Panthers Hit the Road to Play NC State Friday

PITTSBURGH – The No. 7 Pitt volleyball team (17-3, 8-1 ACC) is set to take on ACC foe NC State (15-4, 5-3 ACC) in Raleigh on Friday night. First serve is at 7 p.m. and can be viewed on ACC Network Extra. 

The Panthers lead the all-time series against NC State and have won the last six matches. The last time both programs played Pitt beat the Wolfpack in Pittsburgh, 3-1. Multiple Panthers recorded career-highs in the match. Valeria Vazquez Gomez recorded 24 digs, Chiamaka Nwokolo registered 14 kills and Rachel Fairbanks added 43 assists. 

PITT SWEEPS VIRGINIA

• Pitt dominated on Wednesday night against NC State, sweeping them 3-0.

• Chiamaka Nwokolo and Rachel Fairbanks led the charge with a match-high 10 kills and 20 assists, respectively.

• Five Panthers registered at least five kills in the match, hitting .337 as a team.

LUCK ON OUR SIDE

• Pitt defeated Notre Dame 3-0 in South Bend on Sunday afternoon. Torrey Stafford led the team in kills and digs with 12 and seven, respectively. 

• Monks and Nwokolo combined for 14 kills and 11 blocks on the day.

DUAL THREAT

• Emma Monks and Chiamaka Nwokolo impress defensively, but they are currently top 10 in the nation in hitting efficiency.

• Nwokolo sits at eighth with a .437 clip while Monks is ninth with a .433 percentage.

BLOCK PARTY

• The Pitt Panthers are currently second in the nation in blocks per set (3.07). 

• Chiamaka Nwokolo, Rachel Jepsen, Olivia Babcock and Emma Monks have all registered at least six blocks in a match so far this season.

• Emma Monks is currently ninth in the nation in blocks per set (1.45) while Chiamaka Nwokolo is 10th in the nation with 1.44 blocks per set.

• Monks recorded seven blocks against Georgia Tech while Nwokolo tied a career high with eight blocks against North Carolina in a 3-0 sweep. 

FAIRBANKS RUNS SHOW

• Junior Rachel Fairbanks was named Co-ACC Setter of the Week on Oct. 9 after notching 83 assists, 14 digs and four aces against the Yellow Jackets and Tigers.

• She averaged 10.38 assists per set and led the Panthers to a team .288 hitting percentage.