Wolfpack Set Host No. 7 Pitt and Virginia

Friday, October 20

Raleigh, N.C.

7pm

NC State

No. 7 Pitt

10/17/2023 10:43:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The NC State volleyball team is set to host No. 7 Pitt on Friday Oct. 20 and Virginia on Sunday Oct. 22 for week five of Atlantic Coast Conference play. The meeting with the Panthers will begin at 7pm on ACCNX and Sunday's meeting with the Cavaliers will begin at 1pm, also on ACCNX.

MATCH NOTES | WATCH FRIDAY | LIVE STATS FRIDAY | WATCH SUNDAY | LIVE STATS SUNDAY

The Match Up

The Panthers hold a 11-2 advantage over the Pack in the series history that dates back a decade
The last time the Pack defeat the Panthers, the iPhone 8 had just been released
UVA comes to Raleigh having lost the last 10-meetings with the Wolfpack, but hold a 27-16 advantage over the Pack
NC State won both meetings with the Cavilers last season with Ava Brizard tallying 17 kills in the first meeting

Defend the Den

The Pack is holds a 9-0 record when playing in Reynolds Coliseum this season
The last time NC State lost in Reynolds was Oct. 30, 2022 against then No. 10 Georgia Tech
The Wolfpack looks to defend their home court against No. 8 Pitt and Virginia to tie the best record at home since 2017 when the squad went 11-0 in Reynolds

Block City

Junior Jada Allen earned ACC Defensive Player of the Week after totaling 15 blocks over the weekend
Her nine blocks against Wake Forest tied her career high, set earlier this year against Howard
The weekly honor is the second of her career as she earned Freshman of the Week in September 2021

Second in 11 Years

Sophomore Ava Brizard recorded a career high 25 kills against Florida State, becoming only the second member of the Pack to do so since 2012 -- Melissa Evans recorded 25 v Rutgers in 2021 (Brie Merriwther recorded 26 against Clemson in 2012)
She only recorded 3 errors on 53 attacks to finish with a .415 hitting percentage

One for the History Books

The Pack defeated No. 5 Louisville on October 1, the first in program history that the team has ever defeated a top-five opponent
Sunday evening was also the first time in program history that the Wolfpack defeated a ranked opponent in Reynolds
The win also marked only the second win over a top-25 opponent (defeated then No. 10 FSU, 3-2, in 2016)

Season of Milestones

The 2023 squad as marked several milestones through the first 15 matches of the season
Against Utah Valley on Aug. 26, the Pack rallied back from a 2-0 deficit to record a reverse sweep, which was the first time since 2015 this occurred
The 11-1 record (matches through Sept. 22) was the best start to a season since 2015 and under head coach Luka Slabe
The squads 10-match win-streak (matches from Aug. 26 to Sept. 22) was the longest since 2014 and with Slabe at the helm
The win over No. 5 Louisville marked the first win over a top-five team, first win over a ranked team in Reynolds, and the second win over a top-25 team in program history
NC State also received votes in the October 2 AVCA Coaches Poll (no record of this occurring before)
In the first RPI ranking of the 2023 season (released on Oct. 3), the Pack ranked in at 27th, a program best, and is one of five ACC schools in the top-30

Big Red

Junior opposite Amanda Rice recorded a career high 18 kills against Rutgers and Ohio
With her seventh kill of the evening against George Washington, she surpassed 500 on her career
She led the team with 16 kills against No. 5 Louisville and finished with a .443 hitting percentage (a season best)

Setting Machine

Fifth year setter Kristen McDaniel recorded her 70th match with 20 or more assists in the Pack win loss at FSU
She currently sits 358 assists away from 3K