No. 1 Seed Panthers Host NCAA Regionals

PITTSBURGH – The No. 1 seed Pitt volleyball team (27-4, 16-2 ACC) hosts the NCAA Regionals at the Fitzgerald Field House on Thursday and Saturday. The Panthers play No. 10 Washington State on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. on ESPNU. The winner of that match will play the winner of the No. 7 Louisville/No. 17 Creighton match on Saturday at 4 p.m. on ESPNU. 

The Panthers and Cougars meet for the third time in the history of both programs, with the series tied at 1-1. Most recently, Pitt defeated Washington State two years ago in four sets in the a preseason tournament. Valeria Vazquez Gomez led the way with eight kills, ten digs and two aces. The Cougars hold a 26-7 record and have defeated seven top-25 opponents.

Pitt and Creighton could play for the second time as the Bluejays defeated the Panthers in 2017. Creighton is led by All-Americans Kendra Wait and Norah Sis. The Bluejays come into the weekend on a 17 match win streak and won the Big East Championship with a sweep over St. Johns. 

The Panthers and Cardinals are familiar foes and ACC rivals. The two have split matches this season as Louisville swept Pitt in Louisville earlier this season. The Panthers earned the split in the season series in the Petersen Events Center after being down two sets to none, reverse sweeping the Cardinals. A few matches later Pitt secured a share of the ACC Championship after recording a 16-2 conference record. 

PANTHERS OWN THE EAST

• A program-high seven Panthers were named to the AVCA East Coast Region Team on Tuesday.

• Rachel Fairbanks earned AVCA East Coast Region Player of the Year while Olivia Babcock notched Freshman of the Year honors.

• A Panther has notched the Player of the Year award for the third time in four years (Kayla Lund – 2020 and Courtney Buzzerio – 2022).

BACK-TO-BACK CHAMPS

• For the second straight year, the Panthers have secured a share of the ACC Championship, going 16-2 in conference play.

• Pitt beat two top-10 opponents in Georgia Tech and Louisville in the final four matches of the ACC slate.

ALL-ACC ACCOLADES

• A program record seven Panthers were named All-Conference. 

• Rachel Fairbanks, Olivia Babcock and Torrey Stafford are First Team members while Chiamaka Nwokolo, Emma Monks, Valeria Vazquez…