Pitt Volleyball Visits Duke, Wake Forest
10/22/2015 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Match Notes | Live Stats | Video: Coach Fisher Mic’d Up
PITTSBURGH – After improving to a 9-0 record on their home court, the University of Pittsburgh volleyball team will hit the road to North Carolina in hopes of continued success this weekend against ACC rivals Duke and Wake Forest.
The Panthers [16-4, 6-2 ACC] will square off against the Blue Devils [8-10, 3-5 ACC] on Friday, Oct. 23, at 6:30 p.m., and will conclude the weekend on Saturday, Oct. 24 at 6:30 p.m. against the Demon Deacons [10-10, 2-6 ACC].
Last year at Cameron Indoor, Pitt upset the No. 25 ranked Blue Devils in a riveting five-match performance, marking the Panthers first upset against a ranked opponent since 2009. Pitt is 7-4 all-time vs. Duke.
The future also looks promising with the Panthers matchup against Wake Forest, as their past encounters have resulted in a 3-0 overall record in favor of Pitt.
LAST TIME OUT
The Panthers added two more wins under their belt as they defeated both Georgia Tech and Clemson at the Fitzgerald Field House this past weekend. After their first five-set win of the season against the Yellow Jackets, the Panthers went on to sweep the Tigers.
STATISICALLY SOUND
The Panthers continue to hold their place on top of the ACC leaderboard and remain present in both team and individual standings in the NCAA. See a snapshot below of where Pitt sits in the top five of the ACC and top 25 of the NCAA.
Conference Stats Only
2. Assists [13.68/set]
2. Kills [14.36/set]
3. Opponent Hitting % [.166]
4. Digs [14.93/set]
5. Blocks [2.63/set]
5. Hitting % [.245]
5. Aces [1.39/set]
Individual Ranks
2. Orchard [.434 hitting %]
6. Seman [4.43 digs/set]
6. Kullerkann [4.08 points/set]
7. Kullerkann [3.51 kills/set]
8. Potts [.340 hitting %]
10. Bell [.30 aces/set]
10. Potts [1.17 blocks/set]
Overall in the NCAA
7. Assists [13.68/set]
13. Kills [14.36/set]
28. Blocks [2.63/set]
28. W-L % [.800]
40. Opp. Hitting % [.166]
41. Total Blocks [189.5]
Individual Ranks
10. Orchard [.434 Hitting %]
CAN WE BE OF ASSISTANCE?
Senior Jenna Jacobson and freshman Kamalani Akeo are the backbone to Pitt’s offensive success. Of Pitt’s 985 assists, Jacobson and Akeo have accounted for a total of 865. While leading the Panthers in assists in every match this season, Jacobson tallied her 2,000th career assist on the first point of the game in the matchup against Clemson.
CAN YOU DIG IT?
Redshirt freshman Angela Seman has proved to be an asset in the back row on defense. The libero has paced the Panthers in digs in all but three matches this season, including five performances with 20 or more digs. She is currently in sixth place in the conference statistical rankings for digs (4.43/set).
ATTACKING THE GAME
Throughout the season, senior middle hitter Amanda Orchard has led the Panthers’ attack game. Orchard has registered 162 kills and boasts a .434 attack percentage. This average places her tenth in the nation and second in the ACC in overall stats.
KADI KILLERKANN
It’s no secret that graduate transfer Kadi Kullerkann is an offensive threat for the Panthers. The outside hitter leads the team in kills (253) and averages 3.51 kills per set. Kullerkann once again led Pitt offensively against Syracuse and Boston College, racking up a season-high 22 kills against the Orange and added 13 against the Eagles. She registered five kills per set through both games.
Continuing her streak, Kullerkann has now registered eight consecutive matches in which she has reached double-digit kills for a total of 16. That makes for all but two games this season with ten or more kills.
IN THE RECORD BOOKS
Redshirt junior Jenna Potts and senior Jenna Jacobson both have worked their way into the Pitt volleyball record book. In their respective categories, both have achieved record-breaking numbers, moving them to top positions on the Panther leaderboard.
Currently, Potts sits in fourth place on the Panthers’ all-time career block assists list (310) and sixth all time in total blocks (352).
After setting up the first point of the game against Clemson, Jacobson reached her 2,000th career assist. As one of only eight Panthers to achieve this feat, Jacobson ranks eighth in the books for all-time career assists, recording 2,018 to date.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Duke
The Blue Devils arrive back home after recording a tough 0-3 loss on the road to the unbeaten No. 25 Louisville and a three-match sweep against Notre Dame. Duke remains prominent on the ACC leaderboards, having three players ranked in the top five for their respective categories. Senior outside hitter Emily Sklar ranks second in kills per set (4.04), while the Blue Devils libero and setter, Sasha Karelov and Maggie Deichmeister, rank second for digs (4.92) and fifth for assists (9.88) per set.
Wake Forest
After losing five consecutive matches since the start of October, the Demon Deacons finally broke their streak with a 3-1 victory against Notre Dame, marking only their second ACC win of the season. Young talent has statistically proven their strengths for Wake Forest, being led by sophomores Kylie Long and Caroline Wolf. Long has notched 271 kills on the season, and ranks right above Pitt’s own Kullerkann for kills per set (3.66). Wolf is currently averaging 4.75 digs per set, ranking her third on the ACC leaderboard.
#H2P
Be sure to follow the Pitt volleyball team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for news and updates about the squad. Live, in-game updates will be available through the team’s Twitter account, @PittVolleyball.