Pitt athletics prepare for a weekend away

A member of Pitt's swimming and diving team mid-stroke during a meet against Army in Trees Hall on Sept. 22, 2023.

This weekend, Pitt volleyball heads north looking to stay unbeaten while both swimming and cross country race to have a successful weekend at their meets.

Volleyball

No. 1 Pitt volleyball looks to keep its undefeated set and match streak alive this weekend as the Panthers travel to New England and New York for two ACC matchups. Pitt heads to Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, on Friday for a matchup against Boston College at 7 p.m., then to Syracuse, New York, for a matchup against the Orange on Sunday at 11 a.m.

Boston College is one of the best blocking teams in the country. The Eagles rank third in the country for blocks per set with 3.12 and are the best blocking team in the ACC. Pitt already faced an exceptional blocking team this season when it opened up the 2024 season against No. 10 Oregon, who ranks second in the nation for blocks per set with 3.14. It doesn’t take an expert to put together that the Panthers have been faced with threats to their success before — and come out victorious nevertheless.

The Eagles are 7-7 overall and 0-2 in the ACC, but they are a perfect 3-0 at home. Pitt, however, should end that streak by beating Boston College via a sweep.

In 2023, Syracuse was one of, if not the worst, teams in Division One volleyball. The Orange finished the season 2-26 overall and 0-18 in the ACC. Syracuse only won four of the 58 sets they played against conference opponents.

But this year, Syracuse already has 10 more wins than it finished with in 2023. The Orange had an undefeated — relatively easy — nonconference schedule, but they still won games they would have most likely lost last year.

Syracuse lost its first two conference matchups last week against North Carolina and Duke, but the Orange should feel more confident about winning more conference matchups in 2024.

But the illustrious conference win most likely isn’t happening this weekend for Syracuse, as it will probably fall to 0-4 in the ACC. It matches up with No. 17 SMU on Friday night, then will face No. 1 Pitt on Sunday.

Boston College and Syracuse are easier tests for Pitt volleyball than other games of late. Fans should expect to see the program win 42 consecutive sets and keep its overall record unblemished at 14-0.

Cross country

On Oct. 5, Pitt cross country travels to Bethlehem, PA to compete in the 50th Lehigh Paul Short Run at the Goodman Campus Course.

The team is coming off a strong showing at the Spiked Shoe Invitational at Penn State where the women’s team posted fifth place while the men’s team had two runners finish in the top 20. In mid-September, the women Panthers ranked No. 4 for the Mid-Atlantic Region of the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

The 2024 Paul Short Run features the largest fields in the history of the meet. High school teams are competing on Friday while college teams from all over the United States and Canada will compete on Saturday.

A whopping 164 women’s teams and 150 men’s teams will face off when both Pitt men’s and women’s teams compete in the gold sections of their races — the group they are assigned to.

The men will run at 11 a.m. and the women will run at 11:45 a.m. This event is the final meet before Pitt travels to Madison, Wisconsin, for pre-nationals later this month.

Swimming

On Oct. 5, the Panthers have their first swimming-only meet of the 2024-2025 season, which will take place right down the street at Carnegie Mellon. The CMU Relay Meet will host Pitt, Duquesne and Carnegie Mellon and is expected to set the tone for the season.

Pitt head coach Chase Kreitler is returning for his third season and welcoming back multiple athletes that received national recognition under his leadership during the 2023-2024 season. Three of Kreitler’s swimmers competed at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials this summer.

Last season, the Panthers posted solid showings at the 2024 NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships. Fifth-year swimmer Sophie Yendell came 20th in the 50 Free and 17th in the 100 Fly. This summer, Yendell competed in the Great Britain Olympic Trials Qualifier.

On the flip side, at the 2024 Men’s NCAA Championships, sophomore Stepan Goncharov came in 26th place in the 100 back, with a time of 45.73.

Pitt swimming fans should expect a productive season in Kreitler’s third season and a successful meet this upcoming weekend.

sportsdesk