No. 9 Panthers Top No. 18 Washington State to Improve to 2-0

Saturday, August 28

Columbia, S.C.

12:30 PM ET

Pitt

2-0

Washington State

0-2

Pittsburgh

Washington State

No. 9 Panthers Top No. 18 Washington State to Improve to 2-0

8/28/2021 4:07:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score

Pitt Takes Down Second Consecutive Ranked Opponent

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The No. 9 Pitt volleyball team (2-0, 0-0 ACC) earned its second consecutive victory in as many games against ranked opponents, this time defeating No. 18 Washington State (0-2, 0-0 PAC-12), 3-1, at the at the Carolina Classic hosted by the University of South Carolina at the Carolina Volleyball Center.

After dropping the first set (25-18), the Panthers responded by winning the next three (25-20, 25-22, 25-23).

For the second straight match, outside hitter Kayla Lund led Pitt in kills with 13, and notched her second consecutive double-double by adding 10 digs. Classmate Chinaza Ndee had 12 kills from the right side on .333 hitting. Newcomer middle blocker Serena Gray contributed nine kills, and redshirt sophomore Valeria Vazquez Gomez had a near double-double with eight kills and 10 digs.

Senior Jordan Lockwood provided a spark off the bench with six kills on .286 hitting and three blocks (one solo).

Together, the Panthers out-hit the Cougars (.278-.248) and had more digs (45-43) and blocks (9.0-8.0). Washington State had the narrow advantage in kills (57-56), assists (54-52) and service aces (5-4).

SET ONE: No. 18 Washington State 25, No. 9 Pitt 18

Pitt gained an early 8-4 lead after a 5-1 surge, capped by an Akeo ace. The Panthers fell behind, 13-11, after an 8-2 Cougar run that included five unanswered points. Another 5-0 run by WSU pushed the Cougars' lead to 22-15. Pitt cut its deficit to 23-18 with a 3-1 run but could not complete a comeback. The Cougars held Pitt to .241 for the frame while WSU hit .444 with 17 kills.

SET TWO: No. 9 Pitt 25, No. 18 Washington State 20

Pitt used a 5-0 run to pull ahead, 8-6, but a 3-0 WSU run later gave the advantage back to the Cougars (9-8). After a 5-1 run that included three kills by Vazquez Gomez, Pitt took a 16-13 lead. The Panthers extended their margin with a 6-2 run, setting the score at 23-17. The Cougars cut the lead to 24-20, but ended the set on a service error. Pitt improved its hitting percentage, hitting .306 for the stanza.

SET THREE: No. 9 Pitt 25, No. 18 Washington State 22

The third set was extremely close, marked by 10 ties and seven lead changes. Pitt found itself in a 21-18 deficit after a 6-1 WSU run. The Panthers responded in kind, outscoring the Cougars 7-1 to end the frame with a 2-1 lead in the match. The teams were closely matched in the frame, with Pitt hitting .290 and WSU hitting .212.

SET FOUR: No. 9 Pitt 25, No. 18 Washington State 23

Holding on to its momentum from the third set, Pitt used a 10-2 run that included three Lund kills for a 14-9 lead. The Cougars closed the margin to one (17-16), following a 7-3 surge. Pitt pulled ahead to 23-20, but WSU was able to tie the frame at 23. The final two points came from kills by Ndee and Vazquez Gomez, respectively.

UP NEXT
The Panthers will face host South Carolina for the Carolina Classic title at 7 p.m. ET the Carolina Volleyball Center. The match will be streamed on SEC Network +.

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