Saturday, September 3
Provo, UT
9 PM
Pitt
5-1,0-0ACC
3
at
1
BYU
5-1,0-0WCC
1
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F
Pittsburgh
25
25
19
25
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BYU
19
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21
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Pitt Topples No. 7 BYU
9/4/2022 1:43:00 AM | Volleyball
The Panthers end BYU’s 30-match home win streak
PROVO, Utah – No. 10 Pitt (5-1) delivered its first Top-10 win of the season (25-19, 25-22, 19-25, 25-21) on Saturday evening, taking down No. 7 BYU inside Smith Field House in Provo, Utah. The Panthers ended BYU's 30-match home win streak, that had dated back to the 2019 season, with the victory.
"I think the biggest thing that stands out is us having a great offensive night," head coach Dan Fisher said. "I thought it was great volleyball. Both teams were playing hard defensively and there weren't a lot of errors. It was a tremendous environment, and I was proud of our how our team responded, especially in the fourth set. We sided out well and never let the moment get too big. This was the best we played this weekend and the best of the season so far. It's a good sign to play this well on the road in front of a big crowd."
"We scheduled tough for a reason," Coach Fisher continued. "We wanted to go on the road and be tested against good teams and we certainly were. Although we didn't play our best volleyball on day one, there was some learning that happened. It was great to see us finish the tournament playing our best volleyball and do some things we weren't doing well throughout our matches on Friday."
QUICK HITS
SET 1: PITT 25 – BYU 19
Pitt seized the early momentum with a 9-1 scoring run, taking a 12-6 lead. Ennis was serving throughout the first part of the run, a recurring theme throughout the weekend, as Buzzerio, Dalton and Vazquez Gomez made kills with Nwokolo adding a solo block in the run. The Panthers never allowed BYU to get within four points from that point on, playing a much more physical game than the hometown Cougars. Pitt finished with four blocks in the opening frame as Gray and Nwokolo each delivered solo blocks while also both teaming up with Fairbanks for two more. Browske was all over the back row early on, helping Pitt through the 9-1 run and finishing with a match-high five digs after one.
SET 2: PITT 25 – BYU 22
The 3,342 fans in attendance made their presence felt in the early goings of the second set, boosting BYU and helping them take a 15-13 lead into the media timeout. But the Panthers emerged from the huddle on a mission, winning the next five straight points off a couple of kills from Fairbanks and an ace from Dalton. Pitt held the Cougars at bay for a while before BYU managed to tie the score, 22-22. But a pair of kills from Buzzerio and another from Dalton silenced the crowd as Pitt took a two-set advantage. The offense was once again well distributed by Fairbanks and Ennis as five Panthers delivered five or more swings. It was Vazquez Gomez and Dalton who led the way, each positing four kills without committing an error. Fairbanks led the back row with five digs as Pitt once again out-dug BYU on their home court.
SET 3: PITT 19 – BYU 25
This time, it was BYU making a mid-set scoring run, taking a 12-12 score and turning it into a 19-14 deficit for Pitt. BYU never let Pitt back within four and would take the set by six points. Gray was excellent in the early stages of the set, scoring five straight Panther points off of three blocks and two kills to give Pitt an 11-10 advantage, its last lead of the set.
SET 4: PITT 25 – BYU 21
Pitt bounced back extremely well in the fourth set. Passing well, setting well and letting Buzzerio and Vazquez Gomez go off. Buzzerio in particular was special, putting away nearly every ball set to her in the final frame and never allowing BYU to gain any significant momentum. Pitt took an early 11-6 lead thanks to three kills each from Buzzerio and Vazquez Gomez. That lead ballooned to 15-8 after Dalton joined in on the fun with back-to-back kills. BYU fought to stay in it but Pitt always had an answer as the two teams traded points later in the set with BYU never able to cut the lead to less than three. An attack error from BYU ended the set and Pitt secured its first Top-10 win of the 2022 campaign. Defense was the biggest reason for Pitt's success in the fourth, with Browske making eight of Pitt's 23 digs. Long rallies were the norm as both sides smashed balls at each other, with the most common outcome being a kill for either Buzzerio or Vazquez Gomez. They finished with six and five kills respectively with Buzzerio making her six kill on eight swings with only one error (.625 hit %), helping her secure Tournament MVP.
UP NEXT
Pitt returns home for the Panther Challenge. The home opener will be Friday, Sept. 9 against American at 1 p.m. followed by a Friday evening match (7:30 p.m.) against Bowling Green. The matches will be played at Fitzgerald Field House. Tickets are available at pittsburghpanthers.com
#H2P | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
"I think the biggest thing that stands out is us having a great offensive night," head coach Dan Fisher said. "I thought it was great volleyball. Both teams were playing hard defensively and there weren't a lot of errors. It was a tremendous environment, and I was proud of our how our team responded, especially in the fourth set. We sided out well and never let the moment get too big. This was the best we played this weekend and the best of the season so far. It's a good sign to play this well on the road in front of a big crowd."
"We scheduled tough for a reason," Coach Fisher continued. "We wanted to go on the road and be tested against good teams and we certainly were. Although we didn't play our best volleyball on day one, there was some learning that happened. It was great to see us finish the tournament playing our best volleyball and do some things we weren't doing well throughout our matches on Friday."
