Panthers Named ACC Volleyball Favorite for Fourth Straight Year
8/20/2021 11:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Gray, Lund, Ndee Named to Preseason All-ACC Team
GREENSBORO, N.C. – For the fourth consecutive season, the University of Pittsburgh has earned the top spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll, as announced by the league Friday.
The Panthers earned 13 of a possible 15 first-place votes, topping the poll with 195 points. Defending ACC champion Louisville was second with 182 points and two first-place votes. Head coaches may not vote for their own teams.
For the fourth straight year, Pitt had at least three student-athletes named to the 18-member Preseason All-ACC Volleyball Team. The conference's only two-time Volleyball Player of the Year Kayla Lund received her third consecutive nod. Chinaza Ndee, a 2020 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-America Second Team honoree, earned her second straight appearance. Newcomer Serena Gray, a two-time All-American middle blocker transfer from Penn State, was selected to the list.
Head coach Dan Fisher enters his ninth year at Pitt looking to build upon the program's first NCAA Elite Eight appearance. The Panthers recently earned their highest preseason national ranking in program history, coming in at No. 9 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Poll, as announced Monday.
The Panthers return all seven starters, including 98.1 percent of their kill output from the 2020 season. In addition to Gray, new faces include Missouri transfer outside hitter Leketor Member-Meneh, and four freshmen: setter Rachel Fairbanks, libero/defensive specialist Emmy Klika, middle blocker Makayla Jackson and right side Eliana Posada.
Following an exhibition match against Cincinnati Saturday at 1 p.m., the ninth-ranked Panthers will open the regular season with a tournament in Greenville, S.C., against No. 23 Rice (Aug. 27), No. 18 Washington State (Aug. 28) and host South Carolina (Aug. 28).
2021 ACC VOLLEYBALL PRESEASON COACHES POLL
2021 PRESEASON ALL-ACC VOLLEYBALL TEAM
Camryn Hannah, Clemson, So., RS/OH
Mackenzie Cole, Duke, Sr., DS/L
Emma Clothier, Florida State, Jr., MB
Julia Bergmann, Georgia Tech, Jr., OH
Mariana Brambilla, Georgia Tech, Sr., OH
Anna DeBeer, Louisville, So., OH
Tori Dilfer, Louisville, Gr., S
Aiko Jones, Louisville, Jr., OPP
Anna Stevenson, Louisville, Gr., MB
Savannah Vach, Miami, Jr., S
Melissa Evans, NC State, Gr., OPP
Charley Niego, Notre Dame, Sr., OH
Zoe Nunez, Notre Dame, Sr., S
Serena Gray, Pitt, Sr., MB
Kayla Lund, Pitt, Gr., OH
Chinaza Ndee, Pitt, 5Y, RS/MB
Marina Markova, Syracuse, Jr., MB
Polina Shemanova, Syracuse, Sr., OH
PITT'S HISTORY IN THE ACC PRESEASON COACHES POLL
2021: First
2020: First
2019: First
2018: First
2017: Third
2016: Fifth
2015: Seventh
2014: Ninth
2013: 13th
PITT VOLLEYBALL TICKETS
Volleyball Flex Season Tickets are now on sale! The package includes a total of 15 tickets, which can be used for any match. Tickets can be used traditionally (one ticket for each match) or in any combination (two tickets for six matches, four tickets for three matches, etc.).
To purchase tickets, contact the Panthers Ticket Office at 800-643-7488 or visit PittsburghPanthers.com.
Benefits for Flex Season Ticketholders:
PITT VOLLEYBALL ON ACC NETWORK
The No. 9 Pitt volleyball team will be featured six times in 2021 on ACC Network (ACCN), the 24/7 national platform dedicated to ACC sports. The Panthers' six ACCN selections are the most of any team in the conference.
Owned and operated by ESPN in partnership with the Atlantic Coast Conference, ACC Network (ACCN) and its digital platform ACCNX is a 24/7 national network dedicated to ACC sports that launched on August 22, 2019. ACCN televises more than 500 regular-season and tournament games from across the conference's 27 sponsored sports plus a complement of news and information shows and original programming. Together, ACCN and its digital platform, ACCNX, combine to feature more than 1,500 ACC events each year. ESPN has been televising ACC content since 1979 and has exclusive rights to every conference-controlled game across all sports and championships.
Carriage agreements are in place with the following video providers: AT&T TV, Cox, DIRECTV, DISH Network, fuboTV, Google Fiber, Hulu+ Live TV, Mediacom, Optimum, Sling TV, Spectrum TV, Suddenlink, Verizon Fios, YouTube TV, members of the NCTC, NRTC and Vivicast, among others. All ACCN games will also be available on the ESPN app to authenticated subscribers. Fans interested in learning more about ACCN can visit www.GetACCN.com.
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The Panthers earned 13 of a possible 15 first-place votes, topping the poll with 195 points. Defending ACC champion Louisville was second with 182 points and two first-place votes. Head coaches may not vote for their own teams.
