Pitt Volleyball Hits the Road for Crucial ACC Matches
11/6/2014 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
| Pitt (19-4, 7-3 ACC) @ Duke (17-5, 9-2 ACC) | |||
| Date | Friday, November 7 at 6:30 p.m. (ET) | ||
| Location | Cameron Indoor Stadium / Durham, N.C. | ||
| Television | N/A | ||
| Radio | N/A | ||
| Online | Live Stats | ||
| Game Notes / Stats | Match Notes | Pitt - Stats | Duke - Stats | ||
| Promotions | N/A | ||
| Social Media | Twitter: @PittVolleyball /Instagram: PittVolleyballACC/ #PITTvsDUKE | ||
| Pitt (19-4, 7-3 ACC) @ Wake Forest (12-12, 2-8 ACC) | |||
| Date | Saturday, November 8 at 6:30 p.m. (ET) | ||
| Location | Reynolds Gym / Winston-Salem, N.C. | ||
| Television | N/A | ||
| Radio | N/A | ||
| Online | |||
| Game Notes / Stats | Match Notes | Pitt - Stats | Wake Forest - Stats | ||
| Promotions | N/A | ||
| Social Media | Twitter: @PittVolleyball / Instagram: PittVolleyballACC / #PITTvsWF | ||
PITTSBURGH - After splitting its matches for the second consecutive weekend, the Pitt volleyball team (19-4, 7-3 ACC) hits the road for two ACC games starting this Friday, Nov. 7 as they take on the No. 25 ranked Duke Blue Devils (17-5, 9-2 ACC) at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Panthers will then remain in the state of North Carolina and face the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (12-12, 2-8 ACC) on Saturday, Nov. 8 at Reynolds Gym. Both start times are slated for 6:30 p.m.
This past weekend, Pitt dropped a four set match to Virginia Tech. The Panthers earned a first set win over the Hokies but went on to lose the next three sets. Pitt returned home on Sunday afternoon and got back in the win column after sweeping Syracuse to pick up its second win against the Orange this season.
In the latest national rankings, the Blue Devils check in at No. 25 and will pose a stiff test for Pitt this Friday night. In last year's lone meeting at the Fitzgerald Field House, Duke was ranked No. 15 and knocked off the Panthers in four sets. The Blue Devils are 2-2 in their last four ACC matches and are led by junior outside hitter Emily Sklar who paces the team in kills (293), is second on the team in service aces (22) and digs (181) and just registered her 1,000th career kill. 6'2" sophomore middle blocker Alyse Whitaker is third on the team in kills (197) and leads the team in blocks (84 total, 1.06/set).
Wake Forest comes into play this weekend on a bit of a slide, having dropped its past seven matches. However, the Demon Deacons two lone ACC wins have come at home while playing in Reynolds Gym. Last year's matchup was a five-set thriller that saw the Panthers come away victorious after winning the final set 15-11. Players to watch for Wake Forest include senior outside hitter Jazmen Russell and junior middle blocker Matalee Reed. Russell leads the team in kills (379), and is third on the team in both digs (158) and service aces (16) while Reed paces the team in blocks (79) and is second on the team in both kills (235) and service aces (22).
The Panthers continue to rank near the top of many statistical categories in both the country and the ACC. As a team, Pitt ranks third in the NCAA and second in the ACC in assists/set (13.96) and fourth in the NCAA and second in the ACC in kills/set (14.65). Individually, Amanda Orchard's .429 hitting percentage places her atop the ACC leaderboard and sixth in the country.
Live stats will be available for both matches and can be found by clicking the specified links above. In-game updates will also be available through the team's Twitter account, @PittVolleyball.
