No. 3 Panthers Sweep Irish, Reach 20 Wins

Friday, October 25

Notre Dame, Ind.

7 PM ET

Pitt

Notre Dame

No. 3 Panthers Sweep Irish, Reach 20 Wins

10/25/2019 11:44:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score Season Stats

Williams Records 1,000th Career Dig

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Redshirt senior outside hitter Stephanie Williams reached the 1,000-dig mark for her career in a sweep for No. 3 Pitt volleyball (20-1, 9-0) at (RV) Notre Dame (14-5, 7-2).

With her 10 digs for the match, Williams joined elite company as one of just three Panthers ever to record 1,300+ kills and 1,000+ digs, including Ann Marie Lucanie (1990-93) and Diana Andreyko (2004-07). Lucanie had 1,815 kills and 1,480 digs, while Andreyko had a program-record 1,852 kills and 1,089 digs.

The Panthers are the lone Division I volleyball team to out-score each of its 2019 opponents. Pitt earned the road sweep with scores of 25-20, 25-21 and 25-23.

Williams and fellow outside Kayla Lund recorded double-doubles in the sweep. Lund had a team-high 13 kills and added 15 digs for her team-best fifth double-double of the year. Williams posted her fourth of the year with 10 kills to go along with her 10 digs.

Redshirt senior libero Hali Hillegas picked up a team-high 17 digs while freshman setter Lexis Akeo produced 30 assists. Senior middle Layne Van Buskirk led the blocking effort with four.

Pitt had the advantage in kills (43-37), assists (38-34) and blocks (8.0-4.0) while out-hitting the Irish (.228-.152).

WITH THE WIN…

Pitt reached the 20-win mark for the sixth consecutive season.
The Panthers earned a 9-0 record in ACC play for the third consecutive season.
Pitt's record improved to 15-24 all-time against Notre Dame and 7-10 when playing in South Bend.
The Panthers' winning streak against the Fighting Irish extended to three matches. Pitt's last loss to Notre Dame came Oct. 21, 2016, in Pittsburgh (3-0).
The Panthers' winning streak when playing at Notre Dame extended to four matches. Pitt's last road loss in South Bend was Nov 3, 2013 (3-2).
The Panthers' record improved to 37-2 when ranked inside the AVCA top 10 and 10-1 when ranked inside the top five.

Set One: No. 3 Pitt 25, (RV) Notre Dame 20

Pitt started slow, down 3-0 to the Irish. A 6-2 run put Notre Dame ahead, 13-7. The Panthers trailed 15-8, and from that point surged ahead, finishing the frame on a 17-5 run that included four aces. Williams recorded back-to-back aces to tie the set at 17. Pitt hit .429 for the frame while holding the Irish to .333.

Set Two: No. 3 Pitt 25, (RV) Notre Dame 21

There were nine ties and six lead changes in the second set. A 6-0 run gave Pitt ultimate control of the set, going up 23-18. Despite two more ties and a 3-0 run that put the Irish within two (23-21), the Panthers held on and gained a 2-0 lead in the match.

Set Three: No. 3 Pitt 25, (RV) Notre Dame 23

The final set was marked by 11 ties and five lead changes. After Notre Dame earned a 14-13 lead on a 5-1 run, Pitt answered with an 8-2 surge to gain momentum and a 21-16 advantage. The Irish held on to come back within one, down 23-22, but Pitt was able to win the short game and earn the sweep after a 25-23 victory. Williams' final dig of the match was the 1,000th of her career.

UP NEXT
No. 3 Pitt will stay on the road to visit (RV) Louisville for a 3 p.m. contest on ACC Network.

PITT VOLLEYBALL TICKETS
Flex season ticket packages as well as single-match and group tickets for the 2019 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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