Volleyball: Mountaineers Take on Pitt
October 14, 2011 01:51 PM | General
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – The West Virginia University volleyball team is set to host Pitt in the 41st meeting of the Backyard Brawl on Saturday Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. at the WVU Coliseum.
The match is a designated “Dollar Night,” with all tickets, hot dogs, popcorn and Coca-Cola products available for one dollar each.
“Rivalry matches are everyone’s favorite and the Backyard Brawl has a strong history throughout all sports at both West Virginia and Pitt,” coach Jill Kramer says. “For our program, last year was a bit of a turning point when we played Pitt. It was the first time in a long time and only the second time in program history that we had beat them. Now we get a chance to make that a regular thing and the group knows that and understands that.”
The Mountaineers are 4-13 (2-4 BIG EAST) on the season after defeating DePaul 3-0 and falling to Notre Dame 3-0 last weekend.
WVU was led by junior outside hitter Anke de Jong who recorded 18 kills, a .279 hitting percentage and an average of 3.00 kills per set last weekend. The Netherlands native had a season-high 10 kills against Notre Dame.
“It has been a tough season for us but the process we are taking to get the program where it needs to be is a good one,” Kramer says. “All of our team has faith that we are going in the right direction and any match for us can be a breakout match where we are hitting our stride. We are now about halfway through BIG EAST play and it is a good opportunity to have this be another turning point for us as we head down the stretch in our season.”
Pitt enters the match with a 13-8 (3-3 BIG EAST) record after being swept 3-0 by Robert Morris on Wednesday.
The Panther’s offense is guided by freshman setter Lindsey Zitzke, who leads the team with 742 assists and 35 service aces. Zitzke was named BIG EAST freshman of the week on Aug. 29 and Sept. 19. Zitzke is currently ranked No. 1 in the BIG EAST and No. 15 in the nation with .49 service aces per set.
Last season, the Mountaineers beat Pitt 3-2 (25-21, 25-22, 22-25, 17-25, 15-13) for the first time since 1981 and only the second time in program history.
For live stats and streaming of this weekend’s match, visit www.MSNsportsNET.com.
The match is a designated “Dollar Night,” with all tickets, hot dogs, popcorn and Coca-Cola products available for one dollar each.
“Rivalry matches are everyone’s favorite and the Backyard Brawl has a strong history throughout all sports at both West Virginia and Pitt,” coach Jill Kramer says. “For our program, last year was a bit of a turning point when we played Pitt. It was the first time in a long time and only the second time in program history that we had beat them. Now we get a chance to make that a regular thing and the group knows that and understands that.”
The Mountaineers are 4-13 (2-4 BIG EAST) on the season after defeating DePaul 3-0 and falling to Notre Dame 3-0 last weekend.
WVU was led by junior outside hitter Anke de Jong who recorded 18 kills, a .279 hitting percentage and an average of 3.00 kills per set last weekend. The Netherlands native had a season-high 10 kills against Notre Dame.
“It has been a tough season for us but the process we are taking to get the program where it needs to be is a good one,” Kramer says. “All of our team has faith that we are going in the right direction and any match for us can be a breakout match where we are hitting our stride. We are now about halfway through BIG EAST play and it is a good opportunity to have this be another turning point for us as we head down the stretch in our season.”
Pitt enters the match with a 13-8 (3-3 BIG EAST) record after being swept 3-0 by Robert Morris on Wednesday.
The Panther’s offense is guided by freshman setter Lindsey Zitzke, who leads the team with 742 assists and 35 service aces. Zitzke was named BIG EAST freshman of the week on Aug. 29 and Sept. 19. Zitzke is currently ranked No. 1 in the BIG EAST and No. 15 in the nation with .49 service aces per set.
Last season, the Mountaineers beat Pitt 3-2 (25-21, 25-22, 22-25, 17-25, 15-13) for the first time since 1981 and only the second time in program history.
For live stats and streaming of this weekend’s match, visit www.MSNsportsNET.com.
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