Upper campus rundown: Volleyball gets to 20-0
The Pitt football team fell under. 500 last weekend, but some of the Panthers' other programs are rolling. Here's a look at what else is going on around campus.
Volleyball
Dan Fisher’s team just keeps chugging along with a pair of wins last week. Pitt is off to a school-best 20-0 start and owners of the best record in the country. The Panthers stayed at No. 6 in the most recent AVCA poll despite No. 5 Nebraska falling last week. Pitt’s RPI is No. 5 for this week.
On Friday, Pitt traveled to Chapel Hill to take on North Carolina at the Dean Smith Center in front of 6,043 fans. Pitt won rather convincingly in three sets: 25-13, 25-15, 25-16. The Panthers jumped out to a 9-1 lead in the first set and cruised to a victory there. Pitt finished the second set on a 6-1 run as the Tar Heels had trouble keeping up with the Panthers all afternoon.
Pitt sophomore Chinaza Ndee led the way with 12 kills, and fellow sophomore Kayla Lund contributed 13 digs.
On Sunday, Pitt went to Raleigh to take on North Carolina State. The Wolfpack gave Pitt more resistance than it is used to seeing. Pitt won in four sets: 25-22, 22-25, 25-20, and 25-23.
In the first set, N.C. State led 21-19, but Pitt scored six of the final seven points, including two kills by Layne Van Buskirk to claim victory. The Wolfpack actually took down Pitt in the second set, it was just the third set Pitt has lot in ACC play. Pitt responded to take the final two and the match.
The Panthers return home this week for a pair of tough home games. Up first Pitt will welcome Notre Dame on Friday night at 7 p.m. On Sunday Pitt will host Louisville with first place on the line in the ACC. Both Pitt and Louisville are 8-0 in the ACC this season.
Men’s Soccer
Pitt had two games last week and came up winless in both. The Panthers lost a back-and-forth game to Cleveland State, a team with an RPI of 139. Pitt had a chance to recover from that bad loss with a good win.
Pitt went into Blacksburg and struck early against the Hokies with Javi Perez burying his third goal of the season just a minute into the match. Virginia Tech scored a minute later to thwart any momentum Pitt had. The Hokies added two more in a 3-1 victory.
Pitt bounced back last night with a non-conference victory over Temple by a 3-2 margin. Perez, Alexander Dexter, and Edward Kizza notched goals for the Panthers. It was Kizza’s 12th goal of the season, which now leads the ACC in that department.
Pitt is now 7-7 on the year with an RPI of 52 heading into yesterday. Pitt has three regular season games left, and all three are games against top 40 teams starting Friday with a trip to No. 10 Duke. If Pitt has any tournament hopes, pulling an upset against the Blue Devils would be a big step in making that happen.
Women’s Soccer
Pitt had one game last week, a 7-0 loss to No. 6 Virginia. Pitt is now 4-9-1 on the year. Randy Waldruim’s team has now lost seven matches in a row, all of which have been ACC losses. In fact Pitt's last ACC win came back on October 9 2016 - a 1-0 overtime win over Miami. Pitt only has three regular season games left this season to snap the 21-game winless streak in ACC play.
The Panthers will host No. 13 Florida State on Thursday at Ambrose Ubranic Field. Notre Dame will come to Pittsburgh on Sunday for a 1 p.m. matinee against the Panthers.
Pitt women’s soccer is a program that is very much in a rebuilding process. After winning three games last year, the Panthers have shown some signs of improvement this season, but have also displayed signs the program still has a long ways to go.