Wednesday, April 14
Omaha, Neb.
10:30 PM ET
Pitt
17-4,14-4ACC
3
vs
0
LIU
9-6,8-4NEC
1
2
3
F
LIU
24
11
10
0
Pittsburgh
26
25
25
3
Photo by: Mark Kuhlmann/NCAA Photos
Pitt Volleyball Sweeps LIU, Advancing to NCAA Second Round
4/14/2021 11:59:00 PM | Volleyball
Panthers Sweep Sharks to Open Tournament Play
OMAHA, Neb. – For the fifth consecutive season, the 19th-ranked Pitt volleyball team (17-4, 14-4 ACC) advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship, this time with a sweep of LIU (9-6, 8-4 NEC) late Wednesday night at the CHI Health Center Omaha.
The win marked the eighth time in program history that the Panthers advanced to the second round of the tournament. Pitt holds an 8-15 all-time record when playing in the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship.
Pitt swept the Sharks out of the tournament by scores of 26-24, 25-11, 25-10.
With her seventh dig of the match, senior outside hitter Kayla Lund reached the 1,000-mark for her career. She became the seventh Panther in program history to record more than 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs for her career. Lund totaled nine kills and a match-high nine digs against the Sharks.
Senior right side hitter Chinaza Ndee led Pitt with 11 kills and five blocks. Sophomore outside hitter Valeria Vazquez Gomez followed with seven kills, and sophomore middle blocker Chiamaka Nwokolo had six kills on eight attempts with zero errors for a .750 hitting percentage. Nwokolo added five blocks for the Panthers.
Setters Lexis Akeo and Kylee Levers had 17 assists apiece.
Springfield, Neb., native Sabrina Starks produced four blocks, including one solo, in addition to four kills and two service aces.
Set One: Pitt 26, LIU 24
Despite a hot 6-0 start for Pitt and, later, a 9-1 run to gain a 22-16 lead, LIU kept it close for the majority of the first frame. The Sharks were able to tie the set at 23, following a 7-1 run, and knotted it up at 24. Two kills from Lund ended it in Pitt's favor, 26-24.
Set Two: Pitt 25, LIU 11
A commanding 15-3 swing gave Pitt full control of the second set, up 17-5. Pitt closed the door on the frame with a 5-1 run. The Panthers hit .579 for the frame and held LIU to a negative clip of -.088.
Set Three: Pitt 25, LIU 10
The Panthers used an early 8-1 run to go up, 9-2, and never looked back. Five unanswered points late in the set pushed Pitt into a 19-7 lead, and the Panthers cleaned up shop with a dominant 25-10 win in the frame for a sweep. Pitt hit .500 for the stanza, with 15 kills on 26 attempts with two errors.
UP NEXT
Pitt will face 14-seed Utah Thursday at 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN3 at CHI Health Center Omaha Convention Center and Arena in Omaha, Neb.
#H2P | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
The win marked the eighth time in program history that the Panthers advanced to the second round of the tournament. Pitt holds an 8-15 all-time record when playing in the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship.
Pitt swept the Sharks out of the tournament by scores of 26-24, 25-11, 25-10.
With her seventh dig of the match, senior outside hitter Kayla Lund reached the 1,000-mark for her career. She became the seventh Panther in program history to record more than 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs for her career. Lund totaled nine kills and a match-high nine digs against the Sharks.
Senior right side hitter Chinaza Ndee led Pitt with 11 kills and five blocks. Sophomore outside hitter Valeria Vazquez Gomez followed with seven kills, and sophomore middle blocker Chiamaka Nwokolo had six kills on eight attempts with zero errors for a .750 hitting percentage. Nwokolo added five blocks for the Panthers.
Setters Lexis Akeo and Kylee Levers had 17 assists apiece.
Springfield, Neb., native Sabrina Starks produced four blocks, including one solo, in addition to four kills and two service aces.
Set One: Pitt 26, LIU 24
Despite a hot 6-0 start for Pitt and, later, a 9-1 run to gain a 22-16 lead, LIU kept it close for the majority of the first frame. The Sharks were able to tie the set at 23, following a 7-1 run, and knotted it up at 24. Two kills from Lund ended it in Pitt's favor, 26-24.
Set Two: Pitt 25, LIU 11
A commanding 15-3 swing gave Pitt full control of the second set, up 17-5. Pitt closed the door on the frame with a 5-1 run. The Panthers hit .579 for the frame and held LIU to a negative clip of -.088.
Set Three: Pitt 25, LIU 10
The Panthers used an early 8-1 run to go up, 9-2, and never looked back. Five unanswered points late in the set pushed Pitt into a 19-7 lead, and the Panthers cleaned up shop with a dominant 25-10 win in the frame for a sweep. Pitt hit .500 for the stanza, with 15 kills on 26 attempts with two errors.
UP NEXT
Pitt will face 14-seed Utah Thursday at 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN3 at CHI Health Center Omaha Convention Center and Arena in Omaha, Neb.
#H2P | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Team Stats
LIU
Pitt
Kills
24
44
Errors
18
13
Attempts
100
90
Hitting %
.060
.344
Points
27
63
Assists
22
42
Aces
2
7
Blocks
1
12
Game Leaders
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Kills
9
Aces
2
Blocks
1
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Players Mentioned
S
/ Volleyball
S
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballRS/MB
/ VolleyballMB/RS
/ Volleyball
MB
/ VolleyballOH
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