No. 1 Pitt to Clash with No. 3 Louisville Wednesday Night at the KFC Yum! Center

PITTSBURGH – The No. 1 Pitt volleyball team (27-1, 17-1 ACC) heads to No. 3 Louisville (25-3, 17-1 ACC) for the second of two matches against the Cardinals in the regular season. The highly anticipated match takes place on Wednesday night in the KFC Yum! Center at 7 p.m. and can be seen on ACC Network. 

Pitt has won the last three matches against the Cardinals, all in five sets. The Panthers defeated Louisville in reverse sweeps last season, and the second of which secured a spot in the 2023 National Semifinals, Pitt’s third straight. At least one of the two programs have won or had a share of the last seven ACC Championships and have advanced to four straight Elite Eight appearances. Louisville narrowly owns the series record, 20-17. 

OMAHA BOUND!

• Graduate outside hitter Valeria Vazquez Gomez heard her name in the PVF draft, selected by the Omaha Supernovas with the sixth pick in the fourth round.

• She joins Pitt volleyball alumni Courtney Buzzerio, Kayla Lund, Leketor Member-Meneh, Chiamaka Nwokolo and Layne Van Buskirk in the league.

THE RIVALRY

 • One of the two teams has had at least a share of the ACC Championship the last seven seasons.

  (Pitt – 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023)

  (Louisville – 2017, 2020, 2021, 2022)

• The Pitt Panthers and Louisville Cardinals have advanced to the last three Elite Eights.

• Five of the last seven matches between the two teams have gone to five sets.

• Louisville defeated Pitt in the 2022 Final Four in five sets before the Panthers reverse swept the Cardinals in the 2023 Regional Finals.

BIG TIME BABCOCK

• Olivia Babcock earned her second AVCA National Player of the Week award of the season after her impressive performances against No. 22 Florida State and Miami.

• This was the third time of her career Babcock has been honored.

• She is the only player in program history to have more than one national weekly award to her name as Pitt great Kayla Lund is the only other Panther to add the accolade to her resume.

ALL-ACC NODS

• Rachel Fairbanks and Olivia Babcock were named ACC Setter and Offensive Player of the Week, respectively, after two sweeps against No. 22 Florida State and Miami.

• Fairbanks averaged 12.00 assists per set and 2.17 digs…