Sunday, October 29
Notre Dame, Ind.
1:00 PM EST
Pitt
17-6, 10-2ACC
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Notre Dame
16-7, 6-6ACC
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Pitt
25
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Notre Dame
16
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21
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Photo by: Alex Mowrey/Pitt Athletics
Pitt Outlasts Notre Dame in Straight Sets
10/29/2017 3:11:00 PM | Volleyball
The Panthers Get Back in the Win Column
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.
#H2P | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
"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.
#H2P | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Team Stats
UP
ND
Kills
44
27
Errors
17
14
Attempts
104
103
Hitting %
.260
.126
Points
53.5
37.5
Assists
41
25
Aces
4
3
Blocks
5.5
7.5
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
13
Aces
4
Blocks
0
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
S
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballRS
/ Volleyball
L
/ VolleyballOH
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