Pitt's Torrey Stafford goes up for a shot against Penn State on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024.

For all the buzz generated by Wednesday night's meeting between the women's volleyball teams from Pitt and Penn State, both coaches recognized it is still only September. A national champion won't be crowned until mid-December.

Still, the Panthers (No. 1 in American Volleyball Coaches Association poll for the second week in a row) and Nittany Lions (No. 3) recognized it was a good opportunity for gauging where they stand.

"I think they (Pitt) are a real aggressive attacking team," said Penn State coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley in the days leading up to the match. "They're well coached. They always have a great game plan, and their players know what's going on."

Said Pitt coach Dan Fisher: "I knew that Penn State would be very good. Especially after our spring scrimmage with them. They are absolutely deserving of their high ranking."

So after their nonconference matchup before 11,800 boisterous fans at Petersen Events Center, where do they stand?

The Panthers seem to be standing right where their ranking says after dismantling the Nittany Lions in three straight: 25-15, 25-19, 25-18. Pitt moved to 7-0, and Penn State suffered its first loss of the season to fall to 8-1.

The attendance was a Pitt volleyball record, easily surpassing the mark set last season (8,865) against Louisville.

The match couldn't have started better for Pitt or worse for Penn State, depending on the point of view. After two straight net violations on the Nittany Lions, an ace by Valeria Vazquez Gomez and an Olivia Babcock kill, Pitt led 4-0 and was never threatened.

The Nittany Lions never even strung two points together until Pitt had gone up 14-6. The Panthers committed only two attack errors in the set and hit .429.

Penn State settled down in the second set, even taking its first lead of the match at 8-7. But Pitt scored seven of the next 10 points -- keyed by three kills and a pair of blocks by Babcock -- to create breathing room.

Twice the Nittany Lions pulled within one -- 17-16 and 18-17 -- but Pitt regrouped, getting a pair of kills by Torrey Stafford and an ace by Rachel Fairbanks down the stretch to secure the win.

Pitt completed the sweep by going on runs of 5-0 and 6-0 in the third set to build a big lead and finish off a convincing performance against its in-state nemesis. Penn State kept it interesting, going on a 6-0 run after getting down 18-8 before Pitt found its footing again thanks to three straight kills by Stafford.