Friday, August 26
College Station, TX
3 PM
Pitt
vs
San Diego
No. 6 Panthers Begin the Season at Texas A&M Invitational
8/24/2022 2:30:00 PM | Volleyball
Pitt opens the year with Top 25 match against San Diego
PITTSBURGH – No. 6 Pitt (0-0, 0-0 ACC) will get the 2022 season started this weekend, playing three matches in three days inside Reed Arena at the Texas A&M Invitational in College Station, Texas.
PRESEASON ACC-OLADES
For the fifth straight season, Pitt has at least three student-athletes named to the all-conference squad. Three-time AVCA Honorable Mention All-American, Serena Gray was named to the team for the second consecutive season, alongside graduate transfer Courtney Buzzerio and sophomore Rachel Fairbanks.
Buzzerio, a transfer from Iowa, was named All-Big Ten in each of the last two seasons, registering the second most kills/set in the conference last season (4.07). Fairbanks has earned her first ACC recognition after starting all five of Pitt's NCAA Tournament matches last season. She is one of two setters on the preseason list, alongside Miami's Savannah Vach.
The Panthers earned five of a possible 15 first-place votes in the poll, finishing with 185 points, just six behind defending ACC Champions, Louisville.
PITT IN THE AVCA POLL
The Panthers were named sixth in the preseason AVCA Poll, released earlier this month. It is the highest preseason ranking in program history and represents the 71st consecutive time Pitt has been ranked in the Top 25, dating back to the 2018 Preseason. Pitt has now been Top 10 for 18 consecutive polls.
GRAY-ED "A" EFFICIENCY
5th Year Middle Blocker Serena Gray is coming off one of the most efficient offensive seasons in program history. The California native delivered 267 kills on 506 attacks with only 56 errors for a hitting percentage of .417 last season. It is the second highest hitting % of any Panther in program history and one of just five players in program history to record a .400+ hit % season in the 25-point rally scoring era (since 2008). She is one of three hitters in Power 5 to have: .400+ hitting, less than 60 errors and greater than 500 attacks - Rylee Rader (Ohio State) and Azhani Tealer (Kentucky). Gray helped the Panthers achieve a .285 hitting percentage as a team last year, the second best in a single season in Pitt history and the 11th-best percentage in the nation.
PANTHERS ON THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE
Head Coach Dan Fisher was named the coach of the U.S. Women's U21 National Team for the Pan American Cup over the summer. He was joined at the tournament by Rachel Fairbanks, who started all five matches at setter. Team USA won all five of its matches to win gold at the event.
Valeria Vazquez Gomez earned a spot on the Puerto Rico Senior National team this summer, competing in two tournaments with the team - the NORCECA Final Four and the Volleyball Challenger Cup, helping her team win bronze at the latter tournament.
Five Panthers trained in the USA Volleyball Women's National Team Open Program: Courtney Buzzerio, Julianna Dalton, Rachel Fairbanks, Emmy Klika and Sabrina Starks.
NEW PANTHERS
Pitt brought in its greatest recruiting class to-date this summer, signing the No. 9 class in the country and best in the ACC according to PrepVolleyball.com The class consists of three transfers (Buzzerio, Dalton and Ennis) along with two freshmen (Jepsen and Griffin).
Buzzerio joins Pitt from Iowa, where she played for four years, registering 926 career kills and 4.07 kills/set last season, the second highest mark in the Big Ten. Dalton transferred from Washington State, where she earned All-Pac 12 Freshman team honors in the 2020/21 season, posting 151 kills in just 16 matches. She has been training with the team since January. Ennis will make the third stop of her collegiate career at Pitt after spending the last two years at Texas A&M (Kansas prior to that). The versatile OH can play all six rotations and even set in her final year of competition.
Rachel Jepsen (MB) and Dillyn Griffin (DS/L) round out the class. Both players will have an opportunity to see action with Jepsen impressing the coaching staff with her athleticism at the net and Griffin with her serving prowess on the back line.
SCOUTING NO. 25 SAN DIEGO
The No. 25 ranked Toreros enter the 2022 season in the AVCA Rankings for the 25th consecutive season. San Diego is set to return four All-WCC First Team players, an All-WCC Honorable Mention and an All-WCC Freshman Team member. The Toreros' returners are complemented by a strong crop of transfers, including junior libero Madi Allen (BYU), and graduate transfers Gabby Blossom (setter, Penn State) and Breana Edwards (outside hitter, Indiana), plus four incoming freshmen. This will be the third all-time meeting between the two schools and the first in 15 seasons (2007). USD leads the series, 2-0.
SCOUTING HAWAI'I
The back-to-back Big West Champions start 2022 with eight returning letterwinners, including all-Big West first teamers Amber Igiede (MB) and Kate Lang (S). UH welcomes four newcomers with two freshmen, Caylen Alexander (OH) and Jackie Matias (S) and two junior transfers, Chandler Cowell (OH) and Talia Edmonds (L/DS). This will be the fifth all-time meeting between the two schools and the first since 1999. Hawai'i leads the series, 4-0. None of the players on Pitt's roster were born the last time the two teams met.
SCOUTING TEXAS A&M
The Aggies brought in the 13th-best signing class into a team that went 14-14 last season, missing out on the NCAA Tournament. They return just one starter, Cici Hecht. Four of TAMU's five freshmen were named AVCA High School All Americans. This is the sixth match between Pitt and Texas A&M. The Panthers lead the series, 3-2, and will be playing at Texas A&M for the first time.
