No. 10 Pitt Volleyball Sweeps No. 6 Louisville

Friday, October 23

Pittsburgh, Pa.

7 PM ET

Pitt

4-3,4-3ACC

Louisville

4-2,4-2ACC

Louisville

Pittsburgh

No. 10 Pitt Volleyball Sweeps No. 6 Louisville

10/23/2020 10:35:00 PM | Volleyball

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Panthers Upset Cardinals at Fitzgerald Field House

PITTSBURGH – Redshirt freshman outside hitter Valeria Vazquez Gomez had a career-high 10 kills to lead the No. 10 Pitt volleyball team (4-3, 4-3 ACC) to an upset sweep of No. 6 Louisville (4-2,4-2 ACC) Friday night at Fitzgerald Field House.

The Panthers took down the Cardinals in straight sets: 26-24, 25-21, 25-23.

Vazquez Gomez hit .286 with 10 kills on 21 attempts with four errors. She added two service aces and seven digs.

Following Vazquez Gomez was senior right side Chinaza Ndee with nine kills. Classmate Kayla Lund had eight kills and a match-high 12 digs, and sophomore middle blocker Chiamaka Nwokolo had eight kills on a career-high .615 hitting.

Junior middle blocker Sabrina Starks led Pitt with five blocks, while sophomore setter Lexis Akeo had 27 assists.

Pitt had the advantage in kills (45-36), assists (41-35), service aces (7-3), digs (40-37) and hitting percentage (.195-.188). Louisville had the upper hand in blocks (14.0-7.0).

WITH THE WIN…

Pitt extended its win streak at Fitzgerald Field House to 37 matches. Pitt's last loss at the Field House was Oct. 22, 2017, vs. NC State.
Pitt extended its win streak against AVCA Top 10 opponents to two matches. Last time out, the Panthers defeated No. 5 Notre Dame, 3-1, Sunday afternoon.
Pitt improved its record against AVCA Top 25 opponents under eighth-year head coach Dan Fisher to 15-18.
Pitt improved its all-time record against AVCA Top 10 opponents to 6-50. Since September 2019, the Panthers are 3-2 when facing the AVCA Top 10.
The Panthers extended their win streak against Louisville to four matches. Pitt's last loss to the Cardinals came Oct. 27, 2017, in Louisville (3-2).
Pitt extended its win streak when playing at home against Louisville to five matches. The Panthers' last loss against the Cardinals at Fitzgerald Field House came Sept. 30, 2012 (3-0).
Pitt improved its all-time record against Lousville to 13-14.

STEEL PANTHERS

Pitt debuted its "Steel City" anthracite alternate uniforms Friday night against Louisville.

Set One: No. 10 Pitt 26, No. 6 Louisville 24

The teams kept it close in the first frame, with 16 ties and four lead changes. Pitt gained a 20-18 lead following a 3-0 run, but the Cards stayed in it and used a 3-0 run to earn set point, 24-22. However, a resilient 4-0 finish by the Panthers, capped by an ace from Vazquez Gomez, gave Pitt a 1-0 lead in the match.

Set Two: No. 10 Pitt 25, No. 6 Louisville 21

It was another tight set, with six ties and three lead changes. Pitt claimed hold of the frame with a 5-0 run to earn set point on an Akeo ace, 24-19. Louisville earned another two points but a service error by the Cardinals gave the Panthers the win, 25-21. Pitt entered the third set with a 2-0 lead.

Set Three: No. 10 Pitt 25, No. 6 Louisville 23

The final frame brought forth 12 ties and three lead changes. A 4-0 run swung the momentum in Pitt's favor as the Panthers earned a 21-19 lead. Louisville was able to tie the set at 21 and 22 before Pitt pulled ahead, 24-22. A Cardinal kill made it 24-23, and the match ended on a Nwokolo kill from Akeo.

UP NEXT
The Panthers and Cardinals will meet again Sunday to complete the fall 2020 schedule Sunday at 3:30 p.m. at Fitzgerald Field House. The match will be broadcast on ACC Network.

ATTENDANCE AT FITZGERALD FIELD HOUSE

Due to attendance restrictions at Fitzgerald Field House, there will be no public ticket sales for the final two matches of the 2020 fall season for the University of Pittsburgh volleyball team. The recent announcement by the Governor's office expanding attendance figures at indoor venues will allow Pitt Volleyball to host a limited number of student-athlete and University guests for this weekend's games against Louisville. All guests must be on the official pass list to gain entry and will receive correspondence from Pitt Athletics regarding protocols surrounding attendance at Fitzgerald Field House.
The matches are set for Friday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 3:30 p.m. at Fitzgerald Field House. Friday's game is available on ACC Network Extra, while the fall season finale Sunday will be broadcast on the ACC Network.

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