The Pitt women’s volleyball team was picked to win the 2021 ACC championship, finishing first for the fourth consecutive year in the conference’s Preseason Coaches Poll, released Friday.

When the ACC poll was released in 2013, Pitt was picked 13th, but its reputation grew steadily with ninth-, seventh-, fifth- and third-place preseason selections from 2014-17.

In this year’s poll, Pitt received 13 of a possible 15 first-place votes (195 points). Defending ACC champion Louisville was second with 182 points and two first-place votes.

Also, Pitt had three players named to the 18-member Preseason All-ACC Volleyball Team.

• Kayla Lund, the ACC’s only two-time Volleyball Player of the Year, received her third consecutive berth on the team.

• Chinaza Ndee, a 2020 second-team All-American, earned her second consecutive selection.

• Penn State transfer Serena Gray, a two-time All-American middle blocker, also was chosen.

Pitt has had at least three players on the preseason team every year since 2018.

Pitt is ranked No. 9 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Poll. Coach Dan Fisher is entering his ninth year at Pitt after leading the Panthers to their first NCAA Elite Eight appearance last season. Pitt returns all seven starters, including 98.1% of its kill output from the 2020 team.

After an exhibition against Cincinnati at 1 p.m. Saturday, Pitt will open the regular season Aug. 27-28 with a tournament in Greenville, S.C., against No. 23 Rice, No. 18 Washington State and host South Carolina.

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