No. 19 Panthers Sweep Villanova to Open Spring Play

Sunday, February 14

Villanova, Pa.

1 PM ET

Pitt

5-4

Villanova

1-1

Pittsburgh

Villanova

No. 19 Panthers Sweep Villanova to Open Spring Play

2/14/2021 6:15:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score

Ndee Leads Pitt with 10 Kills

VILLANOVA, Pa. – Competing for the first time since October, the No. 19 Pitt volleyball team (5-4, 4-4 ACC) swept Villanova (1-1, 0-0 BIG EAST) to open its 2021 spring season on the road at Jack Nevin Field House.

Following a dominant 25-6 opening set, the Panthers cleaned house in the second and third frames, winning 25-15 and 25-19. Pitt held Villanova to a negative hitting percentage (-.061) while recording a mark of .359 as a team. The Panthers had staggering advantages in kills (41-18), assists (40-17), digs (37-21) and blocks (10.5-4.0). The teams tied with three service aces apiece.

Senior right side hitter Chinaza Ndee was the only player in the match with double figures in the kill column, earning 10 on .444 hitting.

Sophomore middle blocker Chiamaka Nwokolo hit a career-best .727, recording nine kills on 11 attempts with just one error. She added four blocks for the Panthers. Senior outside hitter Kayla Lund recorded a near double-double with nine kills and a team-best nine digs.

Kylee Levers and Lexis Akeo split setting duties, with Levers contributing 18 and Akeo recording 16. Redshirt freshman Anastasia Russ led Pitt with seven blocks.

Set One: No. 19 Pitt 25, Villanova 6

After surrendering the first point of the match, Pitt rattled off five consecutive points, all on kills, to go up 5-1. Later, Pitt extended its lead to a staggering 17-3 following an 11-0 run. Pitt conceded just three more points in the frame to secure a dominant 25-6 win in the first set. The Panthers held Villanova to -.240 hitting, while Pitt produced a stunning .583 mark with 15 kills on 24 attempts with just one error. Nwokolo nailed 7-of-7 hitting to lead Pitt in the first set.

Set Two: No. 19 Pitt 25, Villanova 15

Pitt led wire-to-wire in the second frame, with its largest lead at 10 points. The Panthers ended the frame by winning five consecutive points which included two blocks, two kills, and an attack error. Ndee ha four kills in the second set on .667 hitting.

Set Three: No. 19 Pitt 25, Villanova 19

It was a slower start for Pitt in the third set, as Villanova gained a 4-1 lead to start the frame. The Wildcats held on to their lead until a 5-0 run put Pitt ahead, 13-10. The Panthers retained their lead for the remainder of the match to secure the sweep with a 25-19 win in the third set. Ndee and Lund had four kills apiece to lead Pitt, followed by three from junior middle blocker Sabrina Starks.

UP NEXT
Pitt will open spring 2021 ACC play by hosting Virginia (March 6) and Georgia Tech (March 7) at Fitzgerald Field House. Due to attendance restrictions at Fitzgerald Field House, there will be no public ticket sales for Pitt volleyball matches until further notice.

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