No. 2 Pitt Powers Past No. 7 BYU to Advance to Sweet 16

Saturday, December 3

Pittsburgh, Pa.

7 PM

Pitt

29-3,17-1ACC

BYU

22-7,14-3WCC

BYU

Pittsburgh

Rachel Fairbanks vs. BYU NCAA Tournament 2022

No. 2 Pitt Powers Past No. 7 BYU to Advance to Sweet 16

12/3/2022 11:36:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score

Rachel Fairbanks and Courtney Buzzerio record-breaking performance fuels sweep

PITTSBURGH – No. 2 seeded Pitt (29-3, 17-1 ACC) advanced to its third consecutive NCAA Regional by sweeping No. 7 seed BYU (25-21, 25-22, 25-18) on Saturday night at the Petersen Events Center. Courtney Buzzerio and Rachel Fairbanks each set program records in the victory with Buzzerio making 23 kills, the most in an NCAA Tournament match in the modern scoring era, and Fairbanks recording the first NCAA Tournament triple-double in program history (10 kills, 28 assists and 13 digs).

The Panthers will play No. 3 seed Florida (25-5, 15-3 SEC) in the NCAA Regional Semifinal next Thursday, December 8, in Madison, Wisc.

"I want to congratulate BYU on another strong season," Head Coach Dan Fisher said. "I have a lot of respect for Heather and the way she runs her program. They play really hard and they're just a tough team. It's a shame we played in the second round, I feel like they could have advanced more. But I'm glad we did get the win against a tough team like that because it will prepare us for what's ahead. That was one of the most focused efforts I've seen from our team in a long time. My staff did a good job of putting together a good service plan but these players really had to execute and they did. If you look at the dig line, that says a lot. Really proud of this team and excited to still be alive at this point in the season."

QUICK HITS

Buzzerio recorded 23 kills on .475 hitting, the most kills in an NCAA Tournament match in the modern scoring era (since 2008).
Her .475 hitting is the highest by any Panther with 20+ kills in an NCAA Tournament match in program history.
Fairbanks made the first triple-double in an NCAA Tournament match in program history: 10 kills, 28 assists and 13 digs.
It was her second triple-double of the season, becoming the first Panther to achieve multiple triple-doubles in the same season since Carrie Norris in 2001.
The Panthers have won three consecutive NCAA Tournament 2^nd Round matches.
Pitt put-dug BYU 58-42 in the match.
That Pitt defense allowed for Buzzerio and Fairbanks to get their kills in transition as the two combined for 24 kills on .561 hitting in transition.
Valeria Vazquez Gomez led the way on defense, making 14 digs, her new career-high for an NCAA Tournament match.
Pitt improves to 10-3 inside the Petersen Events Center and 6-2 when playing NCAA Tournament matches in the venue.
The 2,814 fans in attendance today is the highest attendance for an NCAA Tournament match at the Petersen Events Center in program history.

SET 1: PITT 25 – BYU 21
The opening points of the first set saw Pitt go in front with short scoring runs only for BYU to respond with runs of their own as both sides executed efficiently on offense. It was the Pitt defense that would make the difference as the Panthers went on a 4-0 run to get in front, 18-13, thanks to some incredibly strong ground defense. In typical Pitt fashion, every player on the court was diving for balls leading to eight Panthers contributing to the overall dig total of 24 for the set. Once the Panthers were up by five, the defense held BYU at bey, never allowing them to get within three points and eventually winning the set by four. Vazquez Gomez led the way with six digs while both Fairbanks and Buzzerio contributed four more. On offense, Pitt hit .304 with a well-balanced attack. Buzzerio, Fairbanks and Serena Gray contributed four kills each as the Panthers sided-out at a remarkable 76%. Vazquez Gomez was crucial in that sideout percentage, successfully passing all six balls served her way in the set.

SET 2: PITT 25 – BYU 22
BYU made its adjustments for the second set, resulting in a much more effective block for the Panthers to try and hit around. The Cougars ended up with five blocks in the set, putting Pitt in a difficult position offensively but the answer came from the defense as, once again, Vazquez Gomez, Fairbanks and Emmy Klika took control of the match, digging 11 balls combined in the set to force long rallies and allow Buzzerio and Fairbanks to take advantage of transition attacks. Between the two of them, Buzzerio (8) and Fairbanks (5) delivered 13 of Pitt's 18 kills with Fairbanks making her five kills on .500 hitting.

SET 3: PITT 25 – BYU 18
After an emotional second set victory, Pitt kept its foot on the gas, jumping out to a 7-2 lead in the third set and riding the momentum from the record setting crowd to a dominant set. Pitt led by as many as nine points, 18-9 and 22-13, before BYU went on a late run to close the gap to seven by the end of the match. Buzzerio was unconscious on the right side, making 11 kills on 15 swings without committing an error (.733 hitting) in what was one of the most spectacular offensive displays ever put on by a Panther. Buzzerio achieved more kills than BYU in the set (11-10) thanks to the defensive efforts of Fairbanks, Vazquez Gomez and Klika who combined for 13 digs.

UP NEXT
The Panthers travel to Wisconsin for a Sweet 16 match against No. 3 seed Florida inside UW Field House. Pitt will play in the. The winner of the Pitt vs. Florida match will take on the winner of the No. 1 Wisconsin vs. No. 4 Penn State match on December 10, in Madison.

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