No. 3 Pitt Tops Penn State, 3-1, to Advance to NCAA Regional Semifinal

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No. 3 Pitt Tops Penn State, 3-1, to Advance to NCAA Regional Semifinal

12/4/2021 11:19:00 PM | Volleyball

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Panthers Advance to Second Consecutive Round of 16

PITTSBURGH – For the second consecutive season, the No. 3 seed Pitt volleyball team (28-3, 15-3 ACC) advanced to the Regional Semifinal round of the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball championship, this time with a dramatic win over in-state rival Penn State (21-11, 13-7 Big Ten), 3-1, at Petersen Events Center Saturday night.

The Panthers will host the Regional Rounds at Fitzgerald Field House Thursday and Saturday, Dec. 9 and 11. Pitt will meet Kansas (18-11, 8-8 Big 12) in the Regional Semifinal Dec. 9 with a time to be announced later.

Pitt earned the victory by scores of 25-22, 23-25, 25-22, 25-23. The Panthers had advantages in kills (62-44), assists (62-40), service aces (9-6), digs (59-45), blocks (12.0-10.0) and hitting percentage (.253-.195).

Outside hitter Kayla Lund tied season highs of 21 kills and four blocks while hitting .421. She earned her seventh double-double of the season by adding 10 digs for the Panthers. Leketor Member-Meneh produced 19 kills on .239 hitting while competing her ninth double-double, adding a team-best 14 digs.

Facing her former team, graduate transfer middle blocker Serena Gray posted a match-best six blocks and three service aces while adding five kills. Right side Chinaza Ndee contributed nine kills and three blocks.

Freshman setter Rachel Fairbanks earned the first double-double of her career with career highs of 27 assists and 12 digs. She added five kills for the Panthers.

Junior setter Lexis Akeo also had 27 assists and added nine digs. Libero Ashley Browske picked up 11 digs for Pitt.

Valeria Vazquez Gomez provided two key service aces late in the match to swing momentum for the Panthers.

WITH THE WIN…

Head coach Dan Fisher reached the 300-win mark of his career. He is 300-59 (.836) in his 11th season of coaching.
The Panthers advanced to the Regional Semifinal (Round of 16) in the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season. In April, the Panthers swept No. 14 seed Utah to advance to the Regional Semifinal at the 2020 NCAA Tournament in Omaha, Neb.
Pitt earned its first win against Penn State when competing in the city of Pittsburgh since Nov. 8, 1987, when the Panthers swept the Nittany Lions, 3-0. Penn State had won the last six meetings in Pittsburgh, most recently a 3-2 decision at the Petersen Events Center on Sept. 22, 2019.
The Panthers earned their first win against Penn State when competing in the NCAA Tournament. Pitt was 0-3 versus the Nittany Lions when meeting in the NCAA Tournament, with all matchups coming in the Second Round (2003, 2016, 2017).
Pitt earned its first win when playing at the Petersen Events Center in the NCAA Second Round (previously 0-2, 2018, 2019).
Pitt improved its all-time record to 7-3 when playing at the Petersen Events Center.
Pitt improved its all-time record to 12-16 when playing in the NCAA Tournament.
Pitt earned its first win against Penn State when competing at the Petersen Events Center (previously 0-1, 2019).

ONWARD. #H2P | #NCAAVB pic.twitter.com/zLyBSPAy3j
— Pitt Volleyball ???????????? (@Pitt_VB) December 5, 2021

SET ONE: No. 3 Pitt 25, Penn State 22

Eight kills from Member-Meneh helped propel Pitt to a 1-0 lead in the match. Pitt took a 20-16 lead following a 5-1 run, but the Nittany Lions matched it to tie the set at 21. The Panthers answered with a 5-1 run to end the set on top, capped by a Gray ace and a block.

SET TWO: Penn State 25, No. 3 Pitt 23

Errors were costly for Pitt in the second frame as the Nittany Lions tied the match at one apiece. Penn State took a 20-17 lead after a 3-0 run, but the Panthers later took back the lead, 23-22, following a 6-2 surge. The set was tied at 23, but two PSU points ended it in the Nittany Lions' favor.

SET THREE: No. 3 Pitt 25, Penn State 22

It was a back-and-forth set with 11 ties and five lead changes. Pitt trailed late, down 22-20, but stayed resilient and completed the frame with five unanswered points, including three kills by Ndee, an ace from Vazquez Gomez and a PSU attack error.

SET FOUR: No. 3 Pitt 25, Penn State 23

The fourth set saw seven ties and five lead changes. Penn State took leads of 11-7 and 18-14 after some runs. The Panthers used a 3-0 run to catch up, closing the gap to one, 18-17. Later, the Nittany Lions took a 23-21 lead, but the Panthers were able to score four consecutive points (including an Ndee kill, a Vazquez Gomez ace and two PSU errors) to take the match, 25-23.

2021 NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

The 2021 Division I Women's Volleyball championship provides for a field of 64 teams to compete in a single elimination tournament. Of the 64 teams, 32 teams will receive automatic qualification while the remaining 32 teams are selected on an at-large basis by the Division I Women's Volleyball Committee.
First and Second round competition will be held at 16 non-predetermined campus sites. At each campus site, four teams will compete in single-elimination first round competition. The two advancing teams then compete against each other in single-elimination second round competition at the same campus site. The winning team from each of the 16 second rounds advances to the regional round.
Regionals for the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship will be held at four non-predetermined campus sites. At each site, four teams compete in single-elimination regional semifinal competition. The two advancing teams then compete against each other in single-elimination regional final. The winning team from each of the four regions will advance to the DI Women's Volleyball Championship final site in Columbus, Ohio.
The 2021 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship will be held at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The National Semifinals will be held Thursday, December 16, at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. The National Championship will take place Saturday, December 18, at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

UP NEXT
The No. 3 seed Panthers will host the Regional Rounds at Fitzgerald Field House Thursday and Saturday, Dec. 9 and 11. Pitt will meet Kansas (18-11, 8-8 Big 12) in the Regional Semifinal Dec. 9 with a time to be announced later.

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