellow Jacket kills settled the score at 25-23, evening the match at one set apiece.

SET THREE: No. 18 Georgia Tech 25, No. 2 Pitt 23

Despite leading, 19-12, Pitt was unable to sustain its advantage. An 8-1 Georgia Tech run tied the set at 20. The score tied up thrice more before an attack error and a Yellow Jacket kill gave GT the win, going up 2-1 over Pitt.

SET FOUR: No. 2 Pitt 25, No. 18 Georgia Tech 18

After tailing 14-11, Pitt used a sizzling 9-1 run to take a 20-15 lead. Georgia Tech was able push two more points (20-17), but the Panthers kept their feet on the pedal and finished the frame on a 5-1 run to force a fifth set.

SET FIVE: No. 18 Georgia Tech 15, No. 2 Pitt 9

Following a tie at 9-9, Georgia Tech shut the door with six consecutive points, which included three kills and three Pitt attacking errors.

UP NEXT
No. 2 Pitt will play its next four matches on the road, starting with a weekend in Florida against Miami (Oct. 15) and Florida State (Oct. 17). The match against the Hurricanes will be streamed on ACC Network Extra while the match against the Seminoles was picked up for a linear broadcast on ACC Network.

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