No. 9 Pitt Faces First ACC Road Test Against Virginia Tech

Friday, September 21

Blacksburg, Va.

6 PM EST

Pitt

Virginia Tech

No. 9 Pitt Faces First ACC Road Test Against Virginia Tech

9/20/2018 3:01:00 PM | Volleyball

Watch Live Stats Match Notes

2017 ACC Co-Champion Panthers Looking to Defend Title

PITTSBURGH – The No. 9 University of Pittsburgh volleyball team (12-0, 1-0) will face Virginia Tech (9-3, 0-0) in its first ACC road match of the 2018 season Friday at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Va.

HOW TO FOLLOW

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

LAST TIME OUT

Pitt opened ACC play Wednesday night with a 3-0 sweep of Virginia (4-7, 0-1) at Fitzgerald Field House. With the win, the Panthers continued their best start to a season since going 12-0 in 1983. Pitt defeated the Cavaliers 25-17, 25-23 and 25-21.
Senior setter Kamalani Akeo posted her second consecutive double-double (third of the season) with 25 assists to go along with 10 digs.
Pitt out-hit the Cavaliers, .290 to .198, and limited UVA to 33 kills with zero Cavaliers posting double figures for the stat. Virginia had the advantage in blocks, 12.0 to 9.5.

A WIN WOULD…

Tie the Panthers' best start in school history, improving to 13-0. Pitt won 13 consecutive games to begin the 1975 season.
Give Pitt a 2-0 start in ACC play for the fourth consecutive season.
Be the Panthers' second true road win of the season (1-0), and its fourth outside of Pittsburgh (3-0).
Be Pitt's fifth consecutive win against Virginia Tech, dating back to 2016. The Panthers' last loss against the Hokies came Nov. 25, 2015, 3-2, at Fitzgerald Field House.
Be Pitt's third consecutive win when playing in Blacksburg. The Panthers' last loss when playing at Virginia Tech came Sept. 30, 2015.

PITT IN THE POLLS

Pitt holds steady at No. 9 in this week's edition of the AVCA Coaches Poll. This marks the Panthers' highest national ranking in program history.
The Panthers' top ranking prior to the 2018 season came in 1990 when the squad was No. 17.

MAJOR MILESTONES

Two Panthers reached significant career milestones as No. 9 Pitt swept Virginia Wednesday night.
Redshirt senior libero Angela Seman moved into second place all-time for career digs at Pitt, recording 12 against the Cavaliers to total 1,607 over her five years as a Panther. The Pitt record is 2,424, held by Megan McGrane (2002-05).
Redshirt junior outside hitter Stephanie Williams paced the Panthers with 13 kills against Virginia, hitting .400 on the day. With her 13 kills, she reached the 1,000-kill mark for her career.

OFFENSIVE OPERATIONS

Pitt's offense has reached new heights in 2018, being tabbed one of the best in the nation.
The Panthers currently lead the nation in hitting percentage (.317) and are fourth in assists per set (13.98). Both of those marks lead the ACC. Pitt also leads the conference in kills per set (14.73), ranking sixth in the nation.

LEADING LUND

Sophomore Kayla Lund continues her strong 2018 season, earning the Panther Invitational MVP and two ACC Player of the Week honors.
Lund is Pitt's top offensive performer in just her second season with the team, recording double-digit kills in every match, including six double-doubles and two 20-kill performances.
She paces the Panthers with 4.18 kills per set, which ranks second in the ACC, while leading the league in points per set (4.75).
She has earned all-tournament honors for the Panther Challenge, Seton Hall Classic, and Panther Invitational. She received Tournament MVP for both the Panther Challenge and Panther Invitational.

SCOUTING THE HOKIES

Virginia Tech enters ACC play with a 9-3 record. The Hokies are 4-0 at home this season.
The Hokies' last match was against UTSA where they fell, 3-1.
The Panthers will be the highest-ranked opponent the Hokies have faced this season. The only other ranked team they have played is No. 18 Baylor, when the Hokies dropped the match, 3-0.
Sophomore outside hitter Kaity Smith leads the team with 152 kills. Smith is averaging 3.62 kills and 2.43 digs per set. She has recorded four double-doubles on the season.
Senior outside hitter Jaila Tolbert has been named to three All-Tournament teams this year. She has produced double-digit kills in seven matches this year. Tolbert leads the Hokies with a .350 hitting percentage.

THE SERIES – VIRGINIA TECH

Pitt and Virginia Tech will meet for the 16th time in program history.
The Panthers are 9-6 all-time against the Hokies, winners of the last four matches.
Pitt is 4-4 when facing Virginia Tech on the road.
The last time the teams met was on Nov. 24, 2017, the Panthers won 3-0.

UP NEXT

Pitt will return home to take on Miami Friday, Sept. 28, for a 7 p.m. match Friday at Fitzgerald Field House in Pittsburgh. The contest 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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