QUICK HITS
- Valeria Vazquez Gomez led the team with 16 kills on .400 hitting. The 16 kills ties her career high that she set earlier this season against San Diego.
- Courtney Buzzerio made 15 kills on .357 hitting. That's the most kills she has recorded as a Panther.
- She ended the weekend with 35 kills on .379 hitting, earning herself Tournament MVP.
- Julianna Dalton delivered 12 kills – her fourth double-digit kill performance this season.
- Dalton led the Panthers with 37 kills throughout the weekend, earning herself a spot on the All-Tournament Team.
- Rachel Fairbanks recorded her fourth double-double of the season, posting 30 assists and a career-best 16 digs.
- Cam Ennis delivered 23 assists as well, her best as a Panther.
- Ashley Browske led the way with 17 digs. She has now made 15+ digs in three of the six matches this year.
- Serena Gray led the way with seven blocks. She added eight kills as well, bringing her weekend total to 27 kills on .449 hitting.
- That, along with her 14 blocks, earned her All-Tournament Team honors.
- Chiamaka Nwokolo finished with five blocks tonight, finishing the weekend with a team-high 16 blocks (1.45/set). It is the first time she has had at least one block/set in three straight matches since her All-American season in 2020/21.
- Pitt out-dug BYU, 56-54. Extending its streak to six straight matches to start the season.
- Pitt recorded its 11th all-time victory over a Top 10 opponent and the 10th in the Dan Fisher era.
SET 1: PITT 25 – BYU 19
Pitt seized the early momentum with a 9-1 scoring run, taking a 12-6 lead. Ennis was serving throughout the first part of the run, a recurring theme throughout the weekend, as Buzzerio, Dalton and Vazquez Gomez made kills with Nwokolo adding a solo block in the run. The Panthers never allowed BYU to get within four points from that point on, playing a much more physical game than the hometown Cougars. Pitt finished with four blocks in the opening frame as Gray and Nwokolo each delivered solo blocks while also both teaming up with Fairbanks for two more. Browske was all over the back row early on, helping Pitt through the 9-1 run and finishing with a match-high five digs after one.
SET 2: PITT 25 – BYU 22
The 3,342 fans in attendance made their presence felt in the early goings of the second set, boosting BYU and helping them take a 15-13 lead into the media timeout. But the Panthers emerged from the huddle on a mission, winning the next five straight points off a couple of kills from Fairbanks and an ace from Dalton. Pitt held the Cougars at bay for a while before BYU managed to tie the score, 22-22. But a pair of kills from Buzzerio and another from Dalton silenced the crowd as Pitt took a two-set advantage. The offense was once again well distributed by Fairbanks and Ennis as five Panthers delivered five or more swings. It was Vazquez Gomez and Dalton who led the way, each positing four kills without committing an error. Fairbanks led the back row with five digs as Pitt once again out-dug BYU on their home court.
SET 3: PITT 19 – BYU 25
This time, it was BYU making a mid-set scoring run, taking a 12-12 score and turning it into a 19-14 deficit for Pitt. BYU never let Pitt back within four and would take the set by six points. Gray was excellent in the early stages of the set, scoring five straight Panther points off of three blocks and two kills to give Pitt an 11-10 advantage, its last lead of the set.
SET 4: PITT 25 – BYU 21
Pitt bounced back extremely well in the fourth set. Passing well, setting well and letting Buzzerio and Vazquez Gomez go off. Buzzerio in particular was special, putting away nearly every ball set to her in the final frame and never allowing BYU to gain any significant momentum. Pitt took an early 11-6 lead thanks to three kills each from Buzzerio and Vazquez Gomez. That lead ballooned to 15-8 after Dalton joined in on the fun with back-to-back kills. BYU fought to stay in it but Pitt always had an answer as the two teams traded points later in the set with BYU never able to cut the lead to less than three. An attack error from BYU ended the set and Pitt secured its first Top-10 win of the 2022 campaign. Defense was the biggest reason for Pitt's success in the fourth, with Browske making eight of Pitt's 23 digs. Long rallies were the norm as both sides smashed balls at each other, with the most common outcome being a kill for either Buzzerio or Vazquez Gomez. They finished with six and five kills respectively with Buzzerio making her six kill on eight swings with only one error (.625 hit %), helping her secure Tournament MVP.
UP NEXT
Pitt returns home for the Panther Challenge. The home opener will be Friday, Sept. 9 against American at 1 p.m. followed by a Friday evening match (7:30 p.m.) against Bowling Green. The matches will be played at Fitzgerald Field House. Tickets are available at pittsburghpanthers.com
#H2P | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Team Stats
Pitt
BYU
Kills
61
59
Errors
18
20
Attempts
144
150
Hitting %
.299
.260
Points
76
74
Assists
60
57
Aces
3
5
Blocks
12
10
Game Leaders
Kills
16
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
15
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
12
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
7
Players Mentioned
L/DS
/ VolleyballRS
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
S/RS
/ VolleyballMB
/ Volleyball
MB
/ VolleyballOH
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