No. 3 Seed Pitt Sweeps UMBC to Advance to NCAA Second Round

Friday, December 3

Pittsburgh, Pa.

7 PM ET

Pitt

27-3,15-3ACC

UMBC

19-12,12-0America East

UMBC

Pittsburgh

No. 3 Seed Pitt Sweeps UMBC to Advance to NCAA Second Round

12/3/2021 10:11:00 PM | Volleyball

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Panthers to Meet Penn State Saturday at 7 p.m.

PITTSBURGH – The No. 3 seed Pitt volleyball team (27-3, 15-3 ACC) advanced to the Second Round of the 2021 Division I Women's Volleyball championship with a sweep of UMBC (19-12, 12-0 America East) Friday at the Petersen Events Center.

Pitt's victory lined up a meeting with rival Penn State (21-10, 13-7 Big Ten) Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Petersen Events Center. The Nittany Lions defeated Towson, 3-1, in the first match of the day.

The win marks the sixth consecutive year that the Panthers advance to the Second Round. Pitt holds an 11-16 all-time record when playing in the NCAA Tournament.
The Panthers earned the win by scores of 25-23, 25-13, 25-18. Pitt had advantages in kills (55-32), assists (49-28), service aces (2-1), digs (43-38) blocks (10.0-6.0) and hitting percentage (.345-.141).

Outside hitter Leketor Member-Meneh had a match-high 13 kills on .367 hitting. She added four blocks and seven digs. Right side Chinaza Ndee had 11 kills on .222 hitting with two blocks. Serena Gray hit .545 from the middle with seven kills and six blocks.

Chiamaka Nwokolo was effective offensively with seven kills on nine swings and no errors for a .778 hitting percentage.

In a starting role, setter Rachel Fairbanks produced 25 assists and seven digs. Valeria Vazquez Gomez led Pitt with 11 digs, followed by Ashley Browske with 10.

LONGEST NCAA STREAK IN PROGRAM HISTORY

The 2021 season marks the sixth consecutive year that the Panthers have qualified for the NCAA Tournament, which is the longest streak of reaching the tournament in program history.
Pitt has advanced to at least the NCAA Second Round in each of the last six seasons.
The Panthers have competed in the NCAA Tournament 17 times: 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2004, 2003, 1994, 1993, 1992, 1991, 1990, 1987, 1986, 1984, 1982.

SET ONE: No. 3 seed Pitt 25, UMBC 23

The Panthers took a 17-11 lead following a 9-3 run, but the Retrievers were able to catch up by outscoring Pitt 6-2, cutting the margin to two at 19-17. UMBC made it even closer following three unanswered points, down 21-20. The Panthers were able to finish off the set by the smallest margin, 25-23, for the 1-0 lead. Member-Meneh had a match-high seven kills in the frame.

SET TWO: No. 3 seed Pitt 25, UMBC 13

The Panthers rolled to a 7-0 start in the second frame, thanks to some tough serving by Fairbanks. A 6-1 run pushed Pitt's lead to 15-3, and it did not surrender its double-figure lead for the remainder of the set. The Panthers hit .296 compared to the Retrievers' .231 in the frame en route to their 2-0 lead.

SET THREE: No. 3 Pitt 25, UMBC 18

Five unanswered points gave the Panthers a seven-point margin, up 16-9, but later, a 5-1 run by the Retrievers cut it to three (19-16). Pitt stayed on top for the sweep, hitting .341 in the third while holding UMBC to .132 success.

2021 NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

The 2021 Division I Women's Volleyball championship provides for a field of 64 teams to compete in a single elimination tournament. Of the 64 teams, 32 teams will receive automatic qualification while the remaining 32 teams are selected on an at-large basis by the Division I Women's Volleyball Committee.
First and Second round competition will be held at 16 non-predetermined campus sites. At each campus site, four teams will compete in single-elimination first round competition. The two advancing teams then compete against each other in single-elimination second round competition at the same campus site. The winning team from each of the 16 second rounds advances to the regional round.
Regionals for the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship will be held at four non-predetermined campus sites. At each site, four teams compete in single-elimination regional semifinal competition. The two advancing teams then compete against each other in single-elimination regional final. The winning team from each of the four regions will advance to the DI Women's Volleyball Championship final site in Columbus, Ohio.
The 2021 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship will be held at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The National Semifinals will be held Thursday, December 16, at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. The National Championship will take place Saturday, December 18, at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

UP NEXT
No. 3 Pitt will meet Penn State in the Second Round Saturday at 7 p.m. ET at Petersen Events Center. The match will be streamed on ESPN+ and tickets are available at PittsburghPanthers.com or by calling 800-643-7488.