No. 1 ranked Pitt volleyball and men’s soccer look to stay on top of the country

The two Pitt No. 1 ranked teams face a weekend full of conference competition, trying to stay atop the ACC and the country.

Volleyball

No. 1 Pitt volleyball finished its nonconference play undefeated in both matches and sets, going 30-0 in sets in nonconference play. 

Pitt’s first conference tests are away at Clemson on Friday at 7 p.m. and No. 13 Georgia Tech on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. Clemson boasted an 8-3 record in nonconference play with an impressive win against MAC-favorite Western Michigan. Georgia Tech shows a more impressive nonconference resume with ranked wins over No. 14 BYU on the road and No. 13 Florida at home. 

Clemson shouldn’t threaten Pitt too much on Friday, as the Tigers are hitting .229 against the 11 unranked opponents they have faced this season. The Tigers are the first team Pitt will face that runs a traditional 6-2 rotation. A 6-2 rotation is when a team will have a setter playing in the back row and three hitters in the front row. 

Georgia Tech is Pitt’s tougher test over the weekend. The Yellow Jackets have hit an impressive .302 against their opponents. The Georgia Tech attack is efficiently led by senior outside hitter Bianca Bertolino, who has nabbed 112 kills this season while hitting .308. Sophomore opposite hitter Larissa Mendes also leads the Yellow Jackets, tallying 88 kills while hitting .351. 

Senior outside hitter Tamara Otene has earned the most kills for the Yellow Jackets this season with 126. But she has totaled 52 attacking errors this season, causing her to have a much lower hitting percentage at .253.

The Yellow Jackets are an interesting test for the Panthers this weekend. Pitt should win, but Georgia Tech can threaten the Panthers’ unblemished record. 

Men’s Soccer

Newly ranked No. 1 Pitt men’s soccer (7-1-0, 3-0-0 ACC) looks to defend its position as the top team in the nation as the Panthers hit the road to take on No .17 Virginia Tech (5-1-1, 1-1-0 ACC). 

Arguably more important than the national recognition, Pitt men’s soccer needs to maintain its dominance of the ACC. In their three conference games, the Panthers have outscored their opponents 8-3.

In the ACC tournament, only the No. 1 seed receives a bye. The Panthers’ perfect conference record has given them the top seed for now, but the conference remains the best in collegiate soccer. It contains the top three ranked teams in the nation, giving Pittsburgh no time for complacency.

Virginia Tech senior goalkeeper Cooper Wenzel presents a challenge for the Panthers. Wenzel leads the conference with a .815 save percentage and ranks second in shutouts with four in seven starts.

On the other hand, two Panthers place in the ACC’s top five goal scorers, as senior forward Luis Sahmkow leads the ACC with seven and sophomore forward Albert Thorsen places fifth with five. Pittsburgh also has two midfielders at the top of the assist leaders. Senior Guilherme Feitosa tops the list with five and first-year Lasse Dahl has four, in a tie for third in the ACC.

In a tough matchup, expect the more talented Panthers to prevail Friday night in Blacksburg, Virginia, as the team leaders continue their impressive 2024 campaigns.