Wednesday, September 29
Pittsburgh, Pa.
8 PM ET
Pitt
13-0,3-0ACC
3
vs
0
Virginia
8-5,1-2ACC
1
2
3
F
Virginia
19
15
15
0
Pittsburgh
25
25
25
3
No. 2 Panthers Sweep Virginia to Open Home ACC Play
9/29/2021 10:12:00 PM | Volleyball
PITTSBURGH – The No. 2 Pitt volleyball team (13-0, 3-0 ACC) swept Virginia (8-5, 2-1 ACC) to open home ACC play at Fitzgerald Field House Wednesday night.
The Panthers limited the Cavaliers to fewer than 20 points in each set, winning by scores of 25-19, 25-15, 25-15. Pitt had the advantage in hitting percentage (.319-.097), kills (42-24), assists (37-20), service aces (10-4) and digs (44-31). UVA had more blocks (9.0-4.0).
Pitt honored the late Freddie H. Fu, M.D., with a moment of silence prior to the match. The Panthers adorned their shoes with stickers featuring his initials and designated a seat behind the bench in his honor. Fu was a devoted Pitt volleyball supporter and had performed ACL reconstructive surgery on many student-athletes during his time as head team physician for Pitt's Department of Athletics, including that of setter Kylee Levers. He passed away Friday, Sept. 24, surrounded by his loving family.
With the win, the Panthers extended their best start to a season since 2018, when Pitt earned its best start to a season in program history at 23-0.
Senior middle blocker Serena Gray had nine kills on a .692 hitting clip, with zero errors on 13 attempts. She added two service aces and a team-best four blocks. Outside hitter Kayla Lund also had nine kills and added two service aces, two blocks and eight digs.
Setters Lexis Akeo and Levers had 18 and 14 assists, respectively. Libero Ashley Browske picked up a match-best 14 digs.
SET ONE: No. 2 Pitt 25, Virginia 19
The Panthers came out swinging, killing three of four of their first attempts to get out to a 4-0 start. A 4-1 run pushed the lead to 10-4. The Cavaliers were able to cut the margin to one late in the frame, using a 4-0 run to make it 19-18, Pitt still in the lead. The Panthers responded by limiting Virginia to one more point and scoring five to gain a 1-0 lead in the match. Member-Meneh had four kills on .444 hitting for Pitt in the set. The Panthers hit .289 as a team while UVA hit .216.
SET TWO: No. 2 Pitt 25, Virginia 15
After Virginia took its first lead of the match, 3-2, Pitt answered with a 16-2 run to take a commanding 18-5 advantage. The Cavaliers came within 10 points, 23-13, but Pitt stayed in front to earn the win by a double-figure margin, 25-15. Pitt hit .304 for the frame while holding the Cavaliers to a negative clip (-.040).
SET THREE: No. 2 Pitt 25, Virginia 15
The third stanza saw Virginia take another 3-2 lead, but Pitt was able to respond in kind, using a 5-1 run go gain an 11-6 margin. Another 5-1 run put Putt into a 16-8 lead. A 5-0 run gave the Panthers a double-figure advantage (23-13), and then Pitt was able to secure the sweep thanks to an error by the Cavaliers. Lund contributed five of her nine kills in the third frame alone.
UP NEXT
Pitt will stay home to host Duke (10-3, 1-1 ACC) Friday at 7 p.m. ET at Fitzgerald Field House. Tickets are available at PittsburghPanthers.com.
#H2P | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
The Panthers limited the Cavaliers to fewer than 20 points in each set, winning by scores of 25-19, 25-15, 25-15. Pitt had the advantage in hitting percentage (.319-.097), kills (42-24), assists (37-20), service aces (10-4) and digs (44-31). UVA had more blocks (9.0-4.0).
Pitt honored the late Freddie H. Fu, M.D., with a moment of silence prior to the match. The Panthers adorned their shoes with stickers featuring his initials and designated a seat behind the bench in his honor. Fu was a devoted Pitt volleyball supporter and had performed ACL reconstructive surgery on many student-athletes during his time as head team physician for Pitt's Department of Athletics, including that of setter Kylee Levers. He passed away Friday, Sept. 24, surrounded by his loving family.
Dr. Freddie Fu
— Pitt Volleyball ???????????? (@Pitt_VB) September 29, 2021
1950-2021#H2P pic.twitter.com/LLg5BhE5yy
With the win, the Panthers extended their best start to a season since 2018, when Pitt earned its best start to a season in program history at 23-0.
Senior middle blocker Serena Gray had nine kills on a .692 hitting clip, with zero errors on 13 attempts. She added two service aces and a team-best four blocks. Outside hitter Kayla Lund also had nine kills and added two service aces, two blocks and eight digs.
Setters Lexis Akeo and Levers had 18 and 14 assists, respectively. Libero Ashley Browske picked up a match-best 14 digs.
SET ONE: No. 2 Pitt 25, Virginia 19
The Panthers came out swinging, killing three of four of their first attempts to get out to a 4-0 start. A 4-1 run pushed the lead to 10-4. The Cavaliers were able to cut the margin to one late in the frame, using a 4-0 run to make it 19-18, Pitt still in the lead. The Panthers responded by limiting Virginia to one more point and scoring five to gain a 1-0 lead in the match. Member-Meneh had four kills on .444 hitting for Pitt in the set. The Panthers hit .289 as a team while UVA hit .216.
SET TWO: No. 2 Pitt 25, Virginia 15
After Virginia took its first lead of the match, 3-2, Pitt answered with a 16-2 run to take a commanding 18-5 advantage. The Cavaliers came within 10 points, 23-13, but Pitt stayed in front to earn the win by a double-figure margin, 25-15. Pitt hit .304 for the frame while holding the Cavaliers to a negative clip (-.040).
SET THREE: No. 2 Pitt 25, Virginia 15
The third stanza saw Virginia take another 3-2 lead, but Pitt was able to respond in kind, using a 5-1 run go gain an 11-6 margin. Another 5-1 run put Putt into a 16-8 lead. A 5-0 run gave the Panthers a double-figure advantage (23-13), and then Pitt was able to secure the sweep thanks to an error by the Cavaliers. Lund contributed five of her nine kills in the third frame alone.
UP NEXT
Pitt will stay home to host Duke (10-3, 1-1 ACC) Friday at 7 p.m. ET at Fitzgerald Field House. Tickets are available at PittsburghPanthers.com.
#H2P | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Team Stats
UVa
Pitt
Kills
24
42
Errors
15
13
Attempts
93
91
Hitting %
.097
.319
Points
37
58
Assists
20
37
Aces
4
10
Blocks
9
6
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
9
Aces
2
Blocks
4
Kills
9
Aces
2
Blocks
2
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
S
/ Volleyball
L/DS
/ VolleyballMB
/ Volleyball
S
/ VolleyballOH
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