Hokies can’t spook Panthers; Pitt sweeps VT on Halloween
Pitt volleyball must have had some trick-or-treating plans to get to on Sunday. It only took the team an hour and 18 minutes to dispatch the Virginia Tech Hokies for Halloween, its second sweep of the weekend.
The Panthers embraced the holiday spirit on Sunday with a “Volley-ween” special. Fans who showed up to the Fitzgerald Field House in costume could watch the match for just $1. Anyone who attended Pitt’s roller coaster loss to Miami on Saturday could also show their game ticket for $1 entry on Sunday.
Pitt fifth-year senior Kayla Lund showed up in the same costume as the rest of her teammates, but boy, did she look scary on the court. The All-American outside hitter destroyed Virginia Tech’s defense in the first game, recording six kills on her first seven swings.
Missouri transfer Leketor Member-Meneh didn’t appear in her usual starting role for the Panthers on Sunday. She spent the first game on the bench in her warmup gear due to an apparent injury, but did team exercises in between points. Valeria Vazquez Gomez, coming off a great third set against Wake Forest, received her fourth start of the season in Member-Meneh’s absence.
With Member-Meneh on the sidelines, Vazquez Gomez and other Panther role players needed to step up, and they did. Freshman Rachel Fairbanks entered late in the first game to provide a key serving spark, and redshirt sophomore Anastasia Russ came in up front. Russ, who had only appeared in four sets all season, ended the opening game 25-15 with her first kill of the day.
After a significant warmup, Pitt head coach Dan Fisher subbed Member-Meneh into the match in the second game. But within minutes of her entrance, the 5-foot-8 outside hitter landed awkwardly on an attacking attempt, and had to be helped off of the court.
ACC Network broadcasters reported Member-Meneh told coaches she “just needs some tape,” but she wouldn’t return to the court for the rest of the match.
Russ and Vazquez Gomez made another significant contribution in the second game, helping Pitt take a 2-0 match lead. The Panthers won the set 25-19 on Lund’s ninth kill of the day.
Fisher allowed even more bench shine in the final game with the comfortable cushion the Panthers had built. Fairbanks played the majority of the set, expanding from her typical serve-only role. Junior Chiamaka Nwokolo also received some playing time on the right side, recording a pair of kills.
With a 21-14 lead in the third game, Fisher gave outside hitter Cat Flood an opportunity to make her mark. The 6-foot-2 sophomore did just that in only her second appearance of the past two weeks, recording the final two kills of the 25-17 third game.
The Halloween sweep improves Pitt to 20-2 on the year, 10-2 in the ACC. The Panthers return to the Field House on Friday against Syracuse for “Daniel Strong Night,” a promotion to support Daniel George, a young boy with kidney disease.