Pitt remained perfect by ending a long, long drought.
No. 6 Pitt (11-0) won its first game at Penn State since Oct. 4, 1980 with its sweep over the Nittany Lions on Friday night, snapping an 18-match losing streak at Penn State. It was also Pitt's first win against PSU anywhere since 1987.
we know you wanna see this match point video
— Pitt Volleyball (@Pitt_VB) September 21, 2019
and here it is#H2P pic.twitter.com/ZZ7qDAR81A
Pitt outhit Penn State .337 to .129 and held Kaitlyn Hord to two kills and -.100 hitting.
Chinaza Ndee starred with 12 kills and a .611 hitting percentage for the Panthers' highest-ranked victory in program history. Kayla Lund followed close behind with her own spectacular performance of 14 kills and a .286 hitting percentage.
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The last time the Nittany Lions lost 3-0 at home to a nonconference foe was Sept. 18, 1986 against UC Santa Barbara (15-1, 15-7, 15-13).
Pitt commanded the court with dominant performances in the first two sets (25-17, 25-21), and the third set seemed like it would fall into that same rhythm. The Nittany Lions began the set off in communication and positioning, as they had throughout the most of the match. But Penn State then went on a 6-1 run to tie the third set at 10 and turned it into an 8-1 spurt to pull ahead 12-10. This seemed like it was it — that Penn State would turn it around.
But Pitt answered shortly after with a 10-3 run, making it a 20-15 lead — and the Panthers would not relinquish the lead.
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Hord, Penn State's co-leader in kills coming into the match, slammed her first of the night early in the third set. However, she would only record one more kill in the match and ended the night with a -.100 hitting percentage. She had entered the night with a .508 hitting percentage on the year.
Hord's overall performance was the most striking. Pitt's blockers stood tall as Penn State didn't hit better than .152 in any set.
SCOREBOARD: Follow other big matchups and final scores
The home-and-home series continues when Pitt hosts Penn State at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
