Wolfpack Volleyball Set for Pivotal Matchup at Pittsburgh Friday

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RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State volleyball team is set for a pivotal road matchup Friday night against the Pittsburgh Panthers inside Fitzgerald Field House. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. and the match will be broadcast live on the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Network Extra.

Both teams enter the weekend with a 6-4 record in conference play and are tied for fifth-place in the standings. Pitt has compiled an overall mark of 15-7, while NC State has a 13-9 record on the season.

Last Time Out
In its last outing, NC State took down the Boston College Eagles inside Reynolds Coliseum, 3-1, to cap its first ACC weekend sweep. The Wolfpack also defeated Syracuse 3-2 on Friday night.

Series History
NC State and Pitt have met eight times in the history of the programs with the Panthers owning a 7-1 advantage in the all-time series. The Wolfpack came up short in the last meeting between the teams on NCSU's senior day in 2015, 3-2.

Pitt won the last matchup on its home court, 3-1, held Sept. 25, 2015. NC State is in search of its first win inside Fitzgerald Field House.

With A Win Friday NC State Would Earn…
- Its 685^th victory in program history
- 14^th win of the season and seventh in ACC play, having already surpassed its conference win total from the previous two seasons
- Its first-ever win at Pittsburgh and just the second overall victory against Panthers

Scouting Pitt
Pittsburgh has enjoyed a strong 2016 campaign to this point in the season, as the Panthers are 15-7 overall and 6-4 in league play. Pitt defeated Louisville at home, 3-0, in its most recent action on Sunday afternoon.

Friday's contest will be the lone meeting between the teams this year. Last season, Pitt ended the year with a 23-9 overall record, narrowly missing the NCAA Tournament.

Redshirt freshman Stephanie Williams leads the Panthers offensively with 3.68 kills per set, while senior Mariah Bell is closely behind at 3.24 kps. At setter, Kamalani Akeo has dished out 10.37 assists per set, fourth best in the ACC. Libero Angela Seman headlines the team's defense with 4.21 digs per set. Middle blocker Jenna Potts averages 1.39 blocks per set, third most in the league.

As a team, Pitt has the third highest attacking percentage in the ACC with a .247 clip, while limiting opponents to a .181 mark.

Wolfpack Sweeps ACC Weekly Awards
For the first time since 2011, NC State volleyball swept the ACC weekly awards announced Monday afternoon. Junior Julia Brown was named player of the week, while Grace Irvin was tabbed freshman of the week.

Brown Breaks Program Record
En route to claiming ACC Player of the Week, Brown broke the rally-scoring era program record with 31 kills against Syracuse last Friday, the most by any player in the league this season and most by an NC State player since 1999.

She bested her career high in the match by 10 and reached that mark (21) early in the fourth set. The Davidson, N.C., native also had 77 attacks, the most by an individual in the ACC this year.

Her 31 kills are the third most by an NC State player in program history, just three shy of the record (34).

Among the ACC Ranks
NC State is among the top five of the ACC in four team categories. The Wolfpack is third with 12.84 assists per set, third in digs per set with 16.30, fourth in opponent hitting percentage (.177) and fifth in kills per set (13.45).

Senior setter Maggie Speaks is second in the league with 10.76 aps, while Brown is third in the ACC with 4.10 kills per set.

Rachel Eppley, the squad's senior libero, leads the Wolfpack and is fifth in the conference with 4.40 digs per set.

Leading The Way
Brown leads the ACC with 11.96 attacks per set and tops the column in total attacks this year with 969. Her average in attacks per set ranks 12th in the NCAA.

Lucky Number Two
NC State has won the second set in 15 of its 22 matches this season. The Wolfpack has scored 512 points in the frame, the most in any set in 2016, and has allowed 444 points, the largest margin in a set.

The Pack has won the second set in 12 of its 13 wins in 2016.

Tale of the Tape
The Wolfpack has posted an 9-1 record this season when recording more blocks than its opponent. In contrast, NC State has lost eight of nine matches when being out-blocked and is 1-0 when blocks are equal.

The Higher, The Better
NC State has tallied more kills or had the same amount as its opponent in all 13 wins this season. The Pack has lost just three matches when recording more kills.

In addition, NCSU's hitting percentage has been higher than opponents in 11 of its 13 victories.

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Wolfpack Volleyball Set for Pivotal Matchup at Pittsburgh Friday

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Players Mentioned

Julia Brown

Rachel Eppley

Grace Irvin

Maggie Speaks