Panthers Sweep Washington State, Head to Fourth Straight Elite Eight

PITTSBURGH – The No. 1 seed University of Pittsburgh volleyball team (28-4, 16-2 ACC) swept Washington State (26-8, 14-6 Pac-12) on Thursday night to advance to the Regional Finals. This is the fourth straight season the Panthers have advanced to the Elite Eight and second time they have the right to host the Regional Final match. 

Both teams felt each other out the beginning of the first set, as the Panthers and Cougars traded points back and forth. Neither team called a timeout before the media break with Pitt up 15-14 after a Valeria Vazquez Gomez kill. After a pair of Olivia Babcock kills down the stretch, the Panthers went up 21-19, causing Washington State to call a timeout. A 4-1 Pitt run including two Cat Flood aces secured the first set win, 25-20. 

The Panthers came out of the break hot, getting out to an early 5-1 lead and caused the Cougars to take an early timeout. Vazquez Gomez forced an attack error and powered Babcock to two straight kills from behind the service line to continue the streak. Babcock continued to shine in her first NCAA Tournament, recording an ace and a pair of kills, forcing the Cougars to take their second timeout, down 5-13. Stafford and Babcock didn’t look like freshmen as the duo dominated throughout the match and particularly the end of the second set to will the Panthers to a 25-13 victory.

Pitt never slowed down in the third, as Vazquez Gomez and Flood combined for two solid…