PITTSBURGH — A pair of transfer students, Leketor Member-Meneh and Serena Gray, led the Pitt Panthers to their first Final Four in program history, and their first win over Purdue in 12 matches with a 3-1 win over the Boilermakers at Fitzgerald Field House on Saturday in the regional finals of the 2021 NCAA Volleyball Tournament.
Member-Meneh contributed 20 kills, two service aces and nine digs, while Gray added 14 kills (including the final point), two assists and a service ace.
Graduate defensive specialist Jena Otec played true to her position for the Boilermakers, accounting for 25 of Purdue’s 53 digs.
After finding themselves in an early 3-0 hole, the Panthers fought back to tie the first set 14-14. They then pulled away late to win the first frame 25-20 after an attack error by Purdue’s Grace Cleveland. The second frame went in similar fashion: the score was tied at eighteen different points in the set, and neither team ever led by more than three.Â
The Boilermakers went up 24-22 late in the second set, but Member-Meneh made successive kills to keep the frame alive at 24.
Purdue won the second set 30-28 after the Panthers shot themselves in the foot repeatedly, surrendering 14 points on errors.
The Boilermakers returned the favor to start the third set, with three errors helping the Panthers open up a 4-0 lead. An emphatic block by Kayla Lund gave Pitt a 12-6 lead, but Purdue fought back to make it 12-10. The Panthers never trailed in the set, winning 25-20 to push Purdue to the brink of elimination.
The teams fought to a 10-10 tie, but the Panthers never looked back after that, winning the final set 25-15.
The Panthers will face the winner of Texas or Nebraska on Thursday, Dec. 16 in Columbus, Ohio.
