University of Louisville
Pittsburgh
No. 6 Cards Host Rival No. 8 Pitt At KFC Yum! Center
October 12, 2023 | Women's Volleyball
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The No. 6-ranked University of Louisville volleyball team continues ACC play this week as they host No.8-ranked Pittsburgh on Friday night at 7 p.m. at the KFC Yum! Center, followed by a Sunday afternoon matchup against Virginia at 1 p.m. at L&N Federal Credit Union Arena.
The Cardinals are 14-2 on the season and 5-1 in conference play after defeating North Carolina 19-25, 25-23, 25-20, 25-19 on Friday and defeating Duke 25-20, 25-18, 25-18 on Sunday. Across the two matches, outside hitter Anna DeBeer and Charitie Luper led the charge offensively, with 25 and 24 kills, respectively. Middle blocker Cara Cresse had 18 kills and seven blocks across both matches, while middle blocker Phekran Kong had 15 kills and two blocks. Opposite hitter Aiko Jones added 14 kills, 17 digs, and three blocks. Setter Elle Glock was named ACC Setter of the Week as she tallied 74 assists and 14 digs, while libero Elena Scott added 29 digs and 13 assists.
As a team, the Cardinals lead the ACC in aces per set, assists per set, and kills per set, and they come in at fifth in hitting %.
About the Panthers
Pittsburgh is 15-2 overall this season and 6-0 in the ACC as they sit in first in the conference. The Panthers are coming off a 23-25, 23-25, 25-17, 25-15, 15-8 win over No.11-ranked Georgia Tech on Friday and a 25-20, 25-21, 25-22 win over Clemson on Sunday. Head Coach Dan Fisher is in his 11th season at the helm, having taken the program to unprecedented heights in his time. He has led Pittsburgh to their first three Elite Eight appearances in 2020, 2021, and 2022, and their first two Final Four appearances in the latter two years, all while amassing the most wins in NCAA Division I women's volleyball over the past five seasons with 140. Right-side hitter Olivia Babcock and outside hitter Torrey Stafford lead the Panthers with 189 and 177 kills, respectively, while libero Emmy Klika has 195 digs and middle blocker Emma Monks has 74 blocks on the year to lead the way defensively.
About the Cavaliers
Virginia is 8-8 overall this season and 1-5 in conference play. They fell 26-24, 19-25, 27-29, 12-25 to Clemson on Friday night, and followed that with a hard-fought five set thriller against No. 11-ranked Georgia Tech, ultimately falling 11-25, 25-21, 21-25, 25-22, 13-15 on Sunday afternoon. Shannon Wells is in her third season as head coach of the Cavaliers after a 12-17 campaign last season. Middle blocker Abby Tadder leads the team in kills this season with 158, and defensively, libero Milan Gomillion has tallied 238 digs while middle blocker Veresia Yon has 69 blocks on the year.
