Takeaways: Pitt Volleyball Handles Penn State

Babcock was also all over the court when she wasn't getting aces. The junior opposite hitter had 13 digs, four assists, two blocks, led the Panthers with 16 kills and hit .410.

"Her block, defense and serve were all very good," Fisher said. "She struggled a little bit offensively in the first set, but I thought she settled in. People have a tendency with a player like her to look at kills and hitting percentage, but I thought she just helped us win in a lot of different ways tonight."

It was almost a year to the date that Pitt and Penn State last played one another, and Penn State libero Gillian Grimes said the biggest difference she noticed from last year's Pitt team to this year's was the improved serving.

"I thought their spin servers were definitely on," Grimes said. "Babcock had a good night, but towards the end, it was all on our side, really. At the end of the day, we needed to compete, and we fell short."

Dynamic Net Duo

Not only did Pitt play well at the service line, but the middle blockers Ryla Jones and Bre Kelley were also impressive. The duo had 14 total blocks and 17 kills and accounted for 24.5 points combined.

Fisher said that Jones jammed her finger in practice before the match and wasn't sure if she'd be able to play, and said he thought she had a gritty performance.

"I think the connection has been so good with Brooke in the middles lately," Fisher said. "I know that both of them were very motivated, because they know how hard it is to block Kennedy Martin or Emmi Sellman...Bre, at one point, was saying, 'I don't think I need to watch any more video. I've watched so much video on my own that I think I'm good.' So I think they came in really prepared."

Mosher said part of the middle blockers' success was how they communicated with her, even in the road environment.

"I think the more they call the ball, the more I can hear them and know where they are, and then that just gives me the confidence to set them," Mosher said. "And then I think also, when they're calling it really loudly, they're building up themselves the confidence to go kill the ball."

Hostile Rec Hall

This was the first Pitt-Penn State match in Rec Hall since 2019, with Pitt getting the 3-0 sweep that year. The two most recent matches were played in Pittsburgh. But it hasn't always been easy for the Panthers to travel across the commonwealth to get a win.

The 2019 match was the first-ever match Pitt beat Penn State. The two teams played four matches prior to that, with three of them being in Happy Valley, and Pitt got swept once and lost the other two 3-1.

Pitt has shown to play well in the unfavorable environment of Rec Hall recently. Even through the loud fans, the marching band and the profane "Eat s**t Pitt" chants.

Dagmar Mourits, a Netherlands native who had 13 kills, five assists, five total blocks and hit .333 against Penn State, said she enjoyed the loud crowd and that it helped her play better.

"It's kind of getting normal to play for this many people," Mourits said. "In the Netherlands, it's not usual, so it's getting more routine to play for this kind of demand. I love it. It gives me more energy. It helps you."