University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Friday, October 28
Pittsburgh, Pa.
7:00 PM
Pitt
16-7, 7-4ACC
3
vs
2
North Carolina State
13-10, 6-5ACC
1
2
3
4
5
F
NC State
25
16
25
33
13
2
Pitt
21
25
15
35
15
3
Panthers Outlast NC State in Five-Set Thriller
10/29/2016 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
PITTSBURGH – The University of Pittsburgh volleyball team defeated NC State in a five-set thriller Friday evening at the Fitzgerald Field House in Pittsburgh, Pa.
The Panthers (16-7, 7-4 ACC) dropped the opening set 25-21 to the Wolfpack (13-10, 6-5 ACC) 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. In a battle to the end, the Panthers outplayed NC State 15-13 in the final set to win the match.
"We have been preaching toughness," said head coach Dan Fisher. "I have to admit we were pretty tough tonight. Not much else went right but we found a way."
The Panthers difficult schedule will continue Sunday as Pitt welcomes No. 8 North Carolina to the Fitzgerald Field House.
"Hopefully we are going to play a littler looser against UNC and be a little bit more in the moment," said Fisher. I'd like to think we drew some confidence from that fourth set comeback. That was a big moment for us but we have to keep getting better."
Mariah Bell had a night for Pitt, registering 22 kills on 54 attempts. The junior added 11 digs to mark her fifth double-double of the season.
Two other Panthers also recorded double-digit kills including redshirt freshman Stephanie Williams (16) and freshman Nika Markovic (10).
Rounding out the top offensive performances was redshirt senior Jenna Potts who finished the match with a .500 hitting percentage after tallying eight kills in 14 attempts with just a single error.
Sophomore setter Kamalani Akeo aided Pitt's offense with 57 assists. Pitt concluded the match with seven aces, with Markovic, Bell and senior Maria Genitsaridi each contributing two apiece.
On defense, redshirt sophomore Angela Seman dug up 25 balls, while Potts led the team with six blocks.
Set One: Pitt 21, NC State 25
After a quick start by NC State which gave the Wolfpack a 7-4 lead, Pitt came back to tie the set 8-8. However, three straight NC State points called for the Panthers to take their first timeout.
Out of the break, the Wolfpack remained ahead and forced Pitt to call its second timeout after maintaining a three point lead, 19-16. Returning for a second time, the Panthers scored three consecutive points, two of which came from NC State errors, to tie the set 19-19.
The Wolfpack came back from the timeout and completed back-to-back points to swing the momentum in their favor. While the Panthers were able to come back within a point, NC State tallied three straight to end the set.
Set Two: Pitt 25, NC State 16
Pitt came out firing in set two, scoring the first six points to take a 6-0 lead. The Panthers continued to dominate, registering six kills in addition to Wolfpack errors to extend its lead to 17-10.
Following an NC State timeout, Pitt remained in control of the set and registered four kills, an ace and a block in their final eight points to tie the match at a set apiece.
On the set, Pitt registered 13 kills and .385. Bell tallied five of those kills and hit .400 in nine attempts.
Set Three: Pitt 15, NC State 25
Pitt struggled in the third set, falling behind NC State early on. With the Panthers trailing 7-5, a nine point run propelled the Wolfpack ahead of Pitt 16-5. The Panthers used both of its timeouts within the nine-point stretch but NC State remained in control.
The Wolfpack continued to add to its total and led by more than double late in the set before NC State earned set point 24-12. Pitt was able to fight off three set points before the Wolfpack recorded their final point.
Set Four: Pitt 35, NC State 33
In the Panthers' longest set of the season, Pitt came away with a 35-33 win after trailing 24-18. The Panthers fought off six straight NC State match points to tie the set 24-24, before battling through 20 more points and winning the set.
Pitt trailed 6-0 to begin the fourth set and burned both of its timeouts before scoring a single point. The Panthers remained behind throughout most of the set but started to see a spark when they pulled within two points, 20-18.
Pitt's momentum looked to be slowing as NC State scored four points in a row following a timeout to earn match point 24-18, but the Panthers rallied off six straight, including four kills, to tie the score 24-24.
From this point, the two teams battled in a back-and-forth affair until Pitt was able to string together three final points to tie the match and force a fifth frame.
In the fourth set, the Panthers battled 12 total Wolfpack match points and had three chances of their own to earn the victory prior to the final point.
Set Five: Pitt 15, NC State 13
In the fifth and final set, Pitt and NC State were knotted 3-3 but the Wolfpack took a 6-3 advantage following two Panther errors and a kill. Pitt called its first timeout and returned to tie the game 7-7 thanks to three Bell kills and one from Potts.
A bad set by the Wolfpack would put them behind 8-7 and force them to use their first timeout. The two teams exchanged back-and-forth points the remainder of the set which included nine tie scores.
With the score tied at 13, NC State used its second timeout, but instead of it benefitting the team the Wolfpack committed consecutive hitting errors to end the match.
Up Next
Pitt will remain at home, welcoming No. 8 North Carolina Sunday, Oct. 30 at 1 p.m.
