No. 1 Seed Pitt Ready For NCAA Tournament

PITTSBURGH – The No. 1 seed Pitt volleyball team (25-4, 16-2 ACC) is set to host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament Friday and Saturday. The Panthers play Coppin State on Friday night at 7 p.m. right after the USC and UMBC match at 4 p.m. The three matches this weekend will all be played at the Petersen Events Center. The winner of Coppin State/Pitt will play the winner of USC/UMBC on Saturday night at 7 p.m. in the Round of 32.

This is the first time in program history Pitt and Coppin State will meet. The Eagles are led by outside hitter TaKenya Stafford and middle blocker Laila Ibrahim. This is the first time the Eagles have advanced to the NCAA Tournament after winning the MEAC championship. They went 27-4 overall and 13-1 in conference play and swept the last three matches in the conference tournament.  

Pitt and USC have only met three times, as the Trojans hold the 3-0 advantage. The last time the teams met was in 2002 when USC swept the Panthers. 2022 First Team All-American Skylar Fields leads the Trojans, recording 5.19 kills per set and 2.07 digs per set while the offense is run by Mia Tuaniga who has notched 1,157 assists this season. 

The Panthers and Retrievers are familiar opponents, as Pitt and UMBC played earlier this season. The Panthers earned the sweep and were led by Olivia Babcock and Torrey Stafford who registered nine kills apiece. Pitt holds the 4-0 advantage over the Retrievers, and the Panthers have only dropped one set in the series.

 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 No. 8 Georgia Tech and No. 4 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 Gomez and Emmy Klika earned Second Team honors.

• Rachel Fairbanks is the ACC Setter of the Year for the first time in her career while Olivia Babcock is the first Panther to be named ACC Freshman of the Year.

DANCING SHOES

• Pitt is set to compete in its eighth straight NCAA…