Volleyball Hosts ACC-Perfect Pitt Sunday
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami volleyball team returns to the James L. Knight Sports Complex Sunday to take on Pittsburgh.
Both teams already opened action this week by traveling to Tallahassee, Fla., to face Florida State. On Wednesday, the Hurricanes (9-2, 3-2 ACC) dropped a three-set match to its in-state rival at Tully Gym, but on Friday night the Panthers (12-4, 5-0 ACC) came out of the same place with a 3-1 victory.
“I think tomorrow should be a good match,” senior middle blocker Sakile Simmons. “Pitt is a good team, so we will have to come ready for a battle. This week we have been very specific and focused, so I am excited to see what changes we will make from our last two matches.”
Miami is 2-0 at home this season after taking down Virginia Tech and Virginia in the same weekend a fortnight ago. The 3-2 win over the Cavaliers helped the Canes improve to 3-0 in five-set matches. The Hurricanes are also 6-0 in matches that have gone to at least four sets.
Pitt won last meeting between the two teams in straight sets in Coral Gables, Fla. Miami’s last victory over the Panthers dates back to Nov. 14, 2014, when the Hurricanes won 3-0 at the Panthers’ Fitzgerald Field House. Senior middle blocker Sakile Simmons, then just a freshman, hit .800 for four kills and was one of the three Hurricanes who had match-high four blocks.
The Panthers are currently riding a nine-match win streak – identical to the Canes’ season-starting run – with their last defeat coming in nail-biter at Western Kentucky on Sept. 8. Despite boasting a 7-0 record its own gym, Pitt is just above .500 on the road, coming into Sunday with a 5-4 record outside of Steel City. Two of those defeats came to ranked opponents.
After Sunday’s match, Miami will get back on the road, heading to Durham, N.C., and Winston-Salem, N.C., for conference contests at Duke (Oct. 13) and Wake Forest (Oct. 15), respectively.
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