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TEXAS A&M INVITATIONAL SCHEDULE
| No. 6 Pitt vs. No. 25 San Diego | Friday, Aug. 26 | 3 p.m. | Live Stats | |
| No. 6 Pitt vs. Hawai'i | Saturday, Aug. 27 | 5 p.m. | Live Stats | |
| No. 6 Pitt at Texas A&M | Sunday, Aug. 28 | 1:30 p.m. | Live Stats | Watch |
PRESEASON ACC-OLADES
For the fifth straight season, Pitt has at least three student-athletes named to the all-conference squad. Three-time AVCA Honorable Mention All-American, Serena Gray was named to the team for the second consecutive season, alongside graduate transfer Courtney Buzzerio and sophomore Rachel Fairbanks.
Buzzerio, a transfer from Iowa, was named All-Big Ten in each of the last two seasons, registering the second most kills/set in the conference last season (4.07). Fairbanks has earned her first ACC recognition after starting all five of Pitt's NCAA Tournament matches last season. She is one of two setters on the preseason list, alongside Miami's Savannah Vach.
The Panthers earned five of a possible 15 first-place votes in the poll, finishing with 185 points, just six behind defending ACC Champions, Louisville.
PITT IN THE AVCA POLL
The Panthers were named sixth in the preseason AVCA Poll, released earlier this month. It is the highest preseason ranking in program history and represents the 71st consecutive time Pitt has been ranked in the Top 25, dating back to the 2018 Preseason. Pitt has now been Top 10 for 18 consecutive polls.
GRAY-ED "A" EFFICIENCY
5th Year Middle Blocker Serena Gray is coming off one of the most efficient offensive seasons in program history. The California native delivered 267 kills on 506 attacks with only 56 errors for a hitting percentage of .417 last season. It is the second highest hitting % of any Panther in program history and one of just five players in program history to record a .400+ hit % season in the 25-point rally scoring era (since 2008). She is one of three hitters in Power 5 to have: .400+ hitting, less than 60 errors and greater than 500 attacks - Rylee Rader (Ohio State) and Azhani Tealer (Kentucky). Gray helped the Panthers achieve a .285 hitting percentage as a team last year, the second best in a single season in Pitt history and the 11th-best percentage in the nation.
PANTHERS ON THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE
Head Coach Dan Fisher was named the coach of the U.S. Women's U21 National Team for the Pan American Cup over the summer. He was joined at the tournament by Rachel Fairbanks, who started all five matches at setter. Team USA won all five of its matches to win gold at the event.
Valeria Vazquez Gomez earned a spot on the Puerto Rico Senior National team this summer, competing in two tournaments with the team - the NORCECA Final Four and the Volleyball Challenger Cup, helping her team win bronze at the latter tournament.
Five Panthers trained in the USA Volleyball Women's National Team Open Program: Courtney Buzzerio, Julianna Dalton, Rachel Fairbanks, Emmy Klika and Sabrina Starks.
NEW PANTHERS
Pitt brought in its greatest recruiting class to-date this summer, signing the No. 9 class in the country and best in the ACC according to PrepVolleyball.com The class consists of three transfers (Buzzerio, Dalton and Ennis) along with two freshmen (Jepsen and Griffin).
Buzzerio joins Pitt from Iowa, where she played for four years, registering 926 career kills and 4.07 kills/set last season, the second highest mark in the Big Ten. Dalton transferred from Washington State, where she earned All-Pac 12 Freshman team honors in the 2020/21 season, posting 151 kills in just 16 matches. She has been training with the team since January. Ennis will make the third stop of her collegiate career at Pitt after spending the last two years at Texas A&M (Kansas prior to that). The versatile OH can play all six rotations and even set in her final year of competition.
Rachel Jepsen (MB) and Dillyn Griffin (DS/L) round out the class. Both players will have an opportunity to see action with Jepsen impressing the coaching staff with her athleticism at the net and Griffin with her serving prowess on the back line.
SCOUTING NO. 25 SAN DIEGO
The No. 25 ranked Toreros enter the 2022 season in the AVCA Rankings for the 25th consecutive season. San Diego is set to return four All-WCC First Team players, an All-WCC Honorable Mention and an All-WCC Freshman Team member. The Toreros' returners are complemented by a strong crop of transfers, including junior libero Madi Allen (BYU), and graduate transfers Gabby Blossom (setter, Penn State) and Breana Edwards (outside hitter, Indiana), plus four incoming freshmen. This will be the third all-time meeting between the two schools and the first in 15 seasons (2007). USD leads the series, 2-0.
SCOUTING HAWAI'I
The back-to-back Big West Champions start 2022 with eight returning letterwinners, including all-Big West first teamers Amber Igiede (MB) and Kate Lang (S). UH welcomes four newcomers with two freshmen, Caylen Alexander (OH) and Jackie Matias (S) and two junior transfers, Chandler Cowell (OH) and Talia Edmonds (L/DS). This will be the fifth all-time meeting between the two schools and the first since 1999. Hawai'i leads the series, 4-0. None of the players on Pitt's roster were born the last time the two teams met.
SCOUTING TEXAS A&M
The Aggies brought in the 13th-best signing class into a team that went 14-14 last season, missing out on the NCAA Tournament. They return just one starter, Cici Hecht. Four of TAMU's five freshmen were named AVCA High School All Americans. This is the sixth match between Pitt and Texas A&M. The Panthers lead the series, 3-2, and will be playing at Texas A&M for the first time.
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Players Mentioned
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OH
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S/RS
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MB
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L/DS
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MB
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L/DS
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MB/RS
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OH
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