No. 9 Panthers Roll to 10-0, Downing Charleston, 3-1

Friday, September 14

Pittsburgh, Pa.

7 PM EST

Pitt

10-0

College of Charleston

8-5

Charleston

Pitt

No. 9 Panthers Roll to 10-0, Downing Charleston, 3-1

9/14/2018 9:53:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score Season Stats

Pitt Extends Best Start Since 1983

PITTSBURGH – Sophomore outside hitter Kayla Lund had a career-high 23 kills as the No. 9 University of Pittsburgh volleyball team extended its best start since 1983, improving to 10-0 after defeating College of Charleston, 3-1, Friday evening at Fitzgerald Field House.

With the Panthers' win, Charleston dropped to 8-5 on the season. After Pitt claimed the first two sets, 25-16 and 25-19, it surrendered the third frame, 25-22, but came back to dominate the fourth, 25-11.

Including Lund, four Panthers reached double figures in the kill column, with redshirt junior Stephanie Williams posting 16, classmate Layne Van Buskirk recording 11 and freshman middle hitter Sabrina Starks reaching a career-high 10. Starks added six block assists in the second start of her career.

Redshirt sophomore setter Kylee Levers led Pitt with 29 assists, and senior Kamalani Akeo added 27. Redshirt senior libero Angela Seman had a match-high 21 digs.

As team, the Panthers hit .395 on the day, while holding the Cougars to .215. Pitt out-blocked Charleston, 9-6, and held the advantage in assists, 65-43.

Set One: No. 9 Pitt 25, Charleston 16

The Panthers overcame seven ties and one lead change to begin the first frame. Following an 11-11 tie, Pitt surged with a 6-1 run to reach an 18-12 lead, and ended the set with a 3-0 closure to win 25-16.

Pitt's offense was on fire in the first set, hitting .531 with 20 kills and three errors on 32 attempts. Lund paced the Panthers with seven kills in the frame.

Set Two: No. 9 Pitt 25, Charleston 19

It was a slow start for Pitt, with four ties and two lead changes over the first eight points of the second set. The Panthers used a 5-1 run to reach an 8-5 margin. A Williams kill capped a 4-0 run to extend Pitt's lead to 17-11, and another 4-0 run put the Panthers in front 22-14. Charleston fought back with a 4-1 run to make it 23-18, but Pitt held on for the 25-19 win.

Set Three: Charleston 25, No. 9 Pitt 22

A fast start for the Cougars plagued the Panthers, who started the set down 4-1. Charleston kept rolling, reaching an 8-4 lead, but a 4-0 run from Pitt earned the set's second tie. There were three more ties, the last being 12-12, and then the Panthers earned their first lead of the set, 13-12, off a Williams kill. However, Charleston answered with a 6-1 run. The teams traded points for the next 11 side-outs. Finally, a 2-0 spurt from Pitt put the Panthers within two, down 23-21, but the Cougars held on to claim a set from Pitt, 25-22.

Set Four: No. 9 Pitt 25, Charleston 11

The Panthers made quick work of Charleston in the fourth set, getting off to a 4-0 start, which included three consecutive blocks. A 5-0 run extended Pitt's lead to 11-3, but Charleston cut its deficit to 12-7 following a 4-1 run. The Panthers earned their first double-figure lead of the match, 18-8, following a 5-1 surge. Pitt was able to close the deal with a 25-11 win.

Six of the Panthers' nine blocks were recorded in the fourth set, with four block assists coming from Starks and three from sophomore middle hitter Chinaza Ndee.

UP NEXT
No. 9 Pitt will take on High Point to close out the Pitt Invite Saturday at 7 p.m. at Fitzgerald Field House Admission is free and the match will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra, available on the WatchESPN app.

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