Pitt’s volleyball team continued its perfect 2018, improving to 22-0 over the weekend with a pair of victories over Notre Dame and Louisville.
The Panthers improved to 10-0 in ACC play with the weekend sweep and knocked off the No. 21 Cardinals, the last ranked team remaining on Pitt’s regular season schedule.
The No. 6 Panthers swept the Fighting Irish in straight sets on Friday, 25-23, 25-17 and 25-18. Junior right side Nike Markovic had 16 kills, sophomore outside Kayla Lund had a double-double with 10 digs and 10 kills, junior middle Layne Van Buskirk had 14 kills and redshirt junior outside hitter Stephanie Williams had eight kills, moving her into 10th place in Pitt history.
It wasn’t as easy on Sunday. Pitt again took the first two sets, 25-22 and 26-24, but the Cardinals outlasted the Panthers for a 28-26 win in the third set and got the fourth set out to a 16-6 lead before a 15-1 Pitt run put the Panthers ahead.
Lund got the winning kill as part of her second double-double of the weekend:
Williams added a season-high 17 kills and 10 digs. Van Buskirk had 10 kills and a career-high 12 blocks. Redshirt sophomore setter Kylee Levers had 23 assists, senior Kamalani Akeo had 18 and redshirt senior libero Angela Seman had 11 digs.
Sunday’s match was played in front of 2,152 at Fitzgerald Field House, a new program record.
“The supports from the community and the students really means a lot,” Williams said to Jeff Hathhorn of ESPN. “We are getting better with every game and just to see that they are following along and know that there is something special here at the Fitzgerald Field House this year really means a lot. We feed off the energy so much.”
The Panthers will head on the road the next two weekends, visiting Wake Forest on Friday, Oct. 26, Duke on Sunday, Oct. 28, Georgia Tech on Friday, Nov. 2 and Clemson on Sunday, Nov. 4 before returning to Fitzgerald Field House on Sunday, Nov. 11 for a return match against the Blue Devils. Duke is 5-5 in ACC play this season, the Demon Deacons are 3-7 and Yellow Jackets and Tigers are 2-8.
