MATCH STATS
- Pittsburgh (RV) def. Virginia 3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 25-19)
- Pittsburgh moves to 25-6, 18-2 ACC; Virginia falls to 7-24, 3-17 ACC
- Pittsburgh secures a share of the ACC title as c0-champions with Louisville
- Charlottesville, Virginia
- Attendance: 345
- Box Score
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Pittsburgh claimed a share of the ACC title with a sweep of Virginia, earning its ninth straight win to close out the regular season.
The Panthers tie Louisville atop the ACC with an 18-2 record, but the Cardinals will earn the league’s automatic berth due to tiebreakers. Pitt should be a lock for an at-large berth, however, with a 25-6 overall record and RPI of 26.
Redshirt sophomore outside hitter Stephanie Williams downed 15 kills, while sophomore right side Nika Markovic added 10 kills and 10 digs. Three other players turned in seven or more kills: freshman outside Kayla Lund (9), sophomore middle blocker Layne Van Buskirk (8) and freshman right side Chinaza Ndee (7). Ndee hit at a team-high .438 clip and put up four blocks. Redshirt junior Angela Seman notched a team-leading 12 digs followed by Markovic (10).
Sophomore right side Jelena Novakovic (11) and freshman outside Sarah Billiard (10) paced the Cavaliers offensively with double-digit efforts. Sophomore middle Chino Anukwuem added six kills, while hitting at a team-best .308 clip and adding a team-leading five stuffs. Sophomore libero Kelsey Miller and Novakovic managed eight digs apiece to lead the backcourt.
Pitt outhit Virginia .288 to .190, tallied 13 more kills (49-36) and four more aces (5-1), but trailed its foes 8-6 in blocks.
Set 1 featured 12 ties, last at 15. Pitt pulled away with a 3-0 run, including a Mariah Bell ace and held off Virignia for the 25-21 win. Up just two at 22-20, the Panthers closed out the stanza on a 3-1 run, with tw0 Van Buskirk kills, including the set clincher.
Pitt carried the momentum into Set 2, racing ahead 3-0 and boosting the edge to four at 7-3 after back-to-back aces by Seman. Later, kills by Williams and Markovic and a Virginia miscues made it a six-point game at 14-8. The teams traded points until a Williams putaway made it 19-12 Pitt. That sparked a 5-1 Cavelier run, with help from two Billiard kills. Two Virginia errors and kills by Williams, Markovic and Ndee wrapped up the 25-18 victory.
The teams split the first 22 points of Set 3, with neither side gaining more than a two-point edge. Up just one at 14-13, Pitt scored three straight, including an Ndee stuff and Van Buskirk kill to stretch the margin to four at 17-13. The teams traded points over the next 12 serves leading to a 23-19 Panther advantage. A Williams kill and a Virginia error sewed up the match and the ACC co-championship.
Look at that hardware ?
Your 2017 ACC Co-Champions! #H2P #Become pic.twitter.com/yA1RHsHFEk
— Pitt Volleyball (@Pitt_VB) November 25, 2017
Leave a Reply