RALEIGH – The No. 1 Pitt Panthers volleyball team (26-1, 16-1 ACC) swept NC State (14-12, 9-9 ACC), 25-18, 25-12, 25-17. Olivia Babcock had a match-high 17 kills and hit .576 along with eight digs, three aces and two assists. Bre Kelley notched a match best six blocks and eight kills, hitting .800.
The Panthers and Wolfpack were neck and neck for the beginning of the first set, so Pitt wanted to talk things over and called a timeout tied 13-13. Two kills from Ryla Jones and two unforced errors from NC State forced the Wolfpack to take a timeout, down 15-17. Mallorie Meyer rattled off another serve to extend the lead to three, and two combined kills from Kelley and Babcock forced NC State to take its final timeout at 20-16. A 5-2 run from the Panthers secured the first set victory, 25-18.
Pitt came out of the break playing nearly perfect volleyball, and NC State took a timeout to stop the bleeding at 7-2. Tough serving from Babcock and Meyer and a pair of kills from Valeria Vazquez Gomez concluded in the Wolfpack’s second and final timeout, trailing 5-15. NC State’s attempt to climb back was unsuccessful, and Pitt took a dominant second set win, 25-12. Babcock recorded six kills hitting .667, four digs and two aces in the second.
The Panthers and Wolfpack were tied at 6-6 early in the third, but Pitt went on a 4-1 run, and NC State needed a timeout. Three kills from Pitt’s pin hitters and two hitting errors was too much for NC State to handle, and it needed its second timeout, down 9-15. Pitt owned a seven point lead at 19-12, but a bit of momentum from NC State forced the Panthers to take a timeout with a 22-17 advantage. A trio of kills from Babcock and Stafford was all it took for Pitt to win the third set, 25-17, and the match, 3-0.
NOTES
– Olivia Babcock’s .577 hitting percentage is a season best
– Rachel Fairbanks notched 33 assists and led Pitt to a .437 team hitting percentage
UP NEXT
The No. 1 Panthers play rival No. 3 Louisville on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. at the KFC Yum Center. The winner of the match will be in sole possession of first place in the conference. The match will be televised on ACC Network.
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