Saturday, November 25
Charlottesville, Va.
4:00 PM EST
Pitt
25-6, 18-2
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at
0
Virginia
7-24, 3-17
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Pitt
25
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25
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Virginia
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Photo by: Michael Shroyer/Pitt Athletics
Pitt Volleyball Claims First ACC Volleyball Title
11/25/2017 8:21:00 PM | Volleyball
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The University of Pittsburgh volleyball team claimed a piece of the 2017 ACC volleyball title after sweeping Virginia, Saturday, Nov. 25 at Memorial Gymnasium in Charlottesville, Va.
The Panthers share a piece of the crown with Louisville, who also finished the season 18-2 in conference play. This marks the first ACC championship in program history and second at the University (Wrestling, Outright, 2014).
"I couldn't be more proud of these girls," said head coach Dan Fisher. "Our main goal of the season was to get back in the tournament and hopefully make a run, but it just goes to show you that when you have a good group who works hard, and does things the right way great things can happen. It's something these girls are going to remember forever."
To take the title, the Panthers, who are now 25-6 on the season, had to defeat Virginia, which went in their favor as they defeated the Cavaliers (7-24, 3-17 ACC) in straight sets 25-21, 25-18, 25-19.
"We have been preaching all year that we need to be a balanced team," said Fisher. "Something that has defined us is having a lot of arms and a lot of weapons. If you look at our stat line tonight, it's a really balanced attack so I think it's fitting to finish the season with a balanced offense and what has been a very balanced team all year."
Five Pitt players recorded kills for the Panthers, with redshirt sophomore Stephanie Williams leading the way with 15. This marks her 24th-straight match with double-digit kills. Nika Markovic also hit for double-digits, recording 10 kills, also her 24th with 10-plus.
Pitt's duo in the middle of freshman Chinaza Ndee and sophomore Layne Van Buskirk, both tallied a hitting percentage of .438 to lead the squad.
The Panthers were guided on offense by junior setter Kamalani Akeo, who posted 39 assists in the win.
Defensively, Pitt was led by redshirt junior Angela Seman, who tallied 12 digs, while Markovic posted 10 to record her fifth double-double of the season. At the net, Pitt was led by Ndee as she finished with four blocks.
Set One: Pitt 25, Virginia 21
Pitt opened the first set with a 25-21 victory over Virginia. The Panthers opened with a strong offensive performance, hitting .387 behind 15 kills. Five Pitt players recorded kills in the opening set.
The Panthers struggled to find a groove early on, falling behind 8-6, forcing Pitt to take a timeout. Ndee helped the Panthers out of the break, posting two of Pitt's four straight to put the squad out in front 10-9.
The Cavaliers called a timeout to regroup and pushed back out in front, remaining one step ahead of the Panthers. The turning point for Pitt came midway through as an ace by senior Mariah Bell and two Virginia errors put the Panthers out in front 18-15.
Pitt didn't relinquish its lead the remainder of the set as the Panthers went on to earn set point 24-20 on a block by senior Alex Rosignol and freshman Kayla Lund. The Cavaliers fought off one Pitt attempt but was unable to keep the Panthers on the floor as Van Buskirk posted a final kill.
Set Two: Pitt 25, Virginia 18
Pitt took a 2-0 lead in the match after posting a dominant 25-18 win over Virginia in the second set. The Panthers posted 16 kills in the set.
Pitt continued its scoring ways at the start of the second frame, tallying the first three points of the frame and working its way out to a 13-8 lead against the Cavaliers.
Virginia called a timeout but continued to play catch up following the break. However, the home team forced the Panthers to call at timeout of their own as the Cavaliers posted three straight points to pull within four, 19-15, late in the set.
Virginia extended its streak to four straight, but the Panthers remained focused and extended its lead to 22-17 to force another Cavaliers timeout. Pitt earned set point, 24-17, after back-to-back kills by Markovic and Williams. Ndee tallied the final kill just moments later.
Set Three: Pitt 25, Virginia 19
The Panthers claimed a portion of the title following a 25-19 victory in the final set.
Pitt and Virginia battled through the opening points of the third frame, engaging in a back-and-forth affair. The two teams were tied 11-11, but the Panthers found a small two-point lead at the media timeout, 15-13.
A block by Ndee and Rosignol, along with a Williams kill extended Pitt's lead to 18-15, prompting a timeout call by Virginia.
The Panthers didn't let up as they held the Cavaliers to just four more points and went on to score the final three points of the set, including back-to-back kills by Williams.
Up Next
Pitt will await its postseason fate during the 2017 NCAA Volleyball Selection Show, which takes place Sunday, Nov. 26 at 9 p.m., live on ESPNU.
