PITTSBURGH – The No. 1 Pitt Panthers volleyball team (16-1, 6-1 ACC) swept Cal (10-9, 2-5 ACC) in three sets (25-12, 25-9, 25-10) on Friday night in front of a sold-out crowd in the Fitzgerald Field House. Olivia Babcock led the Panthers with 16 kills, hitting .577, and Rachel Fairbanks notched 28 assists, six digs and a season-high five aces and four blocks.
Pitt got off to an early 9-3 lead behind six kills from three different Panthers, forcing Cal to take a timeout. The Panthers extended their lead to 12-6, and a dominant 6-0 run behind the serve of Fairbanks caused the Golden Bears to use their second and final timeout. Pitt and Cal traded points back and forth for the remainder of the first set, but the Golden Bears could not string together enough points to go on a run, allowing the Panthers to win the first set, 25-12.
The tough serving from the Panthers continued as Cat Flood helped Pitt gain a 6-2 lead early. Four Cal kills and an unforced error on the side of Pitt allowed the Golden Bears to get within two at the 9-7 mark. Bre Kelley put away a kill shortly after, and a 12-0 run behind the serve of Fairbanks, including five aces, gave Pitt a comfortable 23-7 lead. Valeria Vazquez Gomez and Babcock terminated a kill a piece down the stretch to give Pitt the second set victory, 25-9.
Cal started the third set stronger and was within three points of Pitt until 8-5. A 7-2 run behind a strong Pitt offense gave the Panthers the lead at the media timeout. Vazquez Gomez also put pressure on the Golden Bears from the end line, causing Cal to take a timeout, down 7-18. A kill from Flood and two attack errors on the side of the Golden Bears gave Cal no choice but to call its final timeout, down 8-21. Two points from Babcock, another kill courtesy of Flood and a Cal attack error on match point allowed Pitt to take the third set, 25-10, and match, 3-0.
NOTES
– Olivia Babcock recorded 16 kills in the sweep, hitting a season-high .577
– Pitt recorded 13 blocks compared to Cal’s three
– The Panthers held Cal to -.048, the lowest hitting percentage of an opponent this season
– This marks Pitt’s fifth match of the season hitting at least .400
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