DURHAM, N.C. – The No. 8 University of Pittsburgh volleyball team (10-2, 1-0 ACC) battled to a 3-0 sweep against Duke (9-3, 0-1 ACC) on Friday night. The Panthers were led by freshmen Torrey Stafford and Olivia Babcock who recorded 15 and 13 kills, respectively.
The Panthers and Blue Devils competed and went back and forth for the majority of the first set, as both programs were tied at 16-16. Babcock served aggressively from the service line once again, going on a 5-0 run to extend the Panthers lead to 22-16. A pair of Duke kills brought the Blue Devils within four, but three Duke errors allowed Pitt to take the first set, 25-20. Pitt’s balanced attack continued in the first, as six Panthers registered a kill.
The second set was a fight from start to finish as the Blue Devils and Panthers traded points back and forth. Neither team went on more than three point runs until Babcock caused Duke to get out of system once again, going on a dominant 6-0 run behind an ace, three kills from Stafford and one from Chiamaka Nwokolo. Despite the surging Panthers, the Blue Devils fired back, going on a 6-0 run of their own to tie things up at 21-21. A Duke error and Babcock kill put the Panthers up 23-21, causing a Duke timeout. Both teams sided out at an incredibly high clip, and neither team could pull away until Babcock recorded an ace and Stafford killed a ball to secure the 30-28 second set victory.
Pitt never trailed in set three behind six kills from Stafford and six team aces. Duke forced…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Pitt Panthers #H2P…