Pitt
8-2,0-0ACC
#13 Penn State
4-4,0-0Big Ten
No. 5 Pitt Downs No. 13 Penn State Wednesday Night
9/17/2025 10:36:00 PM | Volleyball
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA – The No. 5 Panthers (8-2, 0-0 ACC) downed No. 13 Penn State (4-4, 0-0 Big Ten) 25-23, 25-17, 23-25, 25-17 on Wednesday night at Rec Hall. Olivia Babcock recorded a double-double with a match-high 16 kills and 13 digs along with four assists, three aces and two blocks. Brooke Mosher set the Panthers to a .299 hitting percentage with 39 assists, seven digs, four kills, three blocks and an ace. This marked the third straight win against the Nittany Lions in the Keystone Classic rivalry.
The Panthers climbed out to a 12-7 advantage in set one, but Penn State rallied for an 8-2 run to take a 15-14 lead at the media timeout. The Pitt offense came alive behind kills from Babcock, Bre Kelley, Ryla Jones and Blaire Bayless to force Penn State to take a timeout down 22-20. The Nittany Lions responded well and won three of the following points to cause Pitt to take a timeout at 23-22. Jones recorded a kill to tie things up, and a kill and block from Dagmar Mourits sealed the set one victory for Pitt, 25-22.
Pitt and Penn State were tied at 11-11 in the second, but a pair of blocks and a kill from Mourits gave the Panthers the 15-12 advantage at the media break. Babcock's serve came alive in the following stretch to power Pitt to a 7-1 run as Penn State called a timeout. A kill apiece from Pitt's pin hitters propelled the Panthers to a 25-17 win in set two.
Both teams battled back and forth until 9-9 in set three, yet Pitt gained some momentum to hold yet another lead at the media timeout, 15-12. The Nittany Lions continued to claw back as they evened the match multiple times, and eventually again at 22-22. A pair of Penn State kills and an ace gave them the 25-23 set three win to extend the match.
Once again, both teams saw multiple ties as the fourth set was deadlocked at 10-10. Mosher's strong serving and a pair of kills from Bayless gave Pitt some cushion with a 15-10 edge. Penn State gave its best effort to narrow the gap but was unable to, and an emphatic kill from Jones secured the fourth set, 25-17, and a 3-1 win for the Panthers.
NOTES
• Dagmar Mourits tied her career high with 13 kills and five blocks and added a personal best five assists
• Olivia Babcock matched her career-high 13 digs in the contest
• Ryla Jones narrowly missed a double-double with nine kills and nine blocks
