No. 6 Pitt to Host Panthers Unite Match Versus Notre Dame

PITTSBURGH – The No. 6 Pitt volleyball team (20-0, 8-0 ACC) invites all University of Pittsburgh student-athletes to attend Friday's Panthers Unite match against Notre Dame (11-7, 5-3 ACC) at 7 p.m. at Fitzgerald Field House.

HOW TO FOLLOW

Pitt's match can be seen live on ACC Network Extra via WatchESPN.
Live stats will be available via PittsburghPanthers.com.
Fans can follow along with live updates on Twitter @Pitt_VB.

LAST TIME OUT

Four Panthers recorded double-figure kills in a four-set win for No. 6 Pitt on the road at NC State Sunday afternoon at Reynolds Coliseum.
With its 20th consecutive win, the Panthers extended the nation's longest winning streak and remain one of two unbeaten teams in the country, along with No. 1 BYU (18-0, 8-0 WCC).
Junior right side Nika Markovic led Pitt with 17 kills, and rounded out a double-double with 11 digs. Junior middle Layne Van Buskirk followed with 13 kills. Redshirt junior outside Stephanie Williams and sophomore outside Kayla Lund had 11 kills apiece.
In addition to Markovic, senior setter Kamalani Akeo recorded a double-double with a team-high 28 assists and 10 digs. Redshirt senior libero Angela Seman paced the Pitt defense with 17 digs.
As a team, the Panthers hit .232 (60-27-142) to the Wolfpack's .180 (49-24-139), and had a hefty advantage in digs, 55-44. NC State out-blocked Pitt, 17.0-11.5.

A WIN WOULD…

Extend the Panthers' best start to a season in school history, improving to 21-0.
Extend Pitt's longest win streak since 1987, when the team won 24 consecutive matches.
Give the Panthers a 9-0 start to ACC play for the second consecutive season.
Improve Pitt's 2018 home record to 14-0, and 6-0 against ACC opponents.
Extend the Panthers' win streak against the Fighting Irish to two matches. Pitt has not lost to Notre Dame since Oct. 21, 2016, at Fitzgerald Field House (3-0).
Be Pitt's first win against Notre Dame when playing in Pittsburgh since Oct. 10, 2014.
Improve the Panthers' all-time record against Notre Dame to 14-24 overall and 7-8 when playing in Pittsburgh.

AND THEN THERE WERE TWO

No. 6 Pitt is one of two unbeaten teams in the country (20-0, 8-0 ACC), along with No. 1 BYU (18-0, 8-0 WCC).
The Panthers are one of two remaining teams unbeaten in ACC play, along with 2017 ACC Co-Champion No. 21 Louisville (15-4, 8-0).

RANKING THE PANTHERS

Pitt holds stead at No. 6 in this week's edition of the AVCA Coaches Poll. This marks the Panthers' highest national ranking in program history.
Pitt's top ranking prior to the 2018 season came in 1990 when the squad was No. 17.
The Panthers are No. 5 in the third release of the NCAA Volleyball Rating Percentage Index (RPI), Monday, Oct 15.

LEADING THE LEAGUE

As of Thursday, Oct. 18, the Panthers pace the ACC in assists per set (13.80), hitting percentage (.309) and kills per set (14.61).
Sophomore outside hitter Kayla Lund is the league leader in overall service kills (25). She ranks third in the ACC in kills per set (3.91) and points per set (4.43). Junior middle hitter Layne Van Buskirk is 15th in the country with a hitting percentage of .400, ranking third in the ACC. She's also third in the league with 95 total blocks this season.

SCOUTING THE FIGHTING IRISH

Notre Dame (11-7, 5-3 ACC) snapped a two-match losing streak with a 3-1 win over Virginia Tech at home Sunday afternoon.
Junior outside hitter Jemma Yeadon leads the Fighting Irish with 3.60 kills per set and rookie outside hitter Charley Niego follows with 3.14 kills per set. Senior middle Meg Morningstar, out of North Allegheny High School in Wexford, Pa., contributes a team-high 1.47 blocks per set.
The Fighting Irish hits .204 as a team while limiting opponents to .159 overall.
Friday night will be Notre Dame's third match against a ranked opponent this season, dropping two contests to No. 19 Michigan – 3-0 on Sept. 14 and 3-1 on Sept. 16.
Notre Dame is 3-5 when playing away from South Bend this season, and 3-2 in conference play. The Fighting Irish has dropped ACC road matches at NC State (3-1, Sept. 23) and at Louisville (3-2, Oct. 10).

THE SERIES – NOTRE DAME

Friday will be the 38th meeting between No. 6 Pitt and Notre Dame, with the Fighting Irish leading the all-time series, 24-13. The Panthers have won four out of the last five meetings.
Pitt claimed the last meeting between the teams, 3-0, at Purcell Pavilion in Notre Dame, Ind., on Oct. 29, 2017.
The Panthers' last win against Notre Dame when playing in Pittsburgh was Oct. 10, 2014 (3-0).
Pitt holds a 6-8 record when hosting the Fighting Irish in Pittsburgh.

FRIDAY PROMOTIONS

Panthers Unite: All University of Pittsburgh student-athletes are invited to sit in designated bleachers courtside at Fitzgerald Field House
Most Valuable Professors (MVP Night): Each member of the team invites a University of Pittsburgh professor to be honored at the match
Online Auction: A Coach Dan Fisher autographed game-used volleyball and 2017 ACC Champions T-Shirt are now available for bidding on the Pitt Athletics Online Auction. To bid, visit PittsburghPanthers.com/auctions

UP NEXT

No. 6 Pitt will host a rematch between the 2017 ACC Co-Champions, facing No. 21 Louisville Sunday at 1 p.m. at Fitzgerald Field House. The match will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra, available via the WatchESPN app.

2018 PITT VOLLEYBALL TICKETS

Flex season ticket packages as well as single-match and group tickets for the 2018 volleyball season are now on sale and can be purchased by calling the Panthers' Ticket Office at (800) 643-PITT (7488) or online at PittsburghPanthers.com.

#H2P | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook