Well-Rounded Effort Pushes No. 8 Pitt Past Seminoles

Sunday, September 30

Pittsburgh, Pa.

1 PM EST

Pitt

15-0, 4-0

Florida State

7-7, 3-1

Florida State

Pitt

Well-Rounded Effort Pushes No. 8 Pitt Past Seminoles

9/30/2018 4:37:00 PM | Volleyball

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Four Panthers Record Double-Doubles, Van Buskirk Earns Career High

PITTSBURGH – Four Panthers recorded double-doubles as the No. 8 Pitt volleyball team (15-0, 4-0 ACC) earned a 3-1 win over Florida State (7-7, 3-1 ACC) to remain unbeaten Sunday afternoon at Fitzgerald Field House.

The Panthers conceded their first set of ACC play, dropping the first frame, 25-21, to the Seminoles, before claiming the final three, 25-20, 25-13, 25-17. With the win, Pitt handed Florida State its first conference loss of the season.

Junior middle hitter Layne Van Buskirk led Pitt with a career-high 16 kills while putting up seven blocks and hitting .462 for the match. Sophomore outside hitter Kayla Lund, junior right side Nika Markovic, redshirt junior outside Stephanie Williams and senior setter Kamalani Akeo each recorded double-doubles. Lund produced 14 kills and 13 digs, Markovic had 11 kills and 10 digs, Williams posted 11 kills and 11 digs, and Akeo put forth 24 assists and 10 digs.

Redshirt sophomore setter Kylee Levers contributed 27 assists and redshirt senior libero Angela Seman had 11 digs.

Pitt out-hit hits opponent for the 11th consecutive match, with a tally of .242 compared to the Seminoles' .088. The Panthers nearly doubled FSU's kill output, 60-35, as well as its dig output, 60-33. Florida State had the advantage in blocks, 15.0-9.0.

WITH THE WIN…

The Panthers extended their best start to a season in school history, improving to 15-0.
Pitt extended it longest win streak since 1987, when the team won 24 consecutive matches.
Pitt earned a 4-0 start to ACC play for the third consecutive season.
The Panthers improved their home record to 11-0, and 3-0 against ACC opponents.
Pitt earned its third consecutive win against Florida State, dating back to 2016. The Panthers' last loss against the Seminoles came Oct. 16, 2016, 3-1, in Tallahassee, Fla.
The Panthers earned their third consecutive win when playing against Florida State at Fitzgerald Field House. The Panthers' last loss when facing the Seminoles at home came on Oct. 24, 2014.

Set One: Florida State 25, No. 8 Pitt 21

It was a slow start for Pitt, as the teams tied four times early in the set before a 3-0 run put the Panthers ahead, 7-5. The Seminoles knotted the score twice more before Pitt surrendered the lead after a 3-0 FSU run, 13-11. The Panthers earned some momentum, with a 7-1 run to take back an 18-14 lead, but Florida State answered with a 9-1 run to close in on set point, up 23-19. Pitt conceded its first set of ACC play, 25-21, to FSU.

The Seminoles had the advantage in kills, 14-11, and out-hit the Panthers, .300 to .161.

Set Two: No. 8 Pitt 25, Florida State 20

Pitt responded early in the second set, with runs of 8-1 and 6-1 to eventually gain a hefty 15-5 lead. Late in the frame, a 3-0 run put the Seminoles within four points, down 21-17, thanks to some solid blocking. Pitt held on to even the match, 1-1, with a 25-20 win.

Errors were costly for the Panthers, hitting just .083, but holding Florida State to a negative percentage at -.059.

Set Three: No. 8 Pitt 25, Florida State 13

Following a 2-0 start for the Seminoles, Pitt ignited for an 8-0 run. A 3-0 run capped by a Lund kill made it 13-6 in the Panthers' favor. Later in the frame, FSU used a 4-1 run to make it 15-11, but a subsequent 4-0 surge by Pitt put the score at 19-11. The Panthers kept rolling to finish the set, with a 4-0 run that included back-to-back kills by Williams and Van Buskirk's 15th kill of the match.

Pitt improved to .355 hitting in the third set, with 17 kills.

Set Four: No. 8 Pitt 25, Florida State 17

Pitt sealed the deal in the fourth set, hitting .382 with 18 kills and five errors on 34 attempts as a team.
A 6-0 run swung the momentum in the Panthers' favor, up 14-6. The Seminoles made it interesting with a 4-1 run to come within four points, down 18-14. A 4-0 run gave Pitt match point, up 24-15, and eventually claimed the victory, 25-17, 3-1.

UP NEXT

The No. 8 Panthers will remain at home for their next two ACC matches: Syracuse (Oct. 5, 6 p.m.) and Boston College (Oct. 7, 1 p.m.). Both matches 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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