No. 8 Pitt volleyball handles Florida State with ease, extends win streak to 11

No. 8 Pitt extended its win streak to 11 games, sweeping Florida State at Fitzgerald Field House Sunday afternoon. 

Pitt Head Coach Dan Fisher was pleased with his team’s performance against the Seminoles (12-7, 4-4 ACC). His hope is that the Panthers (18-2, 8-0 ACC) recent run of form will motivate them against even better competition. 

“Winning and especially winning against good teams, hopefully it becomes like a drug,” Fisher said. “All the hard work we’re doing is going towards something so I think [the winning streak] affects us positively and makes us want to get back in the gym and keep working hard.”

After two losses early in the season, the Panthers’ 11-game win streak is an indicator of their strength, especially in conference play. With a lineup of mostly new players, the early losses showed the Panthers where they needed to improve. According to graduate student right side hitter Courtney Buzzerio, they’ve gotten through the early stages of the season and built confidence that will last the rest of the year. 

“We’re in the middle of October, over halfway through the season now, so having that built up confidence going into matches is valued,” Buzzerio said. “It’s not like it’s been a cakewalk, each match it’s something different and we’ve been able to kind of figure it out and stay tough.”

The Panthers started out hot in the first set, tallying two kills in the first two points of the frame. From there, the Panthers did not let up, firing off kill after kill on a nearly .700 hitting percentage. They led by as many as 11 midway through the set. 

Up 21-10 with a chance to close the first set out with ease, the Seminoles fought back, capitalizing on Pitt’s sloppiness. Rattled, the Panthers dropped five points in a row, four of which came via attack error. Up just 23-19, the Panthers finally managed to finish the set, winning 25-19 on consecutive kills from Buzzerio. 

Fisher credited the Seminoles’ ability to go on point-scoring runs, but also acknowledged that his team didn’t expect them to fight as hard as they did down the stretch. 

“We came out well, I honestly just think Florida State made a ton of attacking errors,” Fisher said. “But they have a really physical team so they’re capable of scoring points in bunches and can go on big runs. We probably thought it was going to be a little easier than it was going to be and they pushed us.” 

Buzzerio stood out for the Panthers in the first set like she has all season, recording a game-high six kills in the first frame. Buzzerio gave credit to her teammates, saying they have trust in one another to make clutch plays when needed.

“I think we’re a really balanced team,” Buzzerio said. “We have other people to depend on, it’s not just a one-person offense, defense or anything.”

After the first set, FSU stepped up its game. Set two was a battle the whole way through, despite the Panthers jumping out to a 10-4 lead. Still, the Seminoles refused to let up, going on a 9-3 run of their own and leading for the first time all match at 14-13.

Despite keeping pace with the Panthers, FSU was error-prone in the second set. They held a lead for just three more points before the Panthers rattled off three points in a row, claiming a late advantage. While the beginning of the second frame was close, the final score ended up being even more lopsided than the first frame. In total, there were seven ties and two lead changes in the second frame — in stark comparison with the first, where Pitt led the entire time. Ultimately, the Panthers took the set 25-18 thanks to a 5-0 run at the end of the set. 

Just like the second set, the Panthers and Seminoles were neck and neck in the third, with 12 ties and seven lead changes. Neither team led by more than three points at any point in the frame. Tied at 13, the Panthers committed an attack error due to poor communication, but quickly bounced back with two kills to take back the lead. Still, small victories seemed short-lived, as the Seminoles were always right on Pitt’s tail — tying the game just as quickly as Pitt took the lead. 

After taking a 15-14 lead, the Panthers finally managed to control the set — notching another kill, ace and error — giving them a three point lead. From there, the Panthers took the game one point at a time. Buzzerio finished off the Panthers 25-23 third set victory with her 16th kill of the game — twice as many kills as the next highest scorer. 

The Panthers continue their conference slate at home this week on Friday against Notre Dame. The game starts at 7 p.m. and will stream on ACCNX.