Panthers Power Past Texas A&M

Sunday, August 28

College Station, TX

1:30 PM

Pitt

2-1,0-0ACC

Texas A&M

1-2,0-0SEC

Pittsburgh

Texas A&M

8/28/2022 6:14:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

Rachel Fairbanks Records Triple-Double to Lead Pitt to the Sweep.

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – No. 6 Pitt (2-1) recorded its second sweep in as many matches on Sunday, taking down Texas A&M (25-19, 25-17, 25-21) at Reed Arena on the third and final day of the Texas A&M Invitational. Sophomore setter Rachel Fairbanks recorded a triple-double with 13 kills,15 assists and 12 digs – the first triple-double by a Panther since 2006.

"We showed some good resilience after not getting the result we wanted in night one, coming back and getting two wins against quality opponents," Head Coach Dan Fisher said. "Some of the things I liked was our balanced attack. We were able use multiple weapons and not rely on just one player. I also liked our defensive effort, especially in the back row, out-digging all of our opponents. We're all looking forward to getting back in the gym and working on some areas that we've seen in film, need improvement."

QUICK HITS

Fairbanks' triple-double is the first of her career and the first of any Panther since Azadeh Boroumand did so in 2006 (August 25 vs. Southeast Missouri State).
She is the first Panther to record a triple-double in the 25-point rally scoring era (since 2008).
Her 13 kills and 23 attacks are both career bests.
She ends the weekend with 17 kills (1.55/set), 61 assists (5.55/set) and 33 digs (3.00/set) – earning a spot on the Texas A&M Invitational All-Tournament Team.
Ashley Browske reached double-digit digs again, finishing with 11. She ends the weekend with 48 digs (4.36/set).
4.36 digs/set is the highest average of her career for any three-match span.
She has now matched her career-best with five straight 10+ dig matches, dating back to last season.
Her efforts this weekend helped her earn a spot on the Texas A&M Invitational All-Tournament Team.
Cam Ennis led the team with 17 assists. She finishes the weekend with 50 assists (4.55/set).
Julianna Dalton matched her career-high, set on Friday against San Diego, with nine digs today.
Serena Gray led the team in blocks for the second match in a row, posting four. She finished the weekend with 15 blocks (1.36/set).
Pitt has now won 39 consecutive matches against unranked opponents, dating back to the start of the 2020 season.
The Panthers improve to 5-2 against SEC opponents in the Dan Fisher era.

SET 1: PITT 25 – TEXAS A&M 19
The Panthers continued their trend of fast starts, jumping in front 9-4 and hitting .333 as a team while holding the Aggies to -.250 hitting. That defensive effort was fueled by an impressive display of digging from Valeria Vazquez Gomez and a block from Gray that TAMU struggled to get around. The Aggies battled back, getting within one point, 18-17, but some TAMU errors paired two kills from Courtney Buzzerio resulted in a 5-0 Pitt run and the Panthers would but the set away with six points to spare. Buzzerio dominated the offense, making five kills on 11 swings (.455 hitting) while Vazquez Gomez paced the defense, making a block and five digs.

SET 2: PITT 25 – TEXAS A&M 17
For the first time in four sets, Pitt found itself trailing in the early goings as Texas A&M went in front, 6-3. But before the deficit climbed any more, Fairbanks found her terminating touch, polishing three kills over the course of four points to snatch the lead back, 7-6. Later on, Pitt would enjoy a 6-1 run off three Gray kills and a pair from Vazquez Gomez, stretching the lead to 14-10. The Aggies refused to go quietly, tying the score at 15, but the final run of the set belonged to Pitt, as the Panthers closed out the second on a 10-2 run. Fairbanks scored the final four points of the set via kills as she finished the set with a team-best seven kills on 10 swings, adding five assists and four digs as well. Dalton led the back row with six digs, while successfully passing all 10 serves sent her way.

SET 3: PITT 25 – TEXAS A&M 21
Pitt reverted to the norm in the third set, jumping in front, 7-3 thanks to fast paced offense and crisp defending. A&M continued to keep the set close from that point on, even taking a lead, 18-16. But the Panthers played their best volleyball at the end of the set, once again, winning the next five points in a row thanks to two kills and a block from Buzzerio, ending the match on a kill from Chiamaka Nwokolo to polish off the second sweep of the season. Sabrina Starks made a big impact off the bench, delivering three kills on four swings and adding a block. Fairbanks secured her triple double a team-leading four kills, five assists and five digs while Nwokolo led the way with two blocks.

UP NEXT
The Panthers continue their non-conference slate next weekend at the BYU Nike Invitational in Provo, Utah. Pitt opens on Friday, Sept. 2 with a double-header against Cincinnati (Noon) and Utah State (7 p.m.) before taking on No. 10 BYU at 9 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 3.

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