UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Playing its sixth nationally-ranked opponent in the first eight matches of the season, No. 13 Penn State women’s volleyball fell 3-1 (25-23, 25-17, 23-25, 25-17) to No. 5 Pitt in a non-conference match Wednesday night at Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions dropped to 4-4 overall, while the Panthers improved to 8-2 with their eighth-straight win.
A pair of Penn State players recorded double-digit kills. Kennedy Martin tallied 16 to go along with her five digs, while Emmi Sellman turned in 11 kills and eight digs. Alexis Ewing hit .333 with six kills over three sets played. Maggie Mendelson finished with eight blocks to lead the team defensively and added six kills.
Olivia Babcock and Dagmar Mourits combined for 29 kills for the Panthers, while Brooke Mosher collected 39 assists. Babcock added 13 digs to finish off a double-double and led the team with three aces.
Set 1
Pittsburgh survived a late rally by Penn State to capture the first set 25-23. The Panthers controlled most of the early action and held a five-point lead at 8-3. The Nittany Lions rallied and continued to claw away at the Pittsburgh lead until the match was tied at 14-all. The momentum switch was fueled by Mendelson with two blocks. The teams then traded two-point leads late until it was the Panthers who generated a 3-0 scoring run to close the set. Ryla Jones had four kills in the set while hitting .800 for Pittsburgh.
Set 2
The Panthers rolled to a 25-17 win in set two behind six kills from Mourits. The Nittany Lions fell behind 7-3 but quickly bounced back to grab a two-point lead of their own. After Penn State rallied to take the lead at 11-9, Pittsburgh immediately rallied with an 11-4 run to push the score to 22-13. The Panthers’ offense kept things rolling in the later part of the action, and Penn State wasn’t able to recover.
Set 3
Penn State stayed alive with a thrilling 25-23 win in the third set that was sealed with a kill by Martin, her fourth of the set. The Nittany Lions trailed 15-12 before tying the score with a 4-1 run. The teams then traded one-point leads late until Penn State jumped out to a two-point lead at 24-22. Penn State’s sudden surge was fueled by Ewing and Martin, who combined for eight kills in the set. The Nittany Lions couldn’t capitalize on their first chance at set point, but Martin delivered with the kill on their second chance.
Set 4
Pittsburgh bounced back with a 25-17 win in the fourth set. The set was tight in the early action as the teams battled to a 10-10 deadlock. The Panthers then came alive with a 5-0 run to hold a five-point lead at 15-10. After the Nittany Lions rallied to cut the lead late to four at 19-15, Pittsburgh immediately rallied with a 3-0 scoring run to push the score to 22-15. The Panthers’ offense kept things rolling in the latter part of the action, hitting .406 in the set, and gave the Panthers the set win.
Up Next
No. 13 Penn State hosts Princeton in the opening match of the Penn State Classic on Friday, Sept. 19, at 7 p.m. The Tigers are 4-2 following two straight wins over Iona and Coppin State.