Match Info
- Pittsburgh at Notre Dame (ACC Match)
- Notre Dame, Indiana
- Pittsburgh improves to 17-6 (10-2 ACC); Notre Dame drops to 16-7 (6-6 ACC)
- Attendance: 1050
- Box Score
The Pittsburgh Panthers swept the host Notre Dame Fighting Irish Sunday afternoon, maintaining their status tied atop the ACC standings. Set scores were 25-16, 25-15, 25-21. Stephanie Williams led the way with 13 kills and 11 digs, while Nika Markovic and Kayla Lund chipped in 12 and 10 kills respectively. Kamalani Akeo dished out 32 assists and Angela Seman tallied 19 digs. With the win, Pittsburgh moves to 17-6 (10-2 ACC) and will return to action on Friday, November 3rd to host Miami.
Although Notre Dame held a 7-5 advantage in blocking, Pittsburgh led in every other category. They out-hit the Irish .260 to .126, and led in kills 44-27, aces 4-3, digs 52-34 and assists 41-25.
Sam Fry and Sydney Kuhn led the way for Notre Dame with 7 kills apiece while Rebecca Nunge chipped in 6 kills. Caroline Holt handed out 23 assists while Ryann DeJarld collected 11 digs. With the loss, Notre Dame drops to 16-7 (6-6 ACC) and will return to action on Friday, November 3rd when they hit the road to take on Duke.
Press Release:
Courtesy of Pittsburgh Athletics
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The University of Pittsburgh volleyball team swept Notre Dame to get back in the win column, Sunday afternoon at Purcell Pavilion in South Bend, Ind.
“This was a great win for us,” said head coach Dan Fisher. “We got back to being the team we’ve been and that’s a team that is very good offensively and balanced. We showed that today with a lot of people contributing offensively.”
The Panthers, who are now 17-6 on the season and 10-2 in conference play, defeated the Irish (16-7, 6-6 ACC) in straight sets, 25-16, 25-15 and 25-21. After taking the first two sets easily, Pitt was forced to battle back in the third from a seven-point deficit to earn the victory.
“Big win for us in the third set,” said Fisher. “It’s been a couple of weeks since we’ve been down and come back. We trailed 17-10 at one point but remained composed and stuck together to battle back and get the win. It was a great moment for us.”
The Panthers dominated Notre Dame offensively, tallying 44 kills compared to the 27 recorded by the Irish. Pitt also out-dug the home team 52-24.
“I’m most proud of out-digging a team that is leading the conference in that category,” said Fisher. “We knew coming in that we would have to match their defensively intensity and we knocked it out of the park.”
Three Panthers put up double-digit kills in the match, with redshirt sophomore Stephanie Williams leading the way with 13. Sophomore Nika Markovic following with 12, while freshman Kayla Lund finished with 10.
Williams was the lone Panther to earn a double-double as she also put up double-digit numbers in digs with 11. The Eastlake, Ohio native completed her standout day with four aces, matching her career-high.
Other top performers included junior Kamalani Akeo, who tallied 32 assists, along with redshirt junior Angela Seman, who led the way defensively with 19 digs.
Set One: Pitt 25, Notre Dame 16
The Panthers dominated the Irish in the first set of the match, winning 25-16. Pitt’s offense was outstanding as the squad hit .310 with 14 kills. The Panthers’ defense held Notre Dame to a .100 clip.
Pitt came out on fire at the start of the frame, jumping out to a 9-2 lead thanks to an eight-point run. Williams served up six of the Panthers nine points, including two aces, which forced an early timeout call by the Irish.
Notre Dame pulled within five midway through the set, but Pitt continued working to extend its lead. The Panthers regained a 17-10 advantage, bringing along the Irish’s second timeout.
Five of Pitt’s final eight points came by way of kill, including three by Markovic and two from Lund.
Set Two: Pitt 25, Notre Dame 16
The Panthers took a 2-0 lead in the match after winning the second set 25-16. Pitt finished with a .370 hitting percentage and 15 kills, while holding Notre Dame to 10.
Another run at the start of the second propelled the Panthers out in front, 7-0. Pitt opened the frame with two kills, one from each Ndee and Lund, while Williams added two more aces to her total.
The Irish battled back after struggling, pulling within four 15-11. The Panthers called a timeout to regroup and did just that as they scored three and extended their lead to 18-12.
Notre Dame took another break in action, but was unable to stop Pitt as the Panthers outscored the Irish 7-4 in the final points.
Set Three: Pitt 25, Notre Dame 21
Despite being down seven points in the third set, Pitt battled back to win the frame 25-21.
The Panthers struggled as the start as Notre Dame controlled the score from the get go. Pitt was forced to use two early timeouts as it fell behind 14-8 amid a five-point by the Irish.
Notre Dame extended its lead to 17-10, but three-straight points by the Panthers began the squad’s comeback. The Irish called a timeout to try and slow Pitt, but to no avail, as the Panthers pulled within two 20-18.
Following a second Irish timeout, Pitt outscored Notre Dame 7-1 to close out the match and complete its comeback.
Up Next
The Panthers return home next weekend where they will square off for the second time this season with Miami Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. and Florida State Nov. 5 at 1 p.m. at Fitzgerald Field House in Pittsburgh.
Press Release:
Courtesy of Notre Dame Athletics
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Notre Dame (16-7, 6-6 ACC) was upended by Pitt (17-6, 10-2 ACC) on Sunday afternoon by a score of 3-0 (25-16, 25-16, 25-21). Senior Sam Fry and junior Rebecca Nunge led the team in kills with seven apiece.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Pitt jumped out to an early lead in the first frame and controlled the set, taking the opener 25-16 to build an early 1-0 advantage in the match. Kuhn came off the bench and led the team in kills for the set with four.
The Panthers continued to put pressure on the Irish, claiming the first seven points of the second set to take an early lead. Notre Dame tried to claw its way back into the set, twice cutting the Pitt lead to four but was unable to get any closer, as the Panthers took the set 25-16 to open a 2-0 lead in the match.
The Irish regrouped after the 10-minute intermission and played much better in the early stages of the third set. Notre Dame led by as many as seven points midway through the stanza with the score 15-8. The Irish held a five-point advantage at 20-15 and then the Pitt attack came alive. Notre Dame could not hold off the Panther charge late, as Pitt won 10 of the final 11 points to win the set 25-21 and take the match 3-0.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH
Fry tied for the team-high in kills with seven and posted an impressive hitting percentage of .462 on Sunday. The senior also added two blocks and a dig to complete her performance.
NOTES OF THE MATCH
- Ryann DeJarld led the Irish with 11 digs.
- Nunge has recorded at least four blocks in six of her last seven matches.
- Natalie Johnson has recorded at least one ace in eight consecutive outings.
- Hannah Thompson made her first start at home in her career.
- Halle Truett made her Notre Dame debut on Sunday.
UP NEXT
Notre Dame hits the road for a pair of ACC matches in the state of North Carolina. The Irish take on Duke at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Nov. 3 and then play at Wake Forest at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov. 5.
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