Pitt Closes Out Home Slate with Win Versus Duke

Sunday, November 12

Pittsburgh, Pa.

1:00 PM EST

Pitt

21-6, 14-2ACC

Duke

12-16, 4-12ACC

Duke

Pitt

Photo by: Alex Mowrey/Pitt Athletics

Pitt Closes Out Home Slate with Win Versus Duke

11/12/2017 5:50:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score Final Season Notes Match Highlights

Panthers Defeat Blue Devils in Four on Senior Day

PITTSBURGH – The University of Pittsburgh volleyball team remains atop of the ACC after defeating Duke in four sets on senior day Sunday afternoon to close out Pitt's home season.

The Panthers improve to 21-6 on the season and remain tied with NC State and Louisville with a 14-2 record in ACC play, after taking down the Blue Devils (12-16, 4-12 ACC) in four sets.

Pitt got out to a 2-0 lead in the match after winning the first two sets 25-19 and 25-22, respectively. Despite a comeback effort by the Panthers in the third set, the Blue Devils outlasted Pitt 27-25. Leading 2-1, the Panthers closed out the match with a 25-17 win in the fourth.

Pitt produced a balanced offense against Duke, as four Panthers finished with double-digit kills. Sophomore Layne Van Buskirk led the squad with 13, while redshirt sophomore Stephanie Williams and freshman Kayla Lund each added 12. Sophomore Nika Markovic tallied 11 to round out the double-digit attackers.

Van Buskirk and Williams were both consistent for Pitt on offense, as they both hit over .400 with Van Buskirk leading the way at .474. Williams hit .417.

Junior setter Kamalani Akeo, who paces the Panthers' attack tallied 51 assists in the match. She helped Pitt to 64 total kills, while the Panthers held Duke to just 45.

Pitt's back row recorded 52 digs to the Blue Devils 39, while also posting 8.5 total team blocks. Redshirt junior Angela Seman led the Panthers with 22 digs, while Markovic and senior Alex Rosignol each added four blocks.

Set One: Pitt 25, Duke 19

The Panthers came out on top in the first set 25-19, hitting at a .545 clip, while registering 19 kills. The home team committed just one hitting error, as all five attackers hit over .450.

The two teams battled through the opening points of set, but Duke held a slight advantage over the Panthers until a three-point run put Pitt up by one, 12-11. The run featured a kill by Markovic and a Seman ace.

The two teams exchanged back-and-forth points until four straight kills by the Panthers, including two consecutive by Lund, separated the score and gave Pitt a 17-14 lead.

Duke remained within striking distance as they pulled within a point, 18-17, but the Panthers forced the Blue Devils into almost back-to-back timeouts after extending their lead to 22-18.

Pitt allowed Duke to score just one more point before closing out the set with three-straight points, including kills by Rosignol and Lund.

Set Two: Pitt 25, Duke 22

The Panthers took a 2-0 lead in the match after defeating Duke 25-22 in the second set. Pitt held the Blue Devils to just nine kills, while tallying 17 of their own.

Before the media timeout, back-to-back kills by Lund and Van Buskirk along with an ace from Seman, put the Panthers out in front by three, 15-12. However, Duke outscored Pitt 5-2 to tie the score 17-17 and force the Panthers to call a timeout.

Out of the break, Pitt registered four kills and used multiple Blue Devil errors to separate the score and gain a three point lead, 23-20. The Blue Devils used a timeout and scored two following the break to pull within one 23-22, but Markovic and freshman Chinaza Ndee posted back-to-back points to end the set.

Set Three: Duke 27, Pitt 25

Duke forced a fourth set in the match after beating out Pitt 27-25 in the third.

The Panthers struggled at the start of the frame, falling behind early 7-4. Pitt called a timeout to regroup but allowed Duke to put up another two points to extend its lead to five.

The Blue Devils remain in control until the midpoint of the set, as the Panthers fought back to tie the frame 13-13.

The two teams exchanged back-and-forth points but Duke found a three point lead, 19-16, to force a Pitt timeout.

Trailing 22-18, the Panthers turning point began with Williams putting away a kill, beginning a six-point run. The Blue Devils were forced to take two timeouts during that span but in the end Pitt earned match point, 24-23.

Despite the comeback effort by the Panthers, Pitt was unable to hold off Duke, falling 27-25.

Set Four: Pitt 25, Duke 17

The Panthers closed out the match with a 25-17 victory over the Blue Devils to win the match in four set. Pitt held Duke to a .059 hitting percentage, while tallying 15 kills in the frame.

Following multiple Blue Devil errors and a kill by senior Mariah Bell, which put the Panthers on a four point run, Duke called a timeout to slow Pitt as they fell behind 13-9.

The Panthers extended that lead following the break with another four-consecutive points which saw kills from Bell, Ndee and Markovic. The Blue Devils used their second timeout, down by seven.

Leading 17-10, Pitt didn't hit the brakes heading into the final points. Bell gave the Panthers match point on her last kill at the Fitzgerald Field House, while Markovic and Ndee finished off Duke with a block.

Up Next

Pitt has just two weekends left in the regular season, featuring four games that are all on the road. The Panthers will visit Georgia Tech and Clemson next weekend, before closing out the season at Virginia and Virginia Tech.

#H2P | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook