PITTSBURGH – The No. 1 Pitt Panthers volleyball team (17-1, 7-1 ACC) earned its 16th sweep of the season against No. 5 Stanford (14-3, 6-2), 25-17, 25-16, 25-20. Olivia Babcock led Pitt once again with 17 kills, six digs and six blocks. Senior setter Rachel Fairbanks set the Panthers to a .314 hitting percentage, notching 35 assists, nine digs, two blocks and a pair of kills.
The Panthers gained momentum early in the first set, getting out to an 11-5 lead behind kills from four different Panthers. Stanford quickly called a timeout and went on a 6-3 run of its own to force Pitt to call a timeout with a narrow 14-11 lead. The Panther offense continued to fire on all cylinders with Babcock, Torrey Stafford and Bre Kelley registering kills down the stretch. Stanford took its final timeout, down 16-22. A kill a piece from Babcock and Ryla Jones was enough for Pitt to take the first set, 25-17.
Pitt continued to roll in the second and secured an early 7-4 lead, forcing a Stanford timeout. The Cardinal came within two points at 8-6, but an ace from Rachel Fairbanks, a few Panther kills and unforced errors on the side of Stanford caused the Cardinal to take its second timeout, down 7-13. The Pitt block continued its dominance at the net, and despite Stanford’s best efforts, it was unable to put together a significant run. Pitt comfortably won set two, 25-16.
The third set began in a similar fashion to the first two as Pitt reached a 7-4 lead, causing Stanford to take a timeout. The Cardinal struggled with Pitt’s serve down the stretch and had to call its second and final timeout, down 8-14. Stanford found some momentum and won four of the next five points, and the Panthers needed to talk things over. Stafford continued to impress from the outside, putting away a pair of kills shortly after. The Cardinal made its final push, but it wasn’t enough. Pitt won the third set, 25-20, and the match, 3-0.
NOTES
– Olivia Babcock and Torrey Stafford combined for 29 of Pitt’s 44 kills
– Rachel Fairbanks averaged 11.7 assists per set in the victory
– This is the ninth match of the season that Pitt has held an opponent to less than a .100 hitting percentage
– The win marks the first victory over Stanford in program history
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