#H2P | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
The Panthers (16-7, 7-4 ACC) dropped the opening set 25-21 to the Wolfpack (13-10, 6-5 ACC) 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. In a battle to the end, the Panthers outplayed NC State 15-13 in the final set to win the match.
"We have been preaching toughness," said head coach Dan Fisher. "I have to admit we were pretty tough tonight. Not much else went right but we found a way."
The Panthers difficult schedule will continue Sunday as Pitt welcomes No. 8 North Carolina to the Fitzgerald Field House.
"Hopefully we are going to play a littler looser against UNC and be a little bit more in the moment," said Fisher. I'd like to think we drew some confidence from that fourth set comeback. That was a big moment for us but we have to keep getting better."
Mariah Bell had a night for Pitt, registering 22 kills on 54 attempts. The junior added 11 digs to mark her fifth double-double of the season.
Two other Panthers also recorded double-digit kills including redshirt freshman Stephanie Williams (16) and freshman Nika Markovic (10).
Rounding out the top offensive performances was redshirt senior Jenna Potts who finished the match with a .500 hitting percentage after tallying eight kills in 14 attempts with just a single error.
Sophomore setter Kamalani Akeo aided Pitt's offense with 57 assists. Pitt concluded the match with seven aces, with Markovic, Bell and senior Maria Genitsaridi each contributing two apiece.
On defense, redshirt sophomore Angela Seman dug up 25 balls, while Potts led the team with six blocks.
Set One: Pitt 21, NC State 25
After a quick start by NC State which gave the Wolfpack a 7-4 lead, Pitt came back to tie the set 8-8. However, three straight NC State points called for the Panthers to take their first timeout.
Out of the break, the Wolfpack remained ahead and forced Pitt to call its second timeout after maintaining a three point lead, 19-16. Returning for a second time, the Panthers scored three consecutive points, two of which came from NC State errors, to tie the set 19-19.
The Wolfpack came back from the timeout and completed back-to-back points to swing the momentum in their favor. While the Panthers were able to come back within a point, NC State tallied three straight to end the set.
Set Two: Pitt 25, NC State 16
Pitt came out firing in set two, scoring the first six points to take a 6-0 lead. The Panthers continued to dominate, registering six kills in addition to Wolfpack errors to extend its lead to 17-10.
Following an NC State timeout, Pitt remained in control of the set and registered four kills, an ace and a block in their final eight points to tie the match at a set apiece.
On the set, Pitt registered 13 kills and .385. Bell tallied five of those kills and hit .400 in nine attempts.
Set Three: Pitt 15, NC State 25
Pitt struggled in the third set, falling behind NC State early on. With the Panthers trailing 7-5, a nine point run propelled the Wolfpack ahead of Pitt 16-5. The Panthers used both of its timeouts within the nine-point stretch but NC State remained in control.
The Wolfpack continued to add to its total and led by more than double late in the set before NC State earned set point 24-12. Pitt was able to fight off three set points before the Wolfpack recorded their final point.
Set Four: Pitt 35, NC State 33
In the Panthers' longest set of the season, Pitt came away with a 35-33 win after trailing 24-18. The Panthers fought off six straight NC State match points to tie the set 24-24, before battling through 20 more points and winning the set.
Pitt trailed 6-0 to begin the fourth set and burned both of its timeouts before scoring a single point. The Panthers remained behind throughout most of the set but started to see a spark when they pulled within two points, 20-18.
Pitt's momentum looked to be slowing as NC State scored four points in a row following a timeout to earn match point 24-18, but the Panthers rallied off six straight, including four kills, to tie the score 24-24.
From this point, the two teams battled in a back-and-forth affair until Pitt was able to string together three final points to tie the match and force a fifth frame.
In the fourth set, the Panthers battled 12 total Wolfpack match points and had three chances of their own to earn the victory prior to the final point.
Set Five: Pitt 15, NC State 13
In the fifth and final set, Pitt and NC State were knotted 3-3 but the Wolfpack took a 6-3 advantage following two Panther errors and a kill. Pitt called its first timeout and returned to tie the game 7-7 thanks to three Bell kills and one from Potts.
A bad set by the Wolfpack would put them behind 8-7 and force them to use their first timeout. The two teams exchanged back-and-forth points the remainder of the set which included nine tie scores.
With the score tied at 13, NC State used its second timeout, but instead of it benefitting the team the Wolfpack committed consecutive hitting errors to end the match.
Up Next
Pitt will remain at home, welcoming No. 8 North Carolina Sunday, Oct. 30 at 1 p.m.
#H2P | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Team Stats
ST
UP
Kills
60
68
Errors
19
32
Attempts
153
179
Hitting %
.268
.201
Points
85.0
83.0
Assists
60
65
Aces
7
7
Blocks
18.0
8.0
Game Leaders
Kills
22
Aces
2
Blocks
2
Kills
16
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
10
Aces
2
Blocks
1
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
6
Players Mentioned
S/L
/ VolleyballS
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
OH
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballRS
/ VolleyballMB
/ VolleyballMB
/ Volleyball
DS
/ VolleyballL
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballOH
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