For the fourth straight year, Pitt had at least three student-athletes named to the 18-member Preseason All-ACC Volleyball Team. The conference's only two-time Volleyball Player of the Year Kayla Lund received her third consecutive nod. Chinaza Ndee, a 2020 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-America Second Team honoree, earned her second straight appearance. Newcomer Serena Gray, a two-time All-American middle blocker transfer from Penn State, was selected to the list.
Head coach Dan Fisher enters his ninth year at Pitt looking to build upon the program's first NCAA Elite Eight appearance. The Panthers recently earned their highest preseason national ranking in program history, coming in at No. 9 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Poll, as announced Monday.
The Panthers return all seven starters, including 98.1 percent of their kill output from the 2020 season. In addition to Gray, new faces include Missouri transfer outside hitter Leketor Member-Meneh, and four freshmen: setter Rachel Fairbanks, libero/defensive specialist Emmy Klika, middle blocker Makayla Jackson and right side Eliana Posada.
Following an exhibition match against Cincinnati Saturday at 1 p.m., the ninth-ranked Panthers will open the regular season with a tournament in Greenville, S.C., against No. 23 Rice (Aug. 27), No. 18 Washington State (Aug. 28) and host South Carolina (Aug. 28).
2021 ACC VOLLEYBALL PRESEASON COACHES POLL
- Pitt (195 points, 13 first-place votes)
- Louisville (182 points, two first-place votes)
- Georgia Tech (168 points)
- Notre Dame (159 points)
- Florida State (135 points)
- Syracuse (127 points)
- North Carolina (113 points)
- Miami (106 points)
- Duke (96 points)
- NC State (92 points)
- Clemson (62 points)
- Boston College (44 points)
- Virginia Tech (38 points)
- Wake Forest (33 points)
- Virginia (25 points)
2021 PRESEASON ALL-ACC VOLLEYBALL TEAM
Camryn Hannah, Clemson, So., RS/OH
Mackenzie Cole, Duke, Sr., DS/L
Emma Clothier, Florida State, Jr., MB
Julia Bergmann, Georgia Tech, Jr., OH
Mariana Brambilla, Georgia Tech, Sr., OH
Anna DeBeer, Louisville, So., OH
Tori Dilfer, Louisville, Gr., S
Aiko Jones, Louisville, Jr., OPP
Anna Stevenson, Louisville, Gr., MB
Savannah Vach, Miami, Jr., S
Melissa Evans, NC State, Gr., OPP
Charley Niego, Notre Dame, Sr., OH
Zoe Nunez, Notre Dame, Sr., S
Serena Gray, Pitt, Sr., MB
Kayla Lund, Pitt, Gr., OH
Chinaza Ndee, Pitt, 5Y, RS/MB
Marina Markova, Syracuse, Jr., MB
Polina Shemanova, Syracuse, Sr., OH
PITT'S HISTORY IN THE ACC PRESEASON COACHES POLL
2021: First
2020: First
2019: First
2018: First
2017: Third
2016: Fifth
2015: Seventh
2014: Ninth
2013: 13th
PITT VOLLEYBALL TICKETS
Volleyball Flex Season Tickets are now on sale! The package includes a total of 15 tickets, which can be used for any match. Tickets can be used traditionally (one ticket for each match) or in any combination (two tickets for six matches, four tickets for three matches, etc.).
To purchase tickets, contact the Panthers Ticket Office at 800-643-7488 or visit PittsburghPanthers.com.
Benefits for Flex Season Ticketholders:
- Saving money on every match, instead of buying all separately
- Receiving up to three extra tickets beyond the "one-per-match" model
- Reserved seating at center court, up until 10 minutes prior to the beginning of the match
PITT VOLLEYBALL ON ACC NETWORK
The No. 9 Pitt volleyball team will be featured six times in 2021 on ACC Network (ACCN), the 24/7 national platform dedicated to ACC sports. The Panthers' six ACCN selections are the most of any team in the conference.
Owned and operated by ESPN in partnership with the Atlantic Coast Conference, ACC Network (ACCN) and its digital platform ACCNX is a 24/7 national network dedicated to ACC sports that launched on August 22, 2019. ACCN televises more than 500 regular-season and tournament games from across the conference's 27 sponsored sports plus a complement of news and information shows and original programming. Together, ACCN and its digital platform, ACCNX, combine to feature more than 1,500 ACC events each year. ESPN has been televising ACC content since 1979 and has exclusive rights to every conference-controlled game across all sports and championships.
Carriage agreements are in place with the following video providers: AT&T TV, Cox, DIRECTV, DISH Network, fuboTV, Google Fiber, Hulu+ Live TV, Mediacom, Optimum, Sling TV, Spectrum TV, Suddenlink, Verizon Fios, YouTube TV, members of the NCTC, NRTC and Vivicast, among others. All ACCN games will also be available on the ESPN app to authenticated subscribers. Fans interested in learning more about ACCN can visit www.GetACCN.com.
#H2P | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Players Mentioned
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