No. 10 Pitt Looks to Bounce Back Against Georgia Tech

PITTSBURGH – Following its first loss of the season, the No. 10 Pitt volleyball team (23-1, 11-1 ACC) will attempt to get back in the win column at Georgia Tech (15-10, 4-8 ACC) Friday at 7 p.m. at O'Keefe Gymnasium in Atlanta, Ga.

HOW TO FOLLOW

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

LAST TIME OUT

Pitt's 23-match win streak ended at Duke Sunday, 3-1, at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The Panthers came out strong winning the first set 25-18, but the Blue Devils were able to edge Pitt in the next three sets, winning by scores of 26-24, 25-23, and 25-22
Duke out-hit Pitt .316 to .250 and recorded more kills (64-60). The Panthers were able to out-dig the Blue Devils (65-60) and edged Duke in assists (60-59).
Two Panthers posted season highs for kills as junior middle Layne Van Buskirk recorded a career-best 18 with a .567 hitting, and junior right side hitter Nika Markovic tied her season high with 18 kills and notched her fourth double-double of the season.
Sophomore outside hitter Kayla Lund delivered another well-rounded performance for the Panthers, registering her 11th double-double of the season with 14 kills and team-high 16 digs. Senior libero Angela Seman followed with 15 digs.

A WIN WOULD…

Extend the Panthers' best start to a season in school history, improving to 24-1.
Extend the Panthers' best start to ACC play in program history, improving to 12-1.
Improve Pitt's 2018 away record to 6-1, and 5-1 against ACC opponents.
Improve the Panthers' all-time record against Georgia Tech to 7-1 overall and 4-0 when playing in Atlanta.
Extend the Panthers' win streak against the Yellow Jackets to seven matches. Pitt's only loss to Georgia Tech came Aug. 24, 2007, at a neutral site (3-1).
Improve the Panthers record at the O'Keefe Gymnasium to 4-0. Pitt's last win in Atlanta was on Nov. 19, 2017, (3-0).

RANKING THE PANTHERS

Pitt slid down five spots to No. 10 in this week's edition of the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Coaches Poll, following its first loss of the season.
This marks the Panthers eighth consecutive week ranked in the top 10.
Pitt's top ranking prior to the 2018 season came in 1990 when the squad was No. 17.
The Panthers are No. 8 in the fifth release of the NCAA Volleyball Rating Percentage Index (RPI), released Monday, Oct 29.

STILL ON TOP

Despite suffering their first loss Sunday, the Panthers still hold the lead in the ACC with an 11-1 record. Louisville and Florida State are tied for second, each at 10-2 in the league.

SCOUTING THE YELLOW JACKETS

Georgia Tech (15-10, 4-8 ACC) began a five-match home stand Friday, Oct. 26. The Yellow Jackets are 2-0 during this stretch, most recently sweeping NC State Sunday afternoon.
The Yellow Jackets' attack is led by freshman outside hitter Mariana Brambilla, averaging 3.59 kills per set and fellow freshman outside hitter Mikaila Dowd, averaging 3.52 kills per set.
Sunday against NC State Dowd recorded her ninth double-double of the season with 13 kills and 12 digs. Junior middle Kodie Comby had seven kills on a .600 hitting percentage and led the team with four blocks.
The Yellow Jackets are 13-3 when playing at O'Keefe Gymnasium this season, marking the most wins home wins they have earned in a season since 2009.
No. 10 Pitt will be the first ranked opponent Georgia Tech has faced this season.

THE SERIES – GEORGIA TECH

Friday will be the eighth meeting between No. 10 Pitt and Georgia Tech, with the Panthers leading the all-time series, 6-1. Pitt claimed the last meeting between the programs – Nov. 19, 2017, at O'Keefe Gymnasium (3-0).
The Panthers are unbeaten all-time when playing on the road at Georgia Tech. Their lone loss in the series came at a neutral site Aug. 24, 2007 (3-1).
Pitt has been dominant at O'Keefe Gymnasium, dropping just one set at the facility over three matches played.

UP NEXT

No. 10 Pitt will wrap up its four-match road trip at Clemson Sunday, Nov. 4, at 1 p.m. 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.

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