Courtesy: Pittsburgh Athletics
PITTSBURGH – The No. 6 Pitt volleyball team (17-0, 6-0 ACC) will complete a five-match homestand by hosting North Dakota (12-10, 4-2 Summit) Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Fitzgerald Field House.
HOW TO FOLLOW
- Pitt’s match can be seen live on ACC Network Extra via WatchESPN.
- Live stats will be available via PittsburghPanthers.com.
- Fans can follow along with live updates on Twitter @Pitt_VB.
LAST TIME OUT
- Pitt defeated Boston College in straight sets Sunday at Fitzgerald Field House to remain unbeaten on the season.
- Sophomore outside hitter Kayla Lund notched a team-high 14 kills while attacking at a .258 clip, and junior right side Nika Markovic followed with 10 kills on a .350 percentage. Redshirt junior outside hitter Stephanie Williams recorded nine kills on a .429 attacking percentage while leading the team with 11 digs.
- Setters Kylee Levers and Kamalani Akeo led the playmaking for Pitt, recording 21 and 20 assists, respectively.
- Pitt edged the Eagles in kills (46-43) and assists (44-38). The Panthers held BC to an attacking percentage of .277, while the Eagles out-dug Pitt (37-33).
A WIN WOULD…
- Extend the Panthers’ best start to a season in school history, improving to 18-0.
- Extend the Panthers’ longest win streak since 1987, when the team won 24 consecutive matches.
- Improve the Panthers’ home record to 14-0.
- Give Pitt a 1-0 advantage in the series with the Fighting Hawks.
AND THEN THERE WERE TWO
- No. 6 Pitt is one of two unbeaten teams in the country (17-0), along with No. 1 BYU (16-0).
- The Panthers are one of two remaining teams unbeaten in ACC play, along with 2017 ACC Co-Champion No. 22 Louisville (13-4, 6-0).
RANKING THE PANTHERS
- Pitt rose two spots to No. 6 in this week’s edition of the AVCA Coaches Poll. This marks the Panthers’ highest national ranking in program history.
- Pitt’s top ranking prior to the 2018 season came in 1990 when the squad was No. 17.
- The Panthers moved up to No. 4 in the second release of the NCAA Volleyball Rating Percentage Index (RPI), Monday, Oct 8.
MARKOVIC EARNS ACC WEEKLY HONOR
- Junior right side Nika Markovic was named the ACC Player of the Week as announced by the conference Monday afternoon.
- The honor is her first of the season and the third of her career after receiving the accolades twice during the 2017 season (Nov. 6, Oct. 9). With her third award, she has earned most ACC weekly honors of any volleyball student-athlete in program history.
- The Braslovce, Slovenia, native was a major factor in the Panthers’ historic rise a No. 6 ranking, as Pitt topped Syracuse and Boston College in ACC play over the weekend to remain unbeaten. Markovic posted a season-high 18 kills in a 3-1 win for the Panthers against the Orange, hitting at a .469 clip. She followed up that performance with another double-figure kill outing in a 3-0 sweep of Boston College, posting 10 kills on a .350 percentage.
- She averaged 4.0 kills per set for the weekend against Pitt’s competition, averaging a .423 attacking percentage. She neared a double-double with eight digs against the Orange.
SCOUTING THE FIGHTING HAWKS
- The defending back-to-back Big Sky Tournament champion, North Dakota (12-10, 4-3 Summit) is looking to snap a two-match win streak when it visits Pittsburgh Tuesday.
- Junior outside hitter Kayla Williams leads the team in kills per set at 3.29 on a .202 hitting percentage. Senior middle Jordan Vail is next in line, contributing 2.77 kills and a team-high 1.11 blocks per set.
- As a team, the Fighting Hawks hit .204 and limit opponents to a .207 clip. North Dakota picks up 16.8 digs and 11.5 assists per set.
THE SERIES – NORTH DAKOTA
- Tuesday will be the first meeting between No. 6 Pitt and North Dakota.
TUESDAY PROMOTIONS
- VolleyPitt T-shirts: Students who bring their Pitt ID to the game will receive a free T-shirt
- Online Auction: A Coach Dan Fisher autographed game-used volleyball and 2017 ACC Champions T-Shirt are now available for bidding on the Pitt Athletics Online Auction. To bid, visit PittsburghPanthers.com/ auctions
UP NEXT
- ]No. 6 Pitt will hit the road for ACC matches against North Carolina Friday at 5 p.m. and NC State Sunday at 1 p.m. Both matches will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra, available via the WatchESPN app.
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