Friday, November 11
Pittsburgh, PA
5 PM
Pitt
vs
Syracuse
No. 7 Pitt Prepares for Senior Night vs. Syracuse
11/10/2022 1:40:00 PM | Volleyball
PITTSBURGH – No. 7 Pitt (24-2, 14-0 ACC) carries its 17-match winning streak into Friday's contest against Syracuse (11-13, 7-7 ACC) on Friday night inside Fitzgerald Field House. The Panthers will take on the Orange, at home, for the first of four RPI based matches against ACC opponents to close out the season. It's senior night at the Field House as the Panthers celebrate six seniors: Ashley Browske, Courtney Buzzerio, Cam Ennis, Serena Gray, Chiamaka Nwokolo and Sabrina Starks.
Pitt has won 17 matches in a row, the third longest active streak in the country, and the longest among Power 5 schools. Pitt is the only Power 5 team with an undefeated conference record and has won its last 40 home matches against unranked ACC opponents.
LAST TIME OUT
The Panthers swept Syracuse last Friday before defeating Boston College in four sets the following Sunday, remaining perfect in ACC play (14-0). Rachel Fairbanks recorded double doubles in both matches, posting 11 kills and 16 assists in the sweep over Syracuse and 10 digs with 27 assists in the win over BC. She leads the team with 12 double-doubles this season, tied for the third most in the conference.
The Panther pin hitters posted some of their most efficient numbers as a unit last weekend, as Julianna Dalton, Valeria Vazquez Gomez and Buzzerio combined for 65 kills on .345 hitting. Dalton was particularly strong on defense as well, making a season-best five blocks against Boston College while adding in a pair of aces. Dalton is now tied with Gray for third on the team with 16 aces this season.
SUPER SENIOR CLASS
The six seniors being celebrated at the match have all contributed in major ways to this season's success. Buzzerio leads the team in kills with 332, doing so on .333 hitting. She owns the highest hitting percentage in the nation by a pin hitter with 650 or more attacks and joined Kayla Lund as the only Panther to have won ACC Player of the Week three times in the same season after Lund did so back in 2018.
Gray leads the team with 102 blocks this year and owns the eighth highest hitting percentage in the nation (.417). She is on pace to become the second Panther in program history to achieve back-to-back .400+ hitting seasons.
Starks became just the seventh Panther in program history to reach 400 career blocks earlier this season. She currently stands at 421 career blocks and is four away from tying Dee MacAulay for the sixth most in program history.
Nwokolo is averaging a career-best 1.12 blocks/set this season and is on pace for her first-career 100 block season. Her match against Syracuse will be her 100th as a Pitt Panther.
Browske leads the Panthers in digs for the second season in a row. She is averaging a career-best 3.26 digs/set this season and is just 141 digs shy of becoming the 15th member of the Pitt 1,000 career dig club.
Ennis transferred into the program this season as an outside hitter and showed her versatility by stepping up as a setter after a preseason injury left Pitt in a bind. Ennis has made 228 assists this season while also stepping in as a hitter when needed. Her versatility has played a massive role in Pitt's depth this season.
SCOUTING SYRACUSE
The Orange enter the weekend with a 7-7 record, snapping a four-match losing streak with a 3-1 victory over Virginia in their last match. This will be the 57th meeting between the two schools, the most meetings of any series for Pitt. Pitt's next win over SU will be the 44th - the most wins over a single opponent in program history. The Panthers lead the all-time series, 43-13 and are 12-4 in the Dan Fisher era.
#H2P | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Pitt has won 17 matches in a row, the third longest active streak in the country, and the longest among Power 5 schools. Pitt is the only Power 5 team with an undefeated conference record and has won its last 40 home matches against unranked ACC opponents.
WEEK 12 SCHEDULE
Fans can follow @Pitt_VB on Twitter and Instagram for live updates during all matches.
| No. 7 Pitt vs. Syracuse | Friday, Nov. 11 | 5 p.m. | Live Stats | Watch | Tickets |
LAST TIME OUT
The Panthers swept Syracuse last Friday before defeating Boston College in four sets the following Sunday, remaining perfect in ACC play (14-0). Rachel Fairbanks recorded double doubles in both matches, posting 11 kills and 16 assists in the sweep over Syracuse and 10 digs with 27 assists in the win over BC. She leads the team with 12 double-doubles this season, tied for the third most in the conference.
The Panther pin hitters posted some of their most efficient numbers as a unit last weekend, as Julianna Dalton, Valeria Vazquez Gomez and Buzzerio combined for 65 kills on .345 hitting. Dalton was particularly strong on defense as well, making a season-best five blocks against Boston College while adding in a pair of aces. Dalton is now tied with Gray for third on the team with 16 aces this season.
SUPER SENIOR CLASS
The six seniors being celebrated at the match have all contributed in major ways to this season's success. Buzzerio leads the team in kills with 332, doing so on .333 hitting. She owns the highest hitting percentage in the nation by a pin hitter with 650 or more attacks and joined Kayla Lund as the only Panther to have won ACC Player of the Week three times in the same season after Lund did so back in 2018.
Gray leads the team with 102 blocks this year and owns the eighth highest hitting percentage in the nation (.417). She is on pace to become the second Panther in program history to achieve back-to-back .400+ hitting seasons.
Starks became just the seventh Panther in program history to reach 400 career blocks earlier this season. She currently stands at 421 career blocks and is four away from tying Dee MacAulay for the sixth most in program history.
Nwokolo is averaging a career-best 1.12 blocks/set this season and is on pace for her first-career 100 block season. Her match against Syracuse will be her 100th as a Pitt Panther.
Browske leads the Panthers in digs for the second season in a row. She is averaging a career-best 3.26 digs/set this season and is just 141 digs shy of becoming the 15th member of the Pitt 1,000 career dig club.
Ennis transferred into the program this season as an outside hitter and showed her versatility by stepping up as a setter after a preseason injury left Pitt in a bind. Ennis has made 228 assists this season while also stepping in as a hitter when needed. Her versatility has played a massive role in Pitt's depth this season.
SCOUTING SYRACUSE
The Orange enter the weekend with a 7-7 record, snapping a four-match losing streak with a 3-1 victory over Virginia in their last match. This will be the 57th meeting between the two schools, the most meetings of any series for Pitt. Pitt's next win over SU will be the 44th - the most wins over a single opponent in program history. The Panthers lead the all-time series, 43-13 and are 12-4 in the Dan Fisher era.
#H2P | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Players Mentioned
L/DS
/ Volleyball
RS
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
S/RS
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
MB/RS
/ Volleyball
OH
/ VolleyballHighlights | Pitt vs. SMU
Wednesday, September 24
Pitt Volleyball | Pitt 3, Penn State 1 | Court Side
Monday, September 22
Pitt Volleyball | Pitt 3, Penn State 1 | Highlights
Monday, September 22
Pitt Volleyball | Penn State Courtside
Monday, September 22