Three Panthers Notch Double-Digit Kills as (RV) Pitt Sweeps Clemson

MATCH NOTES

• (RV) Pittsburgh def. Clemson 3-0 (25-17, 25-21, 13)
• Pittsburgh moves to 22-6 overall, 15-2 ACC
• Clemson drops to 7-23 overall, 2-16 ACC
• Clemson, South Carolina
• Attendance: 1,797
• Box Score
• VolleyMob Top 25 Power Rankings (Week 13)

The Pittsburgh Panthers (RV) defeated the Clemson Tigers in straight sets on Friday night, with three Panthers recording double-digit kills: sophomore outside Stephanie Williams (12 kills), sophomore opposite Nika Markovic (11 kills) and freshman outside Kayla Lund (10 kills). The Pitt offense was paced by junior setter Kamalani Akeo, who dished out 31 assists.

“On the night we had three really good performances from our pin hitters and it was balanced,” said head coach Dan Fisher. “Clemson pushed us a lot, especially in the second set, and I was happy to get out of there with a three-set win.”

For the Tigers, sophomore outside Kaylin Korte notched nine kills, hitting at a .353 clip, and junior middle Megan McGinley was strong at the net, recording a season-best six blocks.

In set one, Pittsburgh hit at a blistering .429 clip to win by a decisive 25-17 margin. The Tigers led 6-2 early in the second, but the Panthers evened the score at 11 and went on to win 25-21 on a Lund kill. The third was all Panthers and they sealed the victory on an ace by senior outside Mariah Bell.

Next up, the Panthers travel to Georgia Tech for a Sunday match against the Yellow Jackets, while Clemson hosts Florida State on Wednesday.

Bring out the brooms! Bell aces for the final point of the set to give the Panthers a sweep over Clemson! #H2P pic.twitter.com/4E6D3xjbQw

— Pitt Volleyball (@Pitt_VB) November 18, 2017

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Courtesy: Pittsburgh Athletics

DOMINANT OFFENSE LEADS PITT TO SWEEP OF CLEMSON

PITTSBURGH – A dominant offensive performance by the University of Pittsburgh volleyball team led the Panthers to a sweep of Clemson Friday evening at Jervey Gym.

Pitt, who is now 22-6 on the season and 15-2 in the ACC, remains tied atop of the conference standings after downing the Tigers (7-23, 2-16 ACC) in straight sets, 25-17, 25-21 and 25-13.

“On the night we had three really good performances from our pin hitters and it was balanced,” said head coach Dan Fisher. “Clemson pushed us a lot, especially in the second set, and I was happy to get out of there with a three-set win.”

The Panthers’ offense was outstanding in the match, tallying 41 kills and hitting at a .312 clip. Pitt’s most dominant set came in the third as the Panthers recorded 14 kills on 21 attempts, while committing just two errors for a .571 hitting percentage.

Three Pitt players finished with double-digit kills, with redshirt sophomore Stephanie Williams leading the way with 12. She was following by sophomore Nika Markovic who tallied 11, while freshman Kayla Lund put away 10.

All three were very consistent as Williams led the squad with a .455 hitting percentage, while the other two both recorded an average over .360. Junior setter Kamalani Akeo set up the Panthers attack with 31 assists.

Defensively, Pitt held the Tigers to just 26 kills and a .162 hitting percentage. The Panthers posted 24 digs, led by redshirt junior Angela Seman, and 8.5 blocks led by freshman Chinaza Ndee.

Set One: Pitt 25, Clemson 17

The Panthers got out in front in the match after defeating the Tigers in the opening set 25-17. Williams led Pitt with a .429 hitting percentage, while the Panthers held Clemson to just six kills and a .080 average.

The visiting Panthers led early on in the opening frame, forcing the Tigers to take its first timeout as Pitt posted consecutive kills by Ndee and Markovic to earn a 12-8 advantage.

Following the break, the Panthers found a groove and extended their lead to seven, 19-12. The Tigers called a second timeout to regroup, but were only able to cut Pitt’s lead to five. Clemson handed Pitt its final five points on errors.

Set Two: Pitt 25, Clemson 21

The Panthers continued their winning ways in the second set with a 25-21 victory to take a 2-0 lead in the match.

Despite trailing by as many as four points in the early portion of the frame, Pitt battled back to find a 16-14 lead to force a Clemson timeout. The Tigers scored the first point out of the break but three-straight points by the Panthers, including two kills by Williams, brought along a second timeout call by Clemson.

The Tigers outscored Pitt 6-3 over the next nine points to pull within three, 23-20, but following a timeout by the Panthers, a Clemson error, a Lund kill solidified the win.

Set Three: Pitt 25, Clemson 13

Pitt dominated the Tigers in the final set of the match, 25-13. The Panthers hit .571 in the frame with 14 kills and led by 10 points at one point in the set.

Following a back-and-forth affair between the two teams that saw the score tied 9-9, a 10-point run by Pitt gave the Panthers a 19-9 lead in the match. Led by Williams, who served 10-straight balls including three aces, Pitt’s run featured kills by Markovic and Lund, and multiple blocks by the Panthers.

Pitt didn’t let up, forcing Clemson to call its second timeout trailing 21-10, but the break did nothing as the Panthers went on to win 25-13.

Up Next: Pitt will make the short trip to Georgia Tech to take on the Yellow Jackets Sunday, Nov. 19 at O’Keefe Gym in Atlanta. First serve is set for 1 p.m.

Courtesy: Clemson Athletics

Volleyball Falls Against Pittsburgh Friday

CLEMSON, S.C. – The Clemson volleyball team fell in three sets (17-25, 21-25, 13-25) to first-place Pittsburgh (22-6, 15-2 ACC) Friday evening in Jervey Gym. Clemson was led by sophomore outside hitter Kaylin Korte, who had nine kills while hitting .353, her second best hitting percentage against in ACC foe this season, and junior middle blocker Megan McGinley, who posted a season-high 6.0 blocks. With the loss, the Tigers fall to 7-23 on the season and 2-16 in ACC play.

Senior setter Keely Hayes got things started for the Tigers, opening the match with a service ace on the first point of the match. After four ties early in the first, the Panthers went on a 7-3 run to take a 12-8 lead, prompting Clemson to call timeout. From there, Clemson find a rhythm as the Panthers outscored the Tigers 13-7 to close out the set, 25-17.

The Tigers jumped out to an early 6-2 lead that featured kills from junior outside hitter Kailey Harvell and McGinley to open the second. The Panthers chipped away and tied the set, 11-11 on a ­Pittsburgh block. The two teams went back and fourth for the next six points, but once again, the Panthers utilized a late-set run to push the lead out of the Tigers’ reach, taking the set, 25-21.

Coming out of the break, the Tigers and Panthers were neck-and-neck, 9-9, to open the third. A kill by Pitt’s Nika Markovic initiated a 10-0 run for the Panthers that would put the match out of reach for the Tigers. Pittsburgh would take the set, 25-13, and the match.

Up next, Clemson returns to Jervey Gym Wednesday Nov. 22 to host Florida State (15-10, 0-8 ACC) at 2 p.m. Wednesday’s contest against the Seminoles will air on ACC Network Extra.