Volleyball Concludes Regular Season Play with Virginia Tech, Virginia
11/24/2015 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Match Notes | Season Stats | Live Stats/Video
PITTSBURGH – The University of Pittsburgh volleyball team will conclude regular season play this week, as they face Virginia Tech and Virginia at the Fitzgerald Field House. Friday’s match against the Cavaliers will serve as Senior Night as seniors Casey Durham, Jenna Jacobson and Amanda Orchard, along with graduate transfer Kadi Kullerkann will be honored.
The Panthers [22-8, 12-6 ACC] will take on the Virginia Tech Hokies [17-13, 8-10 ACC] on Wednesday, Nov. 25 at 6 p.m., and will then play their final match of the regular season on Friday, Nov. 27 against the Cavaliers [18-11, 10-8 ACC]. Friday’s match is set to begin at 4 p.m. with Senior Night beginning approximately 10 minutes prior to the start.
Pitt is familiar with both Virginia Tech and Virginia as the Panthers fell to both the Eagles [3-1] and Cavaliers [3-1] earlier this season on the road. The all-time series vs. Virginia Tech is currently tied at five games apiece, while Pitt leads Virginia all-time 7-3.
LAST TIME OUT
The Panthers defeated Boston College Friday [3-0] before falling to Syracuse [3-1] at the Fitzgerald Fieldhouse on Sunday.
NCAA TOURNAMENT SNAPSHOT
Following last weekend’s matches against the Eagles and the Orange, Pitt finds itself ranked 47th in the RPI. The Panthers are tied with Syracuse [21-6, 12-6] and Miami [19-9, 12-6] for the No. 4 spot in the ACC, but have the upper hand with an overall record of 22-8.
Pitt is hoping to extend its season by being receiving an at large bid to the 2015 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Tournament which begins Dec. 3. In 2014, the top four ACC team’s made the cut.
The Panthers will find out if the squad was selected on Sunday, Nov. 29 during the tournament selection show, which will be broadcast at 9 p.m. on ESPNU.
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
Pitt is currently 12-1 at the Fitzgerald Field House, the Panthers’ home court. Until this past weekend, the squad had won 12 straight matches at home.
AN ACE AWAY
Senior Jenna Jacobson is an ace away from etching her name in the record book under all-time career aces. Jacobson currently has 109 total aces through her career.
STATISICALLY SOUND
Pitt continues to hold a place at the top of the ACC leaderboards and remains among both team and individual NCAA category leaders. See a snapshot below of where Pitt sits in the top five of the ACC and top 25 of the NCAA.
ACC Statistics
1. Assists [13.97/set]
2. Kills [14.60/set]
4. Opponent Hitting % [.179]
4. Blocks [2.67/set]
5. Digs [15.67/set]
5. Service Aces [1.23]
Individual Ranks
2. Orchard [.410 hitting %]
2. Kullerkann [4.37 points/set]
4. Seman [4.58 digs/set]
5. Kullerkann [3.80 kills/set]
Overall in the NCAA
3. Assists [13.97/set]
8. Kills [14.60/set]
24. Blocks [2.67/set]
24. Total Blocks [290.5]
Individual Ranks
19. Orchard [.410 hitting %]
A THREAT AT THE NET
Throughout the season, senior middle hitter Amanda Orchard has led the Panthers’ attack game. Orchard has registered 256 kills and boasts a .410 attack percentage this season. This average places her 19th in the nation and second in the ACC.
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 (414) and kills per set (3.80).
Continuing her streak, Kullerkann has now reached double-digit kills in 20 consecutive matches. The streak has increased her total to 28 for the season. Kullerkann has recorded double-figure kills in all but two matches this season.
Virginia
Virginia comes to the Fitzgerald Field House this Friday having won three of its last four matches. The Cavaliers are fresh off a loss to ranked North Carolina this past Saturday. They sit at seventh in the ACC and are led by seniors Kayla Sears and Lauren Fuller. Sears is second in the ACC in aces per set, while Fuller ranks second in the ACC in assists.
#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.