Weekend full of Panther sports in action

The first week of fall classes for students is not normally a joyous time.

For the… The first week of fall classes for students is not normally a joyous time.

For the student-athletes, however, it’s a time to look forward to, as practice ends and their respective seasons get under way.

This weekend, many Panther athletic teams continue to open up their schedules. Also, a couple of teams will make their first home appearances, including the football team for its opener against Virginia on Saturday.

Let’s take a look at this weekend in Pitt sports.

Volleyball

Pitt (4-0, 0-0 Big East) travels to Rhode Island this weekend for the Rhode Island Invitational. The Panthers are scheduled to play Akron and Rhode Island tomorrow at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m., respectively.

On Saturday, Pitt will meet up with Northeastern at noon.

Men’s soccer

The men’s soccer team played host to Cleveland State for its first home game last night, but returns to the road this weekend with a game scheduled at Mount St. Mary’s in Emmitsburg, Md., at 3 p.m.

Before the Cleveland State game, the team lost its first two games of the season, both by scores of 2-1, to Buffalo and Fairfield in the WVU Tournament.

Football

Head coach Dave Wannstedt kicks off his sophomore year as coach of the Pitt Panthers Saturday at 7 p.m. against the Virginia Cavaliers.

The Panthers look to respond to last year’s disappointing finish with a sub-.500 record at 5-6 and no bowl game.

“We’re expecting to go out and play well,” Wannstedt said Monday at his weekly press conference. “We are a lot better prepared at this time now than we were at this time last year.”

Veteran starters Tyler Palko, H.B. Blades and Darrelle Revis will look to lead the team to an opening victory before it heads into its Big East schedule next week in Cincinnati for the River City Rivalry.

Women’s soccer

The women’s soccer team, off to an early 2-0 start after wins over Central Arkansas and Temple, opens its home schedule this weekend at Founders Field.

On Friday, the Panthers host Binghamton at 7 p.m. and return to the field Sunday for a matchup with Western Michigan at 1 p.m.

“We’re excited to play at home,” head coach Sue-Moy Chin said on PittsburghPanthers.com, “especially coming off success in the tournament at Temple.”

Pitt’s 2-0 start is only the second time in the school’s history it started off 2-0.

Cross country

Pitt’s fall cross country season begins this weekend, as the Panthers take part in the Duquesne Duals, Saturday at 9 a.m.

Last season, the cross country team finished with three top-35 finishes in the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals, as the men’s team finished in seventh place with a six-man roster.