Sunday, October 24
Louisville, Ky.
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No. 4 Panthers Fall Short in Top 5, Five-Set Clash at No. 2 Louisville
10/24/2021 5:23:00 PM | Volleyball
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – In an instant classic, five-set thriller of a match, the No. 4 Pitt volleyball team (18-2, 8-2 ACC) fell just short on the road at No. 2 Louisville (20-0, 10-0 ACC) Sunday afternoon at L&N Federal Credit Union Arena.
Sunday's match was the first between two Top 5 teams in Pitt volleyball program history. It was the Panthers' first loss when playing away from Pittsburgh, dropping to 12-1 overall and 8-1 in true road matchups.
The rematch is set for Wednesday, Nov. 24, at 5 p.m. at Fitzgerald Field House in Pittsburgh.
The Cardinals earned the win by scores of 25-19, 20-25, 25-27, 25-22, 13-15. Despite the loss, Pitt out-hit Louisville (.338-.258) and had more digs (48-41) and blocks (14.0-13.0). The Cards had the advantage in kills (70-65), assists (64-59) and service aces (5-2). The teams were plagued by a combined 25 service errors.
Senior outside hitter Leketor Member-Meneh recorded a double-double with a match-high 18 kills on .389 hitting to go along with 12 digs. She added four blocks – two solo – and the team's only two service aces of the day.
Right side Chinaza Ndee hit .303 with 16 kills and five blocks. Co-captain Kayla Lund produced 14 kills on .407 hitting. Middle blocker Serena Gray had a team-best seven blocks in addition to nine kills on .333 hitting.
PITT VS. THE AVCA TOP 25
SET ONE: No. 4 Pitt 25, No. 2 Louisville 19
Following an 11-10 Louisville lead, Pitt used a 5-0 run to pull ahead (15-11). The Panthers kept their lead for the remainder of the frame. A blistering .714 hitting percentage helped propel the Panthers to a 1-0 lead, in addition to six kills by Ndee and Member-Meneh and five from Gray.
SET TWO: No. 2 Louisville 25, No. 4 Pitt 20
Pitt found itself in a 10-point deficit (13-3) following 10 unanswered points from the Cards. The Panthers chipped away at the margin, eventually cutting it to four (21-17), following a 5-1 surge. However, it was not enough as Louisville evened the match at one apiece after a 25-20 win in the second.
SET THREE: No. 2 Louisville 27, No. 4 Pitt 25
A 6-1 Louisville run gave the Cardinals a 7-3 lead, but the Panthers were able to respond and tie the frame eight times, with four lead changes. Pitt forced extra points but some missed serves were costly for the Panthers as Louisville took a 2-1 lead in the match. The Cards hit .200 for the frame while Pitt hit .125.
SET FOUR: No. 4 Pitt 25, No. 2 Louisville 22
The Panthers responded and forced a fifth set thanks to a late run. The Cards gained a 21-20 lead but Pitt stayed strong and finished the frame on a 5-1 run to win, 25-22. Member-Meneh capped the set with an ace.
SET FIVE: No. 2 Louisville 15, No. 4 Pitt 13
Despite holding an 8-6 lead, Pitt could not hold on to its advantage, as a 4-0 run by the Cards swung the frame in their favor. The Panthers fought back and tied the final set at 13, but a Louisville kill and block ended the match in the Cards' favor.
UP NEXT
The Panthers will return home to close out the month of October, hosting Wake Forest Friday, Oct. 29, and Virginia Tech Sunday, Oct. 31, at Fitzgerald Field House. Tickets for both matches are available at PittsburghPanthers.com.
#H2P | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Sunday's match was the first between two Top 5 teams in Pitt volleyball program history. It was the Panthers' first loss when playing away from Pittsburgh, dropping to 12-1 overall and 8-1 in true road matchups.
The rematch is set for Wednesday, Nov. 24, at 5 p.m. at Fitzgerald Field House in Pittsburgh.
The Cardinals earned the win by scores of 25-19, 20-25, 25-27, 25-22, 13-15. Despite the loss, Pitt out-hit Louisville (.338-.258) and had more digs (48-41) and blocks (14.0-13.0). The Cards had the advantage in kills (70-65), assists (64-59) and service aces (5-2). The teams were plagued by a combined 25 service errors.
Senior outside hitter Leketor Member-Meneh recorded a double-double with a match-high 18 kills on .389 hitting to go along with 12 digs. She added four blocks – two solo – and the team's only two service aces of the day.
Right side Chinaza Ndee hit .303 with 16 kills and five blocks. Co-captain Kayla Lund produced 14 kills on .407 hitting. Middle blocker Serena Gray had a team-best seven blocks in addition to nine kills on .333 hitting.
PITT VS. THE AVCA TOP 25
- The Panthers are 4-2 against Top 25 opponents so far this season, defeating No. 23 Rice, No. 18 Washington State, No. 9 Baylor and No. 12 BYU, with their only losses of the season coming at the hands of No. 18 Georgia Tech (Oct. 10) and No. 2 Louisville Sunday.
- Pitt holds an 8-5 record in its last 13 meetings against AVCA Top 25 opponents.
- When both teams are ranked in the Top 25, the Panthers are 18-14 all-time in those meetings.
- Pitt is 4-22 all-time when facing the Top 5, but the Panthers are 3-3 in their last six meetings against the Top 5.
- The Panthers are 23-22 against American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top 25 opponents under ninth-year head coach Dan Fisher (2013-present).
SET ONE: No. 4 Pitt 25, No. 2 Louisville 19
Following an 11-10 Louisville lead, Pitt used a 5-0 run to pull ahead (15-11). The Panthers kept their lead for the remainder of the frame. A blistering .714 hitting percentage helped propel the Panthers to a 1-0 lead, in addition to six kills by Ndee and Member-Meneh and five from Gray.
SET TWO: No. 2 Louisville 25, No. 4 Pitt 20
Pitt found itself in a 10-point deficit (13-3) following 10 unanswered points from the Cards. The Panthers chipped away at the margin, eventually cutting it to four (21-17), following a 5-1 surge. However, it was not enough as Louisville evened the match at one apiece after a 25-20 win in the second.
SET THREE: No. 2 Louisville 27, No. 4 Pitt 25
A 6-1 Louisville run gave the Cardinals a 7-3 lead, but the Panthers were able to respond and tie the frame eight times, with four lead changes. Pitt forced extra points but some missed serves were costly for the Panthers as Louisville took a 2-1 lead in the match. The Cards hit .200 for the frame while Pitt hit .125.
SET FOUR: No. 4 Pitt 25, No. 2 Louisville 22
The Panthers responded and forced a fifth set thanks to a late run. The Cards gained a 21-20 lead but Pitt stayed strong and finished the frame on a 5-1 run to win, 25-22. Member-Meneh capped the set with an ace.
SET FIVE: No. 2 Louisville 15, No. 4 Pitt 13
Despite holding an 8-6 lead, Pitt could not hold on to its advantage, as a 4-0 run by the Cards swung the frame in their favor. The Panthers fought back and tied the final set at 13, but a Louisville kill and block ended the match in the Cards' favor.
UP NEXT
The Panthers will return home to close out the month of October, hosting Wake Forest Friday, Oct. 29, and Virginia Tech Sunday, Oct. 31, at Fitzgerald Field House. Tickets for both matches are available at PittsburghPanthers.com.
#H2P | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
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