#H2P | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
The Panthers share a piece of the crown with Louisville, who also finished the season 18-2 in conference play. This marks the first ACC championship in program history and second at the University (Wrestling, Outright, 2014).
"I couldn't be more proud of these girls," said head coach Dan Fisher. "Our main goal of the season was to get back in the tournament and hopefully make a run, but it just goes to show you that when you have a good group who works hard, and does things the right way great things can happen. It's something these girls are going to remember forever."
To take the title, the Panthers, who are now 25-6 on the season, had to defeat Virginia, which went in their favor as they defeated the Cavaliers (7-24, 3-17 ACC) in straight sets 25-21, 25-18, 25-19.
"We have been preaching all year that we need to be a balanced team," said Fisher. "Something that has defined us is having a lot of arms and a lot of weapons. If you look at our stat line tonight, it's a really balanced attack so I think it's fitting to finish the season with a balanced offense and what has been a very balanced team all year."
Five Pitt players recorded kills for the Panthers, with redshirt sophomore Stephanie Williams leading the way with 15. This marks her 24th-straight match with double-digit kills. Nika Markovic also hit for double-digits, recording 10 kills, also her 24th with 10-plus.
Pitt's duo in the middle of freshman Chinaza Ndee and sophomore Layne Van Buskirk, both tallied a hitting percentage of .438 to lead the squad.
The Panthers were guided on offense by junior setter Kamalani Akeo, who posted 39 assists in the win.
Defensively, Pitt was led by redshirt junior Angela Seman, who tallied 12 digs, while Markovic posted 10 to record her fifth double-double of the season. At the net, Pitt was led by Ndee as she finished with four blocks.
Set One: Pitt 25, Virginia 21
Pitt opened the first set with a 25-21 victory over Virginia. The Panthers opened with a strong offensive performance, hitting .387 behind 15 kills. Five Pitt players recorded kills in the opening set.
The Panthers struggled to find a groove early on, falling behind 8-6, forcing Pitt to take a timeout. Ndee helped the Panthers out of the break, posting two of Pitt's four straight to put the squad out in front 10-9.
The Cavaliers called a timeout to regroup and pushed back out in front, remaining one step ahead of the Panthers. The turning point for Pitt came midway through as an ace by senior Mariah Bell and two Virginia errors put the Panthers out in front 18-15.
Pitt didn't relinquish its lead the remainder of the set as the Panthers went on to earn set point 24-20 on a block by senior Alex Rosignol and freshman Kayla Lund. The Cavaliers fought off one Pitt attempt but was unable to keep the Panthers on the floor as Van Buskirk posted a final kill.
Set Two: Pitt 25, Virginia 18
Pitt took a 2-0 lead in the match after posting a dominant 25-18 win over Virginia in the second set. The Panthers posted 16 kills in the set.
Pitt continued its scoring ways at the start of the second frame, tallying the first three points of the frame and working its way out to a 13-8 lead against the Cavaliers.
Virginia called a timeout but continued to play catch up following the break. However, the home team forced the Panthers to call at timeout of their own as the Cavaliers posted three straight points to pull within four, 19-15, late in the set.
Virginia extended its streak to four straight, but the Panthers remained focused and extended its lead to 22-17 to force another Cavaliers timeout. Pitt earned set point, 24-17, after back-to-back kills by Markovic and Williams. Ndee tallied the final kill just moments later.
Set Three: Pitt 25, Virginia 19
The Panthers claimed a portion of the title following a 25-19 victory in the final set.
Pitt and Virginia battled through the opening points of the third frame, engaging in a back-and-forth affair. The two teams were tied 11-11, but the Panthers found a small two-point lead at the media timeout, 15-13.
A block by Ndee and Rosignol, along with a Williams kill extended Pitt's lead to 18-15, prompting a timeout call by Virginia.
The Panthers didn't let up as they held the Cavaliers to just four more points and went on to score the final three points of the set, including back-to-back kills by Williams.
Up Next
Pitt will await its postseason fate during the 2017 NCAA Volleyball Selection Show, which takes place Sunday, Nov. 26 at 9 p.m., live on ESPNU.
#H2P | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Team Stats
UP
VA
Kills
49
36
Errors
17
17
Attempts
111
100
Hitting %
.288
.190
Points
60.0
45.0
Assists
49
34
Aces
5
1
Blocks
6.0
8.0
Game Leaders
Kills
15
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
10
Aces
1
Blocks
3
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
S
/ Volleyball
OH
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballRS
/ Volleyball
RS/MH
/ Volleyball
MH
/ Volleyball
L
/ VolleyballMB
/ VolleyballOH
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