PITTSBURGH – Sparked by Olivia Babcock’s career-high and Pitt NCAA Tournament record 31 kills, the No. 1-seeded Pitt women’s volleyball team defeated No. 4-seeded Oregon, 3-2 (25-19, 24-26, 25-16, 21-25, 15-12), in the Regional Semifinal round of the NCAA Tournament. With the win, Pitt advances to its fifth straight Regional Final.
Adding an impact for the Panthers (32-1, 19-1 ACC) was Torrey Stafford, who had a double-double with 14 kills and 12 digs. Rachel Fairbanks paced Pitt by tallying a season-high 54 assists in the match, which put her over 3,000 in her career.
Babcock opened the match with a kill and a block as Pitt started the first set with a 2-0 lead. Oregon (24-8, 14-6 Big Ten) responded with a two-point tilt to even the match. Pitt extended its lead out to 9-5, spurred by Stafford and Babcock kills. After the Ducks drew within four points at 13-9, the Panthers rallied around back-to-back Babcock kills to extend their lead to 18-10. The Ducks stayed within striking distance and worked the set back to a three-point difference to trail 19-16. Pitt used three Stafford kills down the stretch to outscore Oregon 6-3 and take set one, 25-19.
Oregon started the second set with a quick 4-0 lead. The Panthers chipped away with kills from Stafford and Babcock, but the Ducks extended their lead to 11-6. Kills from Rachel Fairbanks and Bre Kelley helped Pitt get back within one at 12-11. Oregon ripped off a 7-3 response and led 19-14 before a Ryla Jones kill from a Fairbanks assist ignited the crowd. After chipping the lead down to 22-18, the…
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