Friday, September 22
Pittsburgh, Pa.
7:00 PM EST
Pitt
8-4, 1-0ACC
3
vs
1
Syracuse
9-6, 1-1ACC
1
2
3
4
F
Syracuse
25
14
22
13
1
Pitt
21
25
25
25
3
Photo by: Alex Mowrey/Pitt Athletics
Fisher Earns 100th Win at Pitt with Victory Over Syracuse
9/23/2017 12:07:00 AM | Volleyball
PITTSBURGH – University of Pittsburgh head volleyball coach Dan Fisher earned his 100th win at Pitt as the squad opened conference play with a 3-1 victory Friday evening over Syracuse at the Fitzgerald Field House.
Fisher, who is in his fifth year at Pitt (8-4, 1-0 ACC), now owns a 100-42 (.704) record with the Panthers. The victory also marked his 175th career win as a head coach.
Pitt defeated the Orange (9-6, 1-1 ACC) in four sets Friday evening, dropping the opener 25-21 before bouncing back to win three straight 25-14, 25-22 and 25-13.
"We started out so flat that I was wondering how it would turn out, but that's why we play best of five," said Fisher. "We settled in and played a little more of our brand of volleyball."
After a tough loss in the first set, the Panthers' offense was on point as the team tallied a .356 hitting percentage and 67 kills. Pitt's attack could not have been successful without the help of junior setter Kamalani Akeo, who posted a career-high 60 assists.
"I thought that was maybe Kamalani's [Akeo] best setting match of the year," said Fisher. "Her location was great and she pushed tempo. We had many hitters with big numbers because of it."
Four players tallied double-digit kills including sophomore Nika Markovic (19-5-38, .368), senior Mariah Bell (14-2-24, .500), sophomore Layne Van Buskirk (13-3-23, .435) and redshirt sophomore Stephanie Williams (12-2-27, .370).
Williams was the lone player to earn a double-double, her second of the season, as she also tallied a team-leading 12 digs in the match.
Defensively, Van Buskirk led Pitt with five blocks, while redshirt junior Angela Seman added 11 digs to the Panthers 45. Seman also tallied a team-leading three aces.
Set One: Syracuse 25, Pitt 21
In the opening set, a late comeback win by Syracuse gave the Orange a 1-0 advantage in the match.
Leading 16-13, Pitt lost its momentum after a five-point run by Syracuse gave the Orange a 19-16 lead late in the set. The Panthers were forced to take two timeouts within three points of each other as Syracuse pulled within one, 16-15 then took an 18-16 lead to bring along the second.
Pitt didn't go down without a fight as kills by freshman Kayla Lund and Markovic, brought the Panthers back within a point, 21-20, however the team was unable to regain the lead. The Orange won set one, 25-21.
Set Two: Pitt 25, Syracuse 14
Pit tied the match in the second with a 25-14 win, behind stellar play on both sides of the ball.
The Panthers tallied 15 kills, while hitting for a .387 clip on offense, and defensively held the Orange to a.071 attack percentage in the frame. Syracuse recorded just eight kills and had no blocks.
Pitt dominated from the start of the set, getting out to an 8-2 lead. The Orange called a timeout, but was unable to swing the momentum in their favor as the Panthers continued to rack up points.
The home team took a double-digit lead late in the set after kills by Bell and Williams and a block assist. Pitt led 20-10 and hold on to take the set and tie the match as one set apiece.
Set Three: Pitt 25, Syracuse 22
The Panthers posted another standout offensive set in the fourth, as they defeated the Orange 25-22. Pitt came out on top with a .405 clip and 19 kills.
It was all Syracuse at the start of the third set as the Orange got out to a 5-1 lead. However, it didn't last long as the Panthers attack worked their way back out front 10-8.
The two teams battled back-and-forth through the midpoint of the set, but Pitt came out ahead after consecutive kills by Bell gave the Panthers a 22-18 advantage.
Pitt remained in front for the win, despite a timeout call by Syracuse.
Set Four: Pitt 25, Syracuse 13
The Panthers were dominant in the final set, tallying a .500 attack percentage en route to a 25-13 victory.
Van Buskirk was perfect in the frame, posting six kills in six attempts, while Bell also had six and Williams four.
Pitt led 11-5 early on in the set, with Van Buskirk tallying four of her six kills before the Orange used their first timeout.
The Panthers didn't let up as they extended their lead to 17-10, which brought on a second break from Syracuse.
Out of timeouts, the Orange were unable to slow Pitt, who outscored Syracuse 8-3 in the final points.
