Lexis Akeo and Chinaza Ndee earn ACC honors

The Pitt volleyball team faced Penn State twice over the weekend, splitting the series and winning five of eight sets against its in-state rival. The series served as a showcase of some of the top talent in the nation, and two Pitt players were singled out for ACC Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week honors following the two-match series on Monday.

Pitt setter Lexis Akeo played a key role in her team’s sweep of Penn State on Friday, as she came up with 33 assists in the match. She followed up that performance by setting a new career high in blocks, with three against Penn State on Sunday. For her efforts, Akeo was named the ACC Freshman of the Week for the third time this season. She also earned the weekly honor on Sept. 3 and Sept. 16.

In addition to Akeo, Pitt blocker Chinaza Ndee was also honored by the conference as the ACC Player of the Week. Ndee accrued 12 kills and hit .611 against Penn State on Friday. Two days later, she managed to top that performance with 16 kills and a career-high 10 blocks in Pitt’s second match with Penn State for her first double-double at the college level.

Ndee is the third Pitt player to earn ACC Player of the Week honors this season, as Kayla Lund and Layne Van Buskirk were both honored earlier in September. Lund earned back-to-back Player of the Week nods on Sept. 3 and Sept. 9, and Van Buskirk was recognized on Sept. 16.