Pitt
15-3,6-1ACC
#6 Louisville
15-2,6-1ACC
No. 8 Panthers Fall to No. 6 Louisville Friday Night
10/13/2023 9:51:00 PM | Volleyball
LOUISVILLE, KY –The No. 8 University of Pittsburgh volleyball team (15-3, 6-1 ACC) fell to No. 6 Louisville (15-2, 6-1 ACC) 3-0 on Friday night at the KFC Yum! Center. Torrey Stafford led the team with 10 kills, hitting .261.
Pitt got off to a hot start at the beginning of set one, going on a 5-0 run and forced an early Louisville timeout. The Cardinals came within two, with Pitt leading 15-13, but a surge from the Louisville offense gave them their first lead of the set at 20-19. Valeria Vazquez Gomez evened things back up at 20-20, but a 4-1 run from the Cardinals was enough to come back to take the first set, 25-21.
Unlike set one, both teams kept the score tight at the beginning of the second set, as neither team called a timeout until the 15-point media break. Kills from Torrey Stafford and Chiamaka Nwokolo gave the Panthers the 15-13 lead. The Cardinals got up 18-16, and a pair of points caused Pitt to call their first timeout of the set. After a kill from Louisville's Aiko Jones, the Panthers called their second timeout, down 19-16. The Panthers responded, forcing the Cardinals to take a timeout up 22-21, behind a pair of kills from Stafford and Louisville native Emma Monks. Despite Pitt's best efforts, it was unable to secure the second set victory, falling 25-23.
Pitt and Louisville competed well throughout the third set, as the Panthers were within one or a pair of points, but the Cardinals never gave up their early lead. and eventually took the set, 25-22 and match 3-0.
NOTES
- Five Panthers recorded at least six kills in the match
- Rachel Fairbanks notched 33 assists, averaging 11 a set
- Klika paced the Panthers with 10 digs
UP NEXT
The No. 8 Panthers finish