PITTSBURGH – The University of Pittsburgh volleyball team (0-0-1, 0-0-0 ACC) dropped the first match of the season against No. 17 BYU (1-0-0, 0-0-0 Big 12) 3-1 on Friday afternoon. The loss snaps a three match win streak against the Cougars after defeating them twice in 2022.
The Panthers started off strong in the first set, gaining momentum early and going on an 8-2 run behind back-to-back aces by graduate student Lexis Akeo. The Cougars chipped away at the deficit, coming within two at 13-15. A handful of kills by freshman Torrey Stafford and a pair of BYU service errors propelled Pitt to a 25-23 first set victory.
Pitt and BYU went point for point in the beginning of the second set until the Cougars went on a run to bring the second set to 15-7. Behind the excellent serving of junior Rachel Fairbanks, the Panthers went on a 4-0 run to bring the score to 15-11. Despite newcomer Bre Kelley’s five kills in the set, the Cougars won the second set 25-20 to tie things up at one a piece.
Pitt rebounded well in the beginning of the third set as both teams battled back and forth to an 8-8 score. A Stafford kill and Valeria Vazquez Gomez ace put the Panthers back in front, 12-9. Thanks to a pair of mini runs and six kills in the set from BYU senior Erin Livingston, the Cougars registered the third set victory.
The fourth set began in the same fashion as the third, with both teams siding out at a high clip. A 5-0 BYU run in the middle of the set and a combined .237 hitting percentage was enough for the Cougars to take the match, 3-1.
Junior middle blocker Bre Kelley led the Panthers with nine kills and three blocks. Freshmen Torrey Stafford, Olivia Babcock, Blaire Bayless and Haiti Tautua’a competed for the first time in a Pitt jersey and combined for 15 kills, 11 digs and six blocks. Junior libero Emmy Klika led the team with 16 digs and registered four assists.
UP NEXT
The Panthers will return tomorrow, Aug. 26, at Dahlberg Arena for the second day of the Ellesyn Invitational as they play Montana at 10 a.m. MT. Streaming is available on ESPN+.
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