Pitt volleyball prepares for Thanksgiving week matchups

Coming off four straight sweeps at the Fitzgerald Field House against UNC, Duke, Florida State and Miami, No. 1 Pitt prepares for four crucial ACC games this Thanksgiving week. 

With a 25-1 overall record and a 15-1 conference record heading into the break, the Panthers are on track to make a strong push for the postseason and have a chance at an ACC Championship. But the Panthers have a tough stretch against four teams with vastly different styles of play and levels of competition. 

Wake Forest (Friday, Nov. 22)

Ranked No. 11 in the ACC, Pitt’s first matchup is against Wake Forest (ACC 5-11, 13-14). Coming off four straight losses, the Demon Deacons have something to prove going into this game. 

Wake Forest is led by junior outside hitter Paige Crawford who has tallied 286 kills and 38 serving aces, for which she’s ranked ninth in the ACC. 

Luckily for Pitt, sophomore outside hitter Olivia Babcock is ranked first in the ACC for service aces with 56, as well as kills with 367. The reigning AVCA National Player of the Week will present a major obstacle for Wake Forest. 

Pitt has the advantage in almost every statistical category, and will likely assert itself early on in the match. The Panthers also have a 12-1 series advantage over Wake Forest, and the only Demon Deacon victory came in 2016. Based on the recent performance from both teams, the Panthers should win comfortably. 

NC State (Sunday, Nov. 24)

Following Wake Forest, Pitt will take on NC State (ACC 9-7, 14-10), the No. 10 ranked team in the ACC.

With wins against ranked opponents like UNC, UVA and Duke, the Wolfpack have proven capable of competing with the best. But head-scratching losses against teams that Pitt swept easily show that a Panthers victory is probable.

Pitt’s hitting percentage this season truly blows that of NC State out of the water, with the Panthers hitting .343 against the Wolfpack’s .221. 

One potential advantage for NC State is that it tends to perform much better at home, winning eight out of its 10 home games this season. But this might not apply to Pitt, who is 9-1 on the road this season.

NC State arguably has the most difficult schedule this upcoming week, facing not only No. 1 Pitt but also No. 10 SMU — the only team to deliver a loss to the Panthers so far this season. 

The Panthers must look out for libero Skye Stokes who currently leads the Wolfpack in digs with 337 and aces with 39. But, unfortunately for NC State, opponents have had a difficult time scoring against Pitt’s strong defense, which is arguably one of, if not the, best in the nation.

Louisville (Wed, Nov. 27)

The third and most highly anticipated game of the Thanksgiving Break is against No. 3 Louisville. The Cardinals are currently tied with the Panthers with a 15-1 ACC record so far this season, standing at 23-3 overall. Fans have anxiously awaited this rematch since Pitt’s five-set victory over the Cardinals in the Petersen Events Center. 

Going into this match, Pitt fans should look out for senior libero Elena Scott, graduate student outside hitter Anna DeBeer and senior outside hitter Charitie Luper. 

Scott is arguably one of the best liberos in the country, with 407 digs and 91 assists and is currently the reigning ACC Defensive Player of the Year. 

DeBeer almost broke her season-high in kills with 23 in the last matchup against Pitt with 22 kills. Luper reached her season-high with 19 kills against the Panthers back in October.

The Cardinals are likely strategizing on how to compete against redshirt junior middle blocker Bre Kelley, who tied her career-high in blocks with 10 in their previous matchup. 

Pitt’s defense, led by Kelley, sophomore outside hitter Torrey Stafford and first-year middle blocker Ryla Jones, will present a notable challenge for the Cardinals. Pitt stopping DeBeer and Luper from racking up kills is essential for a Panthers victory. 

Georgia Tech (Sat, Nov. 30)

The Panthers end their Thanksgiving stretch back in the Fitzgerald Field House against No. 15 Georgia Tech. This is the second time this season the Panthers and the Yellow Jackets will go head-to-head, following the Panthers’ sweep in September. In that game, Georgia Tech had its worst hitting percentage of the season, -.043. 

Since then, the Yellow Jackets have won 12 out of 14 games, going on a nine-game winning streak before losing to No. 3 Stanford in a sweep. 

Georgia Tech’s leading scorer, senior outside hitter Tamara Otene, had a measly six kills in the last matchup, tying her season low for kills, as well as her second-lowest hitting percentage of the season at -.115. Strong defense from Pitt will go a long way in this rematch.