Pitt volleyball continued its winning trend this weekend in the Fitzgerald Field House, as it swept both of its opponents, NC State and Wake Forest. Here are The Pitt News’ recaps of both games.
Pitt vs NC State
Returning to the Fitzgerald Fieldhouse after a victorious weekend on the road, the Panthers (8-1 ACC, 16-3) handily beat NC State (3-6 ACC, 10-9) in straight sets, going 25-11, 25-19 and 25-16.
By the numbers
Pitt recorded some outstanding stats during this game. The Panthers were able to retain a match hitting percentage of .374, which is one of the highest percentages performed this season, especially against ACC rivals such as Georgia Tech (5-4 ACC, 10-8) — 0.281 — and Florida State (4-5 ACC, 10-8) — 0.337.
Pitt went above the .500 mark in hitting as well — a whopping .542 recorded in the third set for the Panthers.
As for NC State, they did not show up as well as the Panthers did tonight. Although they have progressed through the game, they opened with a rough start — .074 recorded in the first set. The Wolfpack even had a certain point in the third set where they were hitting -.400.
Although they ended up reaching over .100 for the next two sets, it would not bring them any good, as the final hitting percentage for the Wolfpack in this match was .185.
Give them their flowers
Continuing her impressive performance from this past weekend, first-year outside hitter Marina Pezelj had another standout night for the Panthers.
“Since coming back and Dagmar’s injury, I don’t think [we] could’ve asked for her to do any better,” head coach Dan Fisher said.
The Monaco native matched her season-high of 12 kills on 21 swings, hitting an incredible 0.381 hitting percentage. On top of that, Pezelj had eight digs and five blocks, setting a new season-high.
Fisher decided to switch up the rotation again on Friday night, giving sophomore middle blocker Dalia Vîrlan the start over redshirt senior Bre Kelley, who didn’t play in the match.
“I think that [Vîrlan] was really good offensively,” Fisher said. “It seems like we really didn’t skip a beat with her out there.”
The Romanian native came into the match hot, instantly notching a few kills and putting up some strong blocks. She set a new career-high in both categories — five kills and four blocks.
What about the other side?
Bluntly stated, NC State was out of its depth offensively against the Panthers on Friday night. On the defensive side of things, however, the Wolfpack was putting up a steady fight over the course of the match.
Even though Pitt’s hitting percentages stayed above those of NC State’s for the entirety of the match, the Wolfpack was digging a lot of balls and making impressive saves that many of Pitt’s opponents haven’t been able to.
Senior middle blocker Lily Cropper notched seven kills on 14 swings — only three short of her season-high of 10 — hitting an efficient 0.357. First-year opposite hitter Rebecca Ring also earned seven kills, tying Cropper for the Wolfpack’s leading scorer spot. Senior opposite hitter Courtney Bryant led the match with 32 attacks but only had eight kills on 30 swings.
Pitt vs Wake Forest
No. 4 Pitt (9-1 ACC, 16-2) ended its weekend domination with a sweep over Wake Forest (3-7 ACC, 9-12). The Panthers asserted themselves early, easily taking the first set 25-13.
The Panthers held the Demon Deacons to only a 0.172 hitting percentage in the first set compared to their own 0.456. The Panthers continued to overpower Wake Forest for the rest of the match, taking the final two sets 25-17 and 25-13.
Give them their flowers
Junior right-side hitter Olivia Babcock put on another impressive performance at the Fitzgerald Fieldhouse on Sunday afternoon. Netting 16 kills on 25 swings earned Babcock her second-highest hitting percentage all season — second only to when she hit 0.632 against Clemson — an incredible 0.560. On top of this, the junior earned five digs and three huge blocks on the defensive side of things. Unsurprisingly, the reigning national player of the year led the match in points, attacks, kills and hitting.
First-year middle blocker Abbey Emch stepped up, starting for the Panthers over redshirt senior Bre Kelley for Sunday’s match. With five kills and four blocks and a 0.455 hitting percentage, Emch serves as an example of the depth of Pitt’s roster. Similarly, first-year outside hitter Marina Pezelj continued with her impressive performance in all aspects of her game through the weekend, with eight kills, five blocks and a 0.286 hitting percentage.
By the numbers
The Panthers held the Demon Deacons to their fourth-lowest hitting percentage of the season so far — 0.141 — bringing their average percentage for the season down to 0.214. Conversely, Pitt ended the match with a 0.356 hitting percentage, its fourth-highest of the season thus far. Pitt’s top-five ranking is reflected in its ability to hit almost 0.500 in a single set, end a match nearly hitting 0.400 and have a season average of a perfect 0.300 hitting percentage. No matter what team steps on the court, Pitt is going to rack up the points.
What about the other side?
Senior outside hitter Paige Crawford put up a good fight on Wake Forest’s side of the net. With ten kills on 20 swings, an impressive 0.400 hitting percentage and six digs, the Texas native led the Demon Deacons in hitting, digs and points. Redshirt junior middle blocker Sanaa Williams led the match with four blocks and also contributed four digs and matched Crawford’s 0.400 hitting percentage.
What’s next for the Panthers?
Pitt will play on the road again this upcoming weekend, traveling to North Carolina to take on Duke on Friday, Oct. 31, at 6:30 p.m. and UNC on Sunday, Nov. 2, at 1:30 p.m. The games will be available to stream on the ACC Network.