University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt
(12-2, 2-0ACC)
North Carolina
(4-7, 1-1ACC)
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | 23 | 18 | 23 | 0 |
| Pitt | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Pitt Sweeps Reigning ACC Champs, UNC, to Win Fifth Straight
9/27/2015 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 27, 2015
Box Score | Season Stats PITTSBURGH - The University of Pittsburgh volleyball team swept reigning ACC Champs, North Carolina, in a tough match Sunday afternoon at the Fitzgerald Field House to move to 12-2 overall on the season and 2-0 in conference play.
The Panthers snapped the Tar Heels' (4-7, 1-1 ACC) 18 match win streak in conference play, defeating them in straight sets 25-23, 25-18 and 25-23. This was the first time Pitt came out on top since 2004.
Graduate transfer Kadi Kullerkann once again led the Panthers offensively racking up 12 kills and hitting .385 (12-2-26), making for her 12th match with double-digit kills. Sophomore Mariah Bell and junior Maria Genitsaridi both followed with nine.
At the net Pitt displayed a solid performance, tallying 22 block assists, seven of which came from redshirt junior Jenna Potts. With her performance, Potts has entered the top five in Pitt history in career block assists with 295. Redshirt freshman Angela Seman had an afternoon in the back row, digging up 25 balls.
As a team, the Panthers out-hit North Carolina .303 to .198.
Pitt got off to a hot start in the first set, posting five quick kills to take a 7-2 lead. However just points later, UNC fought its way to back to tie the game at 12. Following the tie score, Pitt answered with five consecutive points, partially thanks to three attack errors by the Tar Heels, but would only remain ahead for a short time through the midway point of the set as back-to-back kills by North Carolina's Paige Neuenfeldt tied the game at 19 all. The two teams were neck and neck through the final points but kills by Kullerkann and Genitsaridi would give Pitt a first set, 25-23 win. Kullerkann posted five of her 12 kills in the opening set.
After falling behind 13-15 midway through the second set, the Panthers battled their way back, outscoring UNC 12-3 in the final points to take a 2-0 lead in the match. Both Pitt and the Tar Heels struggled with serving early in the second set, combining for five service errors in the first 11 points. Despite the trouble, Pitt earned an 11-8 lead but it was short-lived as UNC would first tie the game at 11 and then advance to take a 15-13 lead. The Tar Heels run would prompt a timeout call by the Panthers. From that point, Pitt would hold North Carolina to just three more points as it worked its way to a 25-18 win. The Panthers concluded the set with five points in a row, four of which came from the hands of Kullerkann.
Pitt came back from a 9-4 deficit to defeat the Tar Heels 25-23 in the final set of the match. After trailing initially, Pitt fought back to tie the set at 12 all and eventually worked its way to a 16-13 lead. However, UNC wouldn't let the Panthers stay ahead for long as three straight points would tie the game at 18 all, before back-and-forth points would tie the game at 20. Coming down to the wire, UNC fought off two of Pitt's match points but Genitsaridi would fire one cross-court to end it.
Up Next
Pitt will have a quick turnaround following the weekend as they head to Virginia Tech for a midweek match-up on Wednesday, Sept. 30. Following their trip to Blacksburg, Va., the Panthers will conclude play at Virginia on Friday, Oct. 2. Wednesday's match against the Hokies will be aired live on ESPN3.
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