Seventh-Ranked Panthers to Face No. 9 Baylor, Tennessee

PITTSBURGH – Following a solid 3-0 start to the season, the No. 7 Pitt volleyball team (3-0, 0-0 ACC) will look to keep its momentum when it travels to Knoxville, Tenn., for two matches at Thompson-Boling Arena Saturday and Sunday.

Pitt will take on its third ranked opponent of the season when it faces No. 9 Baylor (1-1, 0-0 Big 12) at a neutral site Saturday at 4 p.m. The following day, the Panthers will play (RV) Tennessee (3-0, 0-0 SEC) at 1 p.m. in a streamed matchup on SEC Network +.

WEEKEND SCHEDULE

Match 4 – No. 7 Pitt vs. No. 9 Baylor (Saturday, 4 p.m. ET): Live Stats
Match 5 – No. 7 Pitt at Tennessee (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET): Live Stats | Watch (SECN+)
Fans can follow @Pitt_VB on Twitter and Instagram for live updates during all matches.

LAST TIME OUT

Pitt swept the competition to win the Carolina Classic, going 3-0 in the first weekend of the 2021 season in Columbia, S.C. (Aug. 27-28). The Panthers opened their slate with a five-set win over No. 23 Rice, led by Kayla Lund with a double-double of 16 kills and 16 digs. Pitt followed up with another ranked win, this time 3-1 over No. 18 Washington State, including another double-double from Lund (13 kills, 10 digs). The Panthers closed the weekend by sweeping host South Carolina. Transfer middle blocker Serena Gray had a productive evening with nine kills on .429 hitting to go along with a career high-tying seven blocks.

PITT WIN #200 FOR COACH FISHER

The Panthers' sweep of South Carolina (Aug. 28) marked ninth-year head coach Dan Fisher's 200th win at Pitt. He holds a record of 200-54 (.787) at the helm of the Panthers.
Fisher joins an elite group as the 11th coach in Pitt history to earn 200 wins leading a Panther team, in any sport. He is the second Pitt volleyball coach to reach the milestone, following Shelton Collier (295 wins, 1980-88).
The list includes: Joe Jordano (baseball) – 588, Bobby Lewis (baseball) – 438, Doc Carlson (men's basketball) – 366, Jamie Dixon (men's basketball) – 328, Rande Stottlemyer (wrestling) – 304, Shelton Collier (volleyball) – 295, Debbie Yohman (gymnastics) – 292, Holly Aprile (softball) – 271, Michelle Phelan (softball) – 226, and Joe Luxbacher (men's soccer) – 221.

PITT IN THE AVCA POLL

The Panthers moved up two spots to No. 7 in the most recent American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Preseason Poll, as announced Monday.
The Panthers have appeared in 56 consecutive AVCA Top 25 polls, dating back to the 2018 Preseason Poll.

PITT VS. THE AVCA TOP 10

The Panthers are 8-52 (.133) all-time when facing the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top 10. Six of the Panthers' eight all-time wins against the AVCA Top 10 have all come after the start of the 2019 season.
Pitt holds a 6-4 (.600) record in their last 10 meetings against AVCA Top 10 opponents.

SCOUTING NO. 9 BAYLOR

Baylor is off to a 1-1 start after facing then-No. 7 ranked Minnesota and then-No. 1 Wisconsin August 27 and 28 in Madison, Wisc. The Bears topped Minnesota, 3-1, before falling to the Badgers, 3-1.
Outside hitter Yossiana Pressley was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week after leading the Bears in kills for both Top 10 matchups. She recorded 34 kills in total, with 29 digs and 38 points, averaging 4.75 points per set.
Saturday's meeting will be the fourth all-time between Pitt and Baylor, with the Bears leading the series, 2-1. The teams last met on Sept. 11, 2009, at a tournament in New Mexico, where Baylor swept the Panthers, 3-0.

SCOUTING TENNESSEE

The Lady Vols are 3-0 and receiving votes in the latest AVCA Top 25 poll after sweeping the competition at the Tennessee Classic, defeating Texas Tech (3-0), ETSU (3-0) and NC State (3-0).
Senior setter Natalie Hayward was named the SEC Setter of the Week as she ran the offense to a tune .366 hitting as a team over the three matches. She totaled 108 assists over nine sets, averaging 12.00 assists per set. She currently leads the SEC in assists per set after the first weekend of the season.
Pitt and Tennessee will meet for the first time since Sept. 11, 2010, when the Lady Vols earned a 3-1 win over the Panthers at the Ohio University Tournament in Athens, Ohio. Tennessee leads the all-time series, 9-8. Pitt is 3-3 all-time when competing in Knoxville, winning the last three meetings on the Lady Vols' home court. The Panthers' last loss in Knoxville came Nov. 1, 1985; a 3-0 sweep for Tennessee.

UP NEXT

Pitt's home schedule kicks off with the annual Panther Classic at Fitzgerald Field House. The Panthers will host High Point, No. 13 BYU and Bowling Green, respectively, Sept. 10-11. Each match will be streamed on ACC Network Extra and tickets are available through PittsburghPanthers.com.

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