No. 2 Panthers Return to Pittsburgh for First ACC Home Matches

PITTSBURGH – After tying its highest ranking in program history, the No. 2 Pitt volleyball team (12-0, 2-0 ACC) will return to Fitzgerald Field House for its first pair of ACC home matches of the season, Wednesday and Friday.

The Panthers will host Virginia (8-4, 1-1 ACC) Wednesday for an 8 p.m. ET tilt on ACC Network before Duke (10-3, 1-1 ACC) comes to town Friday at 7 p.m. ET.

WEEKEND SCHEDULE

Match 13 – Virginia at No. 2 Pitt (Wednesday, 8 p.m. ET): Live Stats | Watch: ACC Network | Tickets
Match 14 – Duke at No. 2 Pitt (Friday, 7 p.m. ET): Live Stats | Watch: ACCNX | Tickets
Fans can follow @Pitt_VB on Twitter and Instagram for live updates during all matches.

PROMOTIONS

Wednesday vs. Virginia: Reading Is Fun Night (bring a book to donate = $1 ticket), Junior Panthers Night, Camper Reunion
Friday vs. Duke: DJ, VolleyPitt T-shirt giveaway (students), Freeze Pop Friday

REST IN PEACE, DR. FREDDIE FU

Freddie H. Fu, M.D., the creator of UPMC's world-renowned sports medicine program, long-time chairman of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine's Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and head team physician for Pitt's Department of Athletics, died Friday, Sept. 24, surrounded by his loving family.
Dr. Fu was one of the most recognized and beloved physicians in Pittsburgh and is acclaimed worldwide for his innovative research and teaching, leading to many clinical advancements in sports medicine and orthopaedic care, particularly in treating knee injuries.
Dr. Fu was particularly close with the Pitt volleyball program, performing multiple players' ACL reconstruction surgeries, including that of sixth-year setter Kylee Levers in 2019. The Panthers will honor Dr. Fu with a moment of silence prior to Wednesday's match, and a seat in Fitzgerald Field House will be designated with his name.

A WIN WOULD…

A win against Virginia Wednesday would improve the Panthers' record to 13-0, extending their best start to a season since 2018, when Pitt earned its best start to a season in program history (23-0).

LAST TIME OUT

Pitt went 2-0 in its first ACC weekend, picking up road wins at North Carolina and NC State, Friday and Sunday, respectively.
For the eighth time out of nine seasons in the league, Pitt earned a win to open Atlantic Coast Conference play, defeating previously unbeaten North Carolina Friday night at Carmichael Arena. The Panthers earned the victory by scores of 25-17, 25-20, 9-25, 25-21. It was Pitt's fifth time taking down an unbeaten team so far this season.
The Panthers swept NC State on the road Sunday afternoon at Reynolds Coliseum, achieving their best start to a season since going 23-0 in 2018. Pitt earned the win by scores of 25-23, 25-20, 25-18. The Panthers had the advantage over the Wolfpack across the board, in hitting percentage (.280-.152), kills (42-33), assists (41-31), service aces (4-2), digs (48-32) and blocks (13.0-9.0).

PITT TIES HIGHEST RANKING IN PROGRAM HISTORY

In the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top 25 Poll, the Panthers moved up two spots to No. 2, as announced Monday.
The ranking ties Pitt's highest in program history, and the highest ever for an ACC volleyball team. Pitt was ranked No. 2 for six weeks during the 2019 season.
This week marks Pitt's 15th appearance in the Top 5 in program history.
The Panthers have appeared in 60 consecutive AVCA Top 25 polls, dating back to the 2018 Preseason Poll.

A LOOK AROUND THE ACC

Two of the NCAA's four remaining unbeaten teams are from the ACC, including No. 2 Pitt (12-0, 2-0) and No. 3 Louisville (12-0, 2-0). The other two remaining unbeatens are No. 1 Texas (9-0, 0-0 Big 12) and Ole Miss (12-0, 1-0 SEC).
The ACC has three teams in the latest AVCA Top 25 poll, including No. 2 Pitt, No. 3 Louisville and No. 18 Georgia Tech.
Pitt holds a 217-88 (.711) record against the current ACC membership. The Panthers' last loss to an ACC school was against No. 6 Louisville on Oct. 25, 2020, in Pittsburgh. Pitt has won 12 consecutive contests against ACC opponents since that match.

RECORD WATCH

A trio of Panthers are rising in the Pitt volleyball career record rankings, following Pitt's most recent win at NC State (Sept. 26).
Two-time ACC Volleyball Player of the Year Kayla Lund moved into the program's Top 5 for career kills. Following the win against the Wolfpack, she has 1,472. Lund also ranks in the program's Top 10 for service aces (sixth, 134), attacks (seventh, 3,518) and digs (ninth, 1,137). Lund needs four service aces to take sole possession of fifth place.
All-American right side Chinaza Ndee is third in program history with 411 block assists. She needs two more to take sole possession of second place in the record book. Ndee ranks sixth all-time with 429 total blocks for her career.
Senior middle blocker Sabrina Starks is eighth all-time for Pitt with 290 career block assists. She needs seven to move into sole possession of seventh place.

SCOUTING VIRGINIA

Virginia (8-4) is off to a 1-1 start in ACC play, with a loss at NC State (3-1) and a win at North Carolina (3-1). Pitt and Virginia are the only two teams to beat the Tar Heels so far this season.
The Hoos are second in the ACC with 3.00 blocks per set, behind Louisville's 3.23 denials per frame. Virginia is third in the league in opponent hitting percentage (.155).
Alana Walker leads the ACC and is second in the NCAA with 1.82 blocks per set. Grace Turner leads the league with 24 total service aces so far.
Pitt is 15-3 all-time against Virginia, winning the last eight meetings between the teams. The Panthers' last loss when hosting the Cavaliers at Fitzgerald Field House was Oct. 5, 2013 (3-2).

SCOUTING DUKE

Duke (10-3) is 1-1 in the ACC so far, with a win against Boston College (3-0) and a loss to Syracuse (3-0) in Durham, N.C., over the weekend.
The Blue Devils rank third in the ACC with 1.76 service aces per set.
Mackenzie Cole leads the ACC with 4.46 digs per set. Senior Ade Owokoniran is Duke's leader with 3.10 kills per frame.
The Panthers lead the all-time series against Duke, 12-8, and have won the last four meetings between the teams. Pitt's last loss against the Blue Devils when playing at Fitzgerald Field House was Nov. 13, 2016 (3-0).

UP NEXT

The Panthers will stay at home to host Clemson (Oct. 8) and No. 18 Georgia Tech (Oct. 10) at Fitzgerald Field House. Tickets for both matches are available at PittsburghPanthers.com.

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