Pitt Ready for Crucial ACC Matches Versus UNC, NC State

Match Notes
Friday vs. North Carolina: Live Stats | ACC Network Extra
Sunday vs. NC State: Live Stats | ACC Network Extra

PITTSBURGH – The University of Pittsburgh volleyball team (15-4, 8-0 ACC), who is riding a 12-match winning-streak and remains undefeated in ACC play, will look to continue success this weekend as the Panthers return home to face North Carolina (10-7, 7-2 ACC) and NC State (13-7, 8-1 ACC) in crucial match-ups.

THE SCHEDULE

Pitt faces the reigning ACC Champion Tar Heels Friday, Oct. 20 at the Fitzgerald Field House. First serve is set for 7:00 p.m.
Sunday's 1 p.m. match against the Wolfpack will be a battle for first place in the conference as both the Panthers and NC State are undefeated in ACC play.

THE SERIES

Pitt and North Carolina square off for the 16^th time in program history, with the Panthers leading in the all-time series 9-6. Last season, Pitt defeated the nationally ranked Tar Heels in five sets.
The Panthers' all-time record versus NC State is blemished by just one loss in 2013, as Pitt is 8-1 in the series. The Panthers remain undefeated against NC State at home, partially in thanks to a thrilling five-set win in 2016.

SCOUTING NORTH CAROLINA

North Carolina enters the weekend with a 10-7 overall record and a 7-2 record in ACC play.
The Tar Heels are currently on a five-match win streak dating back to Oct. 1, with their two conference losses coming from NC State and Georgia Tech.
After falling to NC State earlier this season, North Carolina found revenge Wednesday evening, dropping the Wolfpack in four sets, handing NC State their first conference loss of the season.
Taylor Leath leads the Tar Heels offensively with 231 kills followed by Beth Nordhorn, who has 162 kills on an impressive .421 clip.

SCOUTING NC STATE

NC State enters the weekend with a 13-7 record and an 8-1 mark in conference play after dropping its first ACC match Wednesday to North Carolina.
Previously on a nine-game win streak and undefeated against conference opponents, the Tar Heels handed the Wolfpack a 3-1 loss in the teams' second match of the season.
The Wolfpack will rely on Julia Brown and Kylie Pickrell for continued offensive success. Brown leads her team in kills with 271 and Pickrell tops the Wolfpack in assists with 775.

RELIVING LAST YEAR

Pitt's matches vs. UNC and NC State in 2016 were ones to remember as the Panthers won both contests in thrilling five-set fashion.
Against the Wolfpack, the Panthers dropped the opening set 25-21 to the before bouncing back to win set two, 25-16 to even the match score 1-1. NC State went ahead 2-1 in the match after pulling off a 25-15 win in set three, but following a wild fourth set that saw Pitt come away with a 35-33 victory, the match was knotted 2-2. That frame marked the Panthers' longest set of the season, as Pitt fought off six straight Wolfpack match points to tie the set 24-24, before battling through 20 more points to earn the set. In a battle to the end, the Panthers outplayed NC State 15-13 in the final set to win the match.
In its match against UNC, who was ranked eighth in the nation at the time, Pitt opened with a 25-21 win but fell in the second set 25-19. The Panthers took a 2-1 lead following a 25-15 third set victory but the Tar Heels fought to tie the match 2-2 after a fourth set win. A dominating fifth set by Pitt led to victory as the Panthers outscored North Carolina 15-6.

LAST TIME OUT

Pitt moved to 8-0 in conference play after sweeping both Syracuse and Boston College for the second time this season on the road.
The Panthers' offense was on point against the Orange as Pitt hit .388 with 54 kills. Three players hit in double-digits including sophomore Nika Markovic and redshirt sophomore Stephanie Williams who both had 14 apiece and freshman Chinaza Ndee who finished with 10. Ndee hit for a .643 clip after committing just one error in 14 attempts, while Williams hit .429 on the match. Junior Kamalani Akeo aided the Panthers attack with 42 assists.
Against the Eagles, Pitt finished with 38 kills in the match and hit .314, utilizing a balanced attack as all five of the Panthers' hitters finished with kills. Williams led the offense as she finished with 10 kills and posted a .381 clip to mark her 12th-straight match hitting in double-digits and 15th total on the season. Freshman Kayla Lund followed Williams with nine kills and a .350 hitting percentage. Pitt tallied seven aces on the day, led by Markovic who finished the match with three.

LUND EARNS SECOND ACC WEEKLY HONOR

For the second time this season, Kayla Lund was named ACC Freshman of the Week after she impressed in Pitt's victories over Syracuse and Boston College.
The Pasadena, Calif., native tallied 17 kills on the weekend, while hitting at a .344 clip. She posted 2.83 kills per set and 13 digs (2.17/set), while adding four block assists.
Lund opened the weekend with a nice offensive performance, hitting .333 against Syracuse. She tallied eight kills in 12 attempts, while digging up six balls.
Against Boston College, the freshman hit .350 behind a nine-kill performance. She also tallied seven digs and four blocks.

Lund's Freshman of the Week honor marks the second consecutive week that a Panther has received an ACC Weekly Award.

LOOKING AHEAD

Pitt will travel to face Louisville and Notre Dame next weekend. The Panthers take on the Cardinals Friday, Oct 27 at 7 p.m. and Fighting Irish Sunday, Oct 29 at 1 p.m.

GOING STREAKING

Pitt is currently on a 12-match win streak dating back to Sept. 9 as Pitt defeated East Tennessee State in its final game at the WKU Invitational.
During that span, the Panthers have gone undefeated in conference play, 8-0.
The winning streak marks the first time Pitt has reached that feat since 2003 when the Panthers won 12 consecutive matches midseason, before continuing on to win a Big East Championship.
The program's longest streak occurred in 1987 under head coach Shelton Collier, as Pitt won 24 straight matches.
During the streak, the Panthers have swept seven opponents and have gone four-sets with five. The squad has yet to go five sets during ACC play.

FIRST PLACE PANTHERS

Pitt currently sits atop of the ACC with an 8-0 record in conference play.
NC State is the only other team undefeated in the ACC as they also hold an 8-0 record.

LEADING LADIES

The Panthers currently lead the conference in four different categories including assists per set (14.57), hitting percentage (.281), kills per set (14.38) and match win-loss percentage (.789).
Pitt also ranks third in team kills (978) and team assists (900).

PANTHERS TAKING SETS

In the last 12 matches, Pitt has dropped just five sets in 41 total played.
On the season, the Panthers have dropped just 19 sets out of 68 total.
The squad has swept nine opponents, defeated five in four sets and one in five.

WILLIAMS IN DOUBLE-DIGITS

Redshirt sophomore Stephanie Williams has earned double-digit kills in 12 straight matches dating back to the Panthers contest against East Tennessee State Sept. 9.
She now has 15 matches where she has had 10-plus kills and four where she has recorded double-doubles.
On the season Williams has tallied 219 kills, including 3.27 per set, while hitting at a .293 clip.

MAKING HER MARK

One of three international products on the roster, sophomore Nika Markovic has had a major impact on the Panthers' success since her arrival in 2016.
So far this season, the right side hitter has dominated both sides of the ball for Pitt. She has tallied 232 kills, 3.93 per set, to lead the team and rank fourth in the ACC. Markovic boasts 135 digs, 28 aces and 55 blocks.
The Slovenian has recorded four double-doubles this season and has hit in double-digits 11 times this season.
Last season, the Braslovce, Slovenia native was sidelined in early October due to foot surgery for three games. She was also limited in three more contests before being given the full go on Oct. 28 against NC State.
The team fell into a lull in her absence, producing a 2-4 record. After her return, Pitt picked up its play, rattling off four straight wins, including an upset at home against No. 8 North Carolina.
In the upset over the Tar Heels, Markovic had a career-high 19 kills, which led the Panthers. She also produced 10 kills in the win over NC State that same weekend, and tallied 19 digs over the two games. She was honored as the ACC Freshman of the Week for her efforts.
Markovic ended her freshman campaign with 233 kills and a .266 hitting percentage. She also racked up 39 aces, second best on the team.

PICKING UP WHERE SHE LEFT OFF

In 2016 as a freshman, Layne Van Buskirk was one of the most efficient attackers for Pitt and the now-sophomore is picking up right where she left off.
The Windsor, Ontario native is hitting .358 for the Panthers, ranking fifth in the ACC.
During Pitt's 12-match winning streak, Van Buskirk has tallied a team-leading .358 hitting percentage.
Last season as a newcomer, she tallied a .345 hitting percentage, which ranked second for the Panthers. As the lone freshman in the top 10 of the category, Van Buskirk's clip ranked sixth in the ACC.

HITTING 100

Head coach Dan Fisher earned his 100^th win at Pitt with a 3-1 victory over Syracuse at home Sept. 22.
Fisher, who is in his fifth season with the Panthers, owns a 107-42 (.718) record with the University, while boasting 184 career wins as a head coach.

MILESTONE/RECORD BOOK WATCH

Junior setter Kamalani Akeo currently sits seventh in career assists with 2,650. She will look to climb further throughout the season, as she is 466 assists away from sixth place (3,116).
Senior Mariah Bell will look to break into the top 10 in career kills and aces in 2017. Bell is 158 kills away from moving into the top 10 (1,071) in the category and just 87 away from hitting 1,000 mark. She also needs just four aces to enter the record book (110).
With her 33 digs at the Dayton Invitational, Angela Seman broke into the career digs category of the record book. The redshirt junior now boasts 1,256 digs, good for eighth-best in program history. She is now just 10 away from moving into seventh (1,266).

#H2P | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook