PITTSBURGH – The No. 1 Pitt volleyball team (3-0, 0-0 ACC) returns to the west coast to play #23 USC (3-1, 0-0 Big Ten) in the Galen Center on Wednesday night at 9 p.m. ET. This is the second straight season the two programs have played each other. The Panthers will wrap up the trip playing Pepperdine (1-3 0-0 WCC) in Malibu in a late-night matchup on Friday night at 9:30 p.m. ET before taking on UC Santa Barbara (2-4, 0-0 Big West) in a neutral match on Saturday at 6 p.m. ET.
The Panthers upended the Trojans last season in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in four sets at the Petersen Events Center. After going down a set, Pitt captured the final three sets. Olivia Babcock led the Panthers with 16 kills, 12 digs, three assists and two aces. Rachel Fairbanks recorded a double-double with 41 assists and 10 digs, adding four kills on a .429 hitting percentage.
The Panthers and Waves are 3-3 in the series. Pitt most recently defeated Pepperdine on the road in a tightly contested five set match in 2019. Previously the Panthers upended the Waves in 2018 in a dominant three set sweep.
Pitt and UCSB have played a total of seven matches and won the last two. The Panthers beat the Gauchos in a three-set match in 2017, holding UCSB to 18 points or less in all three sets.
TOUGH BEHIND THE LINE
• Three Panthers are ranked in the top 40 in the NCAA in aces per set.
• Valeria Vazquez Gomez (10th), Olivia Babcock (12th) and Rachel Fairbanks (38th) lead the charge for Pitt.
STAFFORD’S STRONG START
• Torrey Stafford is off to an incredible start to her sophomore campaign, leading the Panthers in points, points per set, kills and kills per set and is third in digs and digs per set.
• She sits at 10th in the NCAA in points per set (5.36) and 19th in kills per set (4.57).
PITT SITS AT THE TOP
• For the first time in program history, the Panthers are ranked number one in the AVCA/Taraflex poll.
• The Panthers reached the number two spot in the 2021 poll before they reached their first Final Four.
• Pitt was ranked in the top ten all season last year, finishing the season at number four.
PANTHER HOMECOMING
• Rachel Fairbanks, Olivia Babcock, Torrey Stafford, Dillyn Griffin and head coach Dan Fisher return to their home…
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