VB - Some Things To Know About UNC

[vantheman1976]

So....here we go....the Pitt women volleyballers begin a 4 game homestand tomorrow night at 6 PM.....match is at the Fitz and is sold out. First up is UNC. Sunday it's Duke....and next weekend it's Miami and Florida State.

• UNC has a 18 - 3 record and sits in 3rd place in the ACC....behind Pitt and Louisville which are tied for first
• They are currently ranked 25th by the NCAA
• They are coming off a 5 set loss to Georgia Tech.
• Their OOC schedule was pretty mediocre....the best team they played was South Carolina....which they lost to in 3 sets
• This is an especially big game for UNC who has tournament aspirations. They have matches remaining with Louisville, SMU, and Stanford...and they have already lost to Georgia Tech...it's a tough schedule from here on out.
• Some stats worth noting
  • They have lost 22 sets by an average of 5 points/set
  • They can score points....17.9/set....which is just 1 less than Pitt at 18.9
  • UNC gives back about 8.6 pts/set from errors....Pitt is among the very best in the country at only 5.8 pts/set
  • This gives Pitt a good 4 pts/set advantage
  • Pitt has a decided edge blocking....2.83 blocks/set....UNC 2.04
  • Similarly....Pitt outdoes UNC in aces/set (2.07 to 1.92), hitting percentage (.332 to .248), and opposition hitting percentage (.112 to .170)
• Player to watch....Mabrey Shaffmaster.....senior OH
  • she was the ACC freshman of the year in 2021 and AA honorable mention last year
  • she will be tested by Pitt's blocking game

Nebraska is beginning to chip away at Pitt's #1 ranking....so a decisive victory over a ranked opponent like UNC will help. Incidentally....Nebraska takes on Oregon Thursday night....a match worth checking in on if you can....10 PM eastern time....B1G network

 

[pittdan77]

Player to watch....Mabrey Shaffmaster.....senior OH

It's fun to say Shaffmaster. For those who don't know, her sister is a setter for Minnesota. Pretty wild watching a 6'3" setter running around.

Good article on sisters who play college volleyball. Kind of dated but still an interesting read. No idea how their parents afford club volleyball with multiple kids playing. Sisters

 

[vantheman1976]

It's fun to say Shaffmaster. For those who don't know, her sister is a setter for Minnesota. Pretty wild watching a 6'3" setter running around.

Good article on sisters who play college volleyball. Kind of dated but still an interesting read. No idea how their parents afford club volleyball with multiple kids playing. Sisters

I knew about the Shaffmaster family.......but had no idea there are so many sisters with that volleyball pedigree in the family.....amazing!

 

[phijo]

If the ladies play to their capability and have a strong block and back row D with excellent serve, I don't see this going more than 3 sets. My worry is that sometimes they play like they are trying not to lose. Sometimes I see the weight of being number 1 affecting them. We saw a little of this in the Va Tech match and Notre Dame match.