COLUMBIA, S.C. – The No. 9 Pitt volleyball team (1-0, 0-0 ACC) earned a gritty five-set win over No. 23 Rice (0-1, 0-0 C-USA) to open the 2021 season Friday night at the Carolina Classic hosted by the University of South Carolina at the Carolina Volleyball Center.
The Panthers earned the victory by scores of 25-14, 18-25, 25-19, 19-25, 16-14. Pitt's first lead in the fifth set came at 15-14, and a kill by transfer outside hitter
Leketor Member-Meneh sealed the deal.
Three Panthers posted double-doubles: outside hitter
Kayla Lund (16 kills, 16 digs, both team highs), setter
Kylee Levers (26 assists, 14 digs) and setter
Lexis Akeo (20 assists, 11 digs).
Lund and Member-Meneh (14 kills) were two of four Panthers who recorded double figures in the kill column. Transfer middle blocker
Serena Gray hit a solid .545 with 13 kills on 22 attempts with one error while right side
Chinaza Ndee contributed 11 kills and three blocks.
As a team, Pitt out-hit the Owls, .210-.203. The Panthers had more kills (61-53), assists (57-47) and service aces (8-3). Rice had more digs (78-70) and blocks (10.0-8.0).
SET ONE: No. 9 Pitt 25, No. 23 Rice 14
Pitt cruised to a victory in the first set, 25-14. The momentum ultimately swung the Panthers' way following a 7-0 run that put Pitt up, 21-11. Member-Meneh and Gray led the Panthers with four kills on five swings apiece, both hitting .800 for the frame. Pitt held Rice to just .083 hitting while the Panthers hit a scorching .556 to open the match.
SET TWO: No. 23 Rice 25, No. 9 Pitt 18
The Panthers cooled off a bit in the second, when a 10-3 Rice run gave the Owls an 18-14 lead. Rice stayed in front thanks to some hot offense, ending the frame on a 4-0 run to win, 25-18, and even the match at one set apiece. Pitt hit .140 for the stanza while the Owls hit .355.
SET THREE: No. 9 Pitt 25, No. 23 Rice 19
A 4-1 run capped by a Member-Meneh ace gave Pitt an early 9-5 lead. The Panthers stayed in front for the remainder of the frame, earning an 18-11 lead after a 3-1 run. Rice cut the margin to 24-19 after a 3-1 surge, but Ndee was able to end the set with a kill, putting Pitt up, 2-1, in the match.
SET FOUR: No. 23 Rice 25, No. 9 Pitt 19
The fourth set was another tight one – marked by five ties and one lead change. The latest tie was at 19, however, the Owls were able to finish on a hot streak of six straight points to force a fifth set.
SET FIVE: No. 9 Pitt 16, No. 23 Rice 14
Following a 5-1 start by Rice, Pitt had to make up some ground. A 3-0 Pitt run tied the set at 12, and then the Owls were able to earn match point, 14-13. Back-to-back Rice errors gave Pitt its first lead of the set, 15-14, and a Member-Meneh kill put the match away for the Panthers.
UP NEXT
The Panthers will play two matches Saturday, with the first against No. 18 Washington State (12:30 p.m.) and the second against host South Carolina (7 p.m.) at the Carolina Volleyball Center.
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