University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Vazquez Gomez, Abanikanda Named PNC Achievers of the Week
10/10/2022 2:16:00 PM | General
PITTSBURGH – Volleyball's Valeria Vazquez Gomez and Football's Israel Abanikanda were named PNC Achievers of the Week following a some record breaking performances in ACC play.
Valeria Vazquez Gomez provided a spark to the Panthers all week, leading Pitt to a pair of road wins in ACC play, including a 3-1 victory over No. 10 Georgia Tech in Atlanta. The Puerto Rico native made her presence felt all over the court, putting up 3.14 kills/set on a remarkable .462 hitting throughout the week while also making 3.29 digs/set and 0.43 blocks/set as a 6-rotation asset.
The redshirt junior outside hitter delivered seven kills on .500 hitting in Pitt's sweep over Clemson on Friday, but her talents were most needed on defense, where she dug 13 balls and made two blocks to help the Panthers to a dominant performance.
Against No. 10 Georgia Tech, Vazquez Gomez showed her true mettle, securing her second double-double of the season with 15 kills and 10 digs while hitting at a .444 clip and successfully passing all 22 serves sent her way. She didn't hit an ace in the match but her serving led directly to the victory as she put Georgia Tech out of system multiple times in Pitt's 10-0 scoring run at the beginning of the fourth set, a run that put the Panthers up, 10-1, leading to a dominant 25-16 win. She made the final three kills of the match, putting an exclamation point on a thoroughly impressive week.
Pitt running back Israel Abanikanda was named Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week for his Virginia Tech performance. He achieved several remarkable milestones on Saturday, including:
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Valeria Vazquez Gomez provided a spark to the Panthers all week, leading Pitt to a pair of road wins in ACC play, including a 3-1 victory over No. 10 Georgia Tech in Atlanta. The Puerto Rico native made her presence felt all over the court, putting up 3.14 kills/set on a remarkable .462 hitting throughout the week while also making 3.29 digs/set and 0.43 blocks/set as a 6-rotation asset.
The redshirt junior outside hitter delivered seven kills on .500 hitting in Pitt's sweep over Clemson on Friday, but her talents were most needed on defense, where she dug 13 balls and made two blocks to help the Panthers to a dominant performance.
Against No. 10 Georgia Tech, Vazquez Gomez showed her true mettle, securing her second double-double of the season with 15 kills and 10 digs while hitting at a .444 clip and successfully passing all 22 serves sent her way. She didn't hit an ace in the match but her serving led directly to the victory as she put Georgia Tech out of system multiple times in Pitt's 10-0 scoring run at the beginning of the fourth set, a run that put the Panthers up, 10-1, leading to a dominant 25-16 win. She made the final three kills of the match, putting an exclamation point on a thoroughly impressive week.
Pitt running back Israel Abanikanda was named Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week for his Virginia Tech performance. He achieved several remarkable milestones on Saturday, including:
- He broke the legendary Tony Dorsett's school single-game rushing record of 303 yards set against Notre Dame on Nov. 15, 1975. Additionally, Abanikanda tied the 112-year-old school record for rushing touchdowns in a game, set by Norman Budd against Ohio on Oct. 29, 1910.
- In ACC annals, Abanikanda tied the conference single-game rushing TDs mark held by North Carolina's Kelvin Bryant (set against East Carolina on Sept. 12, 1981). Abanikanda's rushing yardage in a game ranks fourth all-time among ACC backs.
- Per ESPN Stats & Info, Abanikanda joins LaDanian Tomlinson and Ricky Williams as the only players from current Power 5 programs to rush for 300 yards and score six rush TDs in a game over the last 25 seasons.
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