No. 10 Pitt Volleyball Set for Two National Broadcasts

PITTSBURGH – Two AVCA Top 10 volleyball matchups will be nationally televised this weekend as No. 10 Pitt (2-2, 2-2 ACC) travels to Notre Dame, Ind., to face the No. 5 Fighting Irish (3-0, 3-0 ACC) Friday and Sunday.

MATCH SCHEDULE / HOW TO FOLLOW

MATCH 1: Friday, Oct. 16 | 7 p.m. ET | Notre Dame, Ind. | Watch: ESPN2 | Live Stats
MATCH 2: Sunday, Oct. 18 | 3:30 p.m. ET | Notre Dame, Ind. | Watch: ACCN| Live Stats
Fans can follow @Pitt_VB on Twitter and Instagram for live updates.

A WIN ON FRIDAY WOULD…

Be Pitt's highest-ranked victory since defeating No. 4 Penn State on Sept. 20, 2019 (3-0) – which stands as the Panthers' highest-ranked win in program history.
Improve Pitt's all-time record against AVCA Top 5 opponents to 3-20.
Improve Pitt's record against AVCA Top 25 opponents under head coach Dan Fisher to 14-17.
Extend the Panthers' win streak against Notre Dame to four matches. Pitt's last loss to the Fighting Irish came Oct. 21, 2016, at Fitzgerald Field House (3-0).
Extend Pitt's win streak when playing on the road at Notre Dame to five matches. The Panthers' last loss when playing at Notre Dame came Nov. 3, 2013 (3-2).
Improve Pitt's all-time record against Notre Dame to 16-24.
Be Pitt's first road victory of the 2020 fall season, snapping a two-match slump. Both losses came at Syracuse (Sept. 25 and 26).

PITT IN THE POLL

After a 2-0 weekend against Boston College, Pitt rose to No. 10 in the most recent AVCA Coaches Poll, released Wednesday.
The Panthers have been ranked in the poll for 35 consecutive weeks, dating back to the 2018 Preseason Poll.

AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS

The Panthers are 2-20 all-time against the AVCA Top 5, with one of its two wins coming against No. 4 Penn State in 2019, and the other coming against No. 5 Notre Dame in 2005 (3-2).
No. 5 Notre Dame will be Pitt's first AVCA Top 5 opponent since facing No. 4 Penn State twice during the 2019 campaign, when it split the series with the Nittany Lions.
The Panthers are 13-17 (.433) against AVCA Top 25 opponents under eighth-year head coach Dan Fisher.
When both teams are ranked, Pitt is 8-9 (.471) all-time in those contests.

LUND AT THE TOP

As of matches played through Oct. 11, Pitt senior captain Kayla Lund leads the ACC in both kills per set (5.07) and points per set (5.50).
The outside hitter ranks second and third nationally in those respective categories.
Against Boston College (Oct. 9), Lund posted a career-best 25 kills in a four-set win over the Eagles. She is the first Panther to record 25 or more kills in a match since Nika Markovic had 26 against WKU on Sept. 8, 2017.

LAST TIME OUT (VS. BOSTON COLLEGE, OCT. 9-10)

Pitt swept a two-match weekend series against Boston College, picking up its first wins of the fall 2020 campaign, Oct. 9 and 10.
MATCH 1 (Oct. 9): Behind a career performance by senior captain outside hitter Kayla Lund, Pitt earned its first win of the season by defeating Boston College, 3-1, at Fitzgerald Field House Friday night. The Panthers earned the victory by scores of 25-9, 19-25, 25-18, 25-19. Lund had a career-best 25 kills in the match, hitting .348. She is the first Panther to record 25 or more kills since Nika Markovic had 26 at WKU on Sept. 8, 2017.
MATCH 2 (Oct. 10): Senior captains Chinaza Ndee and Kayla Lund combined for 33 of Pitt volleyball's 51 kills on the night to lead the Panthers to a sweep of Boston College Saturday at Fitzgerald Field House. Pitt earned the victory by scores of 25-10, 25-23, 25-19. Ndee led Pitt with 17 kills on a career-best hitting percentage of .739 (17-0-23). Lund followed with 16 kills, producing a combined total of 5.86 kills per set over Pitt's two matches against the Eagles.

SCOUTING NOTRE DAME

The fifth-ranked Fighting Irish are the lone unbeaten team left in the ACC, at 3-0. Notre Dame swept Louisville to open the 2020 fall season (Sept. 25), however, the rematch (set for the following day) was postponed due to COVID-19 protocols. The following weekend, the Irish swept a weekend series against then-ranked No. 5 Syracuse, winning the matches 3-1 and 3-0 against the Orange, respectively.
Notre Dame was picked fourth in the Preseason ACC Coaches Poll, behind Georgia Tech (third), Louisville (second) and Pitt (first). The Fighting Irish are in a five-team pod with Pitt, Louisville, Syracuse and Boston College.
Through three matches, junior outside hitter Charley Niego leads the Irish with 4.5 kills per set, adding 3.40 digs per set. Sophomore outside hitter Caroline Meuth follows with 4.20 kills per frame.
Through Oct. 11 matches, Notre Dame leads the ACC in aces per set (1.60), assists per set (14.80), kills per set (15.30) and attacks per set (40.30). Hattie Monson leads the league with 0.70 aces per set, and Zoe Nunez is the conference's leader in assists with 12.6 per frame.

UP NEXT

The Panthers will close their fall 2020 schedule with a weekend series against Louisville Friday and Sunday, Oct. 23 and 25, at Fitzgerald Field House.

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