Wednesday, March 24
Pittsburgh, Pa.
7:00 p.m.
West Virginia University
at
Pitt
Photo by: Ben Powell
WVU Heads to No. 19 Pitt for Backyard Brawl
March 23, 2021 07:36 PM | Volleyball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University volleyball team heads to No. 19 Pitt on Wednesday, March 24, for a Backyard Brawl matchup against the Panthers, inside Fitzgerald Field House, in Pittsburgh.
First serve is tabbed for 7 p.m. ET, and the match will be streamed live on the ACC Network. Direct links to the video stream and live stats can be found on the volleyball schedule page at WVUsports.com.
"It is important to win anytime you play," sixth-year coach Reed Sunahara said. "That's our goal. Pitt is a really good team, and they create a lot of problems for their opponents. They have done a nice job here in the second half of the season, and they have been really good the past three or four years. We are looking forward to playing them and seeing what we are made of."
WVU (9-9, 8-8 Big 12) is 3-38 all-time against former Big East foe Pitt (11-4, 10-4 ACC), though the Mountaineers have won the last two meetings, with both contests taking place in Morgantown. The two squads last met on Oct. 15, 2011, when the Mountaineers captured a five-set victory over the Panthers at the WVU Coliseum. Of note, Pitt is 20-0 all-time against West Virginia when playing in Pittsburgh.
Wednesday marks WVU's third nonconference match of the season. WVU is 2-10 against Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) opponents. West Virginia last played an ACC foe on Sept. 15, 2018, when the Mountaineers defeated Wake Forest, 3-1, at the WVU Coliseum, in Morgantown.
Last week, West Virginia claimed its first win of the spring season with a 3-1 triumph at Delaware on March 19. The Mountaineers topped the Blue Hens in set scores of 24-26, 25-20, 25-12 and 25-21.
Senior middle blocker Briana Lynch paced WVU's offense against UD, hitting .407 with 11 kills and no errors on 27 total attacks. Additionally, junior outside hitter Kristin Lux led the team in kills with 15 swings and a season-high 10 digs to tally a double-double, while junior setter Lacey Zerwas notched a double-double of her own with 37 assists and a season-high matching 14 digs.
Lux leads the team with 2.81 kills per set through 18 matches. The North Bend, Nebraska, native has tallied double-digit kills in five of her last seven matches, including a career-high 18 kills at Western Kentucky to open the spring season on March 12.
Defensively, senior libero Alexa Hasting paces the floor defense, ranking sixth in the Big 12 with 3.70 digs per set.
WVU is currently averaging 12.3 kills per set and 14.4 digs per set.
Pitt is 11-4 this season following a five-set win at Duke on March 21. The Panthers are currently on a seven-match win streak, dropping just four sets overall.
Pitt is led by eighth-year coach Dan Fisher, who holds a career mark of 189-53. He has led the Panther program to four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances (2016-19) and three straight ACC Championship titles (2017-19).
Pitt is averaging 14.0 kills per set for a .251 hitting efficiency. The Panther attack is led by senior outside hitter Kayla Lund. She has played in 56 sets for Pitt this season and leads the team with 3.96 kills per set, as well as 3.02 digs per set.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
First serve is tabbed for 7 p.m. ET, and the match will be streamed live on the ACC Network. Direct links to the video stream and live stats can be found on the volleyball schedule page at WVUsports.com.
"It is important to win anytime you play," sixth-year coach Reed Sunahara said. "That's our goal. Pitt is a really good team, and they create a lot of problems for their opponents. They have done a nice job here in the second half of the season, and they have been really good the past three or four years. We are looking forward to playing them and seeing what we are made of."
WVU (9-9, 8-8 Big 12) is 3-38 all-time against former Big East foe Pitt (11-4, 10-4 ACC), though the Mountaineers have won the last two meetings, with both contests taking place in Morgantown. The two squads last met on Oct. 15, 2011, when the Mountaineers captured a five-set victory over the Panthers at the WVU Coliseum. Of note, Pitt is 20-0 all-time against West Virginia when playing in Pittsburgh.
Wednesday marks WVU's third nonconference match of the season. WVU is 2-10 against Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) opponents. West Virginia last played an ACC foe on Sept. 15, 2018, when the Mountaineers defeated Wake Forest, 3-1, at the WVU Coliseum, in Morgantown.
Last week, West Virginia claimed its first win of the spring season with a 3-1 triumph at Delaware on March 19. The Mountaineers topped the Blue Hens in set scores of 24-26, 25-20, 25-12 and 25-21.
Senior middle blocker Briana Lynch paced WVU's offense against UD, hitting .407 with 11 kills and no errors on 27 total attacks. Additionally, junior outside hitter Kristin Lux led the team in kills with 15 swings and a season-high 10 digs to tally a double-double, while junior setter Lacey Zerwas notched a double-double of her own with 37 assists and a season-high matching 14 digs.
Lux leads the team with 2.81 kills per set through 18 matches. The North Bend, Nebraska, native has tallied double-digit kills in five of her last seven matches, including a career-high 18 kills at Western Kentucky to open the spring season on March 12.
Defensively, senior libero Alexa Hasting paces the floor defense, ranking sixth in the Big 12 with 3.70 digs per set.
WVU is currently averaging 12.3 kills per set and 14.4 digs per set.
Pitt is 11-4 this season following a five-set win at Duke on March 21. The Panthers are currently on a seven-match win streak, dropping just four sets overall.
Pitt is led by eighth-year coach Dan Fisher, who holds a career mark of 189-53. He has led the Panther program to four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances (2016-19) and three straight ACC Championship titles (2017-19).
Pitt is averaging 14.0 kills per set for a .251 hitting efficiency. The Panther attack is led by senior outside hitter Kayla Lund. She has played in 56 sets for Pitt this season and leads the team with 3.96 kills per set, as well as 3.02 digs per set.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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