Up Next
The Panthers will continue ACC play with a home match vs. Boston College, Sunday, Sept. 24. First serve is slated for 1 p.m. at the Fitzgerald Field House.
#H2P | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Fisher, who is in his fifth year at Pitt (8-4, 1-0 ACC), now owns a 100-42 (.704) record with the Panthers. The victory also marked his 175th career win as a head coach.
Pitt defeated the Orange (9-6, 1-1 ACC) in four sets Friday evening, dropping the opener 25-21 before bouncing back to win three straight 25-14, 25-22 and 25-13.
"We started out so flat that I was wondering how it would turn out, but that's why we play best of five," said Fisher. "We settled in and played a little more of our brand of volleyball."
After a tough loss in the first set, the Panthers' offense was on point as the team tallied a .356 hitting percentage and 67 kills. Pitt's attack could not have been successful without the help of junior setter Kamalani Akeo, who posted a career-high 60 assists.
"I thought that was maybe Kamalani's [Akeo] best setting match of the year," said Fisher. "Her location was great and she pushed tempo. We had many hitters with big numbers because of it."
Four players tallied double-digit kills including sophomore Nika Markovic (19-5-38, .368), senior Mariah Bell (14-2-24, .500), sophomore Layne Van Buskirk (13-3-23, .435) and redshirt sophomore Stephanie Williams (12-2-27, .370).
Williams was the lone player to earn a double-double, her second of the season, as she also tallied a team-leading 12 digs in the match.
Defensively, Van Buskirk led Pitt with five blocks, while redshirt junior Angela Seman added 11 digs to the Panthers 45. Seman also tallied a team-leading three aces.
Set One: Syracuse 25, Pitt 21
In the opening set, a late comeback win by Syracuse gave the Orange a 1-0 advantage in the match.
Leading 16-13, Pitt lost its momentum after a five-point run by Syracuse gave the Orange a 19-16 lead late in the set. The Panthers were forced to take two timeouts within three points of each other as Syracuse pulled within one, 16-15 then took an 18-16 lead to bring along the second.
Pitt didn't go down without a fight as kills by freshman Kayla Lund and Markovic, brought the Panthers back within a point, 21-20, however the team was unable to regain the lead. The Orange won set one, 25-21.
Set Two: Pitt 25, Syracuse 14
Pit tied the match in the second with a 25-14 win, behind stellar play on both sides of the ball.
The Panthers tallied 15 kills, while hitting for a .387 clip on offense, and defensively held the Orange to a.071 attack percentage in the frame. Syracuse recorded just eight kills and had no blocks.
Pitt dominated from the start of the set, getting out to an 8-2 lead. The Orange called a timeout, but was unable to swing the momentum in their favor as the Panthers continued to rack up points.
The home team took a double-digit lead late in the set after kills by Bell and Williams and a block assist. Pitt led 20-10 and hold on to take the set and tie the match as one set apiece.
Set Three: Pitt 25, Syracuse 22
The Panthers posted another standout offensive set in the fourth, as they defeated the Orange 25-22. Pitt came out on top with a .405 clip and 19 kills.
It was all Syracuse at the start of the third set as the Orange got out to a 5-1 lead. However, it didn't last long as the Panthers attack worked their way back out front 10-8.
The two teams battled back-and-forth through the midpoint of the set, but Pitt came out ahead after consecutive kills by Bell gave the Panthers a 22-18 advantage.
Pitt remained in front for the win, despite a timeout call by Syracuse.
Set Four: Pitt 25, Syracuse 13
The Panthers were dominant in the final set, tallying a .500 attack percentage en route to a 25-13 victory.
Van Buskirk was perfect in the frame, posting six kills in six attempts, while Bell also had six and Williams four.
Pitt led 11-5 early on in the set, with Van Buskirk tallying four of her six kills before the Orange used their first timeout.
The Panthers didn't let up as they extended their lead to 17-10, which brought on a second break from Syracuse.
Out of timeouts, the Orange were unable to slow Pitt, who outscored Syracuse 8-3 in the final points.
Up Next
The Panthers will continue ACC play with a home match vs. Boston College, Sunday, Sept. 24. First serve is slated for 1 p.m. at the Fitzgerald Field House.
#H2P | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Team Stats
SU
UP
Kills
47
67
Errors
18
19
Attempts
117
135
Hitting %
.248
.356
Points
60.0
80.0
Assists
46
66
Aces
1
6
Blocks
12.0
7.0
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
19
Aces
1
Blocks
3
Kills
14
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Kills
13
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
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/ Volleyball
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