No. 9 Pitt Sweeps Hokies, Improving to 13-0

Friday, September 21

Blacksburg, Va.

6 PM EST

Pitt

13-0 (2-0ACC)

Virginia Tech

9-4 (0-1ACC)

Pitt

Virginia Tech

Photo by: Jeffrey Gamza/Pitt Athletics

No. 9 Pitt Sweeps Hokies, Improving to 13-0

9/21/2018 9:12:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score Season Stats

Markovic Leads Pitt with 14 Kills in Return

BLACKSBURG, Va. – The No. 9 University of Pittsburgh volleyball team tied its best start to a season in program history, improving to 13-0 with a sweep (25-16, 25-18, 25-20) of Virginia Tech Friday night at Cassell Coliseum.

"I thought it was a nice team effort on the road," head coach Dan Fisher said. "We haven't been on the road for a while so it always feels a little different. I was pleased with our focus level, especially defensively. We set out to take advantage of a few rotations and I think we did a nice job of it. It was not our strongest night offensively. We were good, not great. That being said it was huge, because we were so average offensively, to have Nika [Markovic] back. She was able to carry a big load. It's definitely nice to be off to a good start."

The Panthers last won 13 consecutive matches to begin a season in 1975. With the victory, Pitt improved to 2-0 in the ACC for the fourth consecutive year. The Hokies dropped to 9-4, 0-1 in the league.

Junior right side Nika Markovic returned to the court for Pitt after missing the last two matches due to injury and led the Panthers with 14 kills, hitting .440 on the day. Sophomore outside hitter Kayla Lund posted 12 kills and had eight digs. Junior middle Layne Van Buskirk tied a career high with nine blocks and hit .364 with four kills.

With four kills against the Hokies, redshirt junior outside hitter Stephanie Williams crossed the 1,000-kill mark for her career. She now boasts 1,004 in the category as a Panther.

"I want to congratulate Stephanie on a big milestone," Fisher said. "She's been a rock for us on the outside for the last few years and she's got a lot more to come."

Senior setter Kamalani Akeo had 22 assists with two service aces, and redshirt sophomore Kylee Levers had 12 assists with a career-high five blocks. Redshirt senior libero Angela Seman led the Panthers on defense with 18 digs.

As a team, the Panthers hit .250 and limited the Hokies to .138 on offense. Pitt nearly doubled Virginia Tech's block output, 11-6.

Set One: No. 9 Pitt 25, Virginia Tech 16

Despite starting with a 3-0 deficit, the Panthers came back swinging hard. After tying the set 9-9, Pitt took off on a 14-3 run, reaching a largest lead of 23-12. The Panthers claimed the set decisively, 25-16. Pitt limited the Hokies to .000 attacking, with seven kills and seven errors, while the Panthers had 13 kills and five errors for a percentage of .250. Lund led the Panthers with five kills in the first set.

Set Two: No. 9 Pitt 25, Virginia Tech 18

The Panthers had another slow start, falling into a 4-0 deficit to start the set. Pitt tied it up, 7-7, after a 3-0 run, and reached a 15-10 lead following a 7-0 momentum swing. The Panthers kept rolling and ended the set with their largest lead of seven, winning 25-18. Pitt had five blocks in the frame, and Markovic led the Panthers with seven kills.

Set Three: No. 9 Pitt 25, Virginia Tech 20

Following three ties early in the third set, a 7-1 run put Pitt ahead 10-4. The Panthers extended their lead with a 4-0 run to reach a 15-7 margin. The Hokies fought back with a 4-0 run of their own, but Pitt kept its composure. Back-to-back kills from Markovic put the Panthers into a 21-14 lead. Virginia Tech tried to close the gap, coming as close as 23-20, but Pitt sealed the deal, winning the last two points to win the match, 25-20. Markovic and Lund combined for 10 of Pitt's 14 kills in the set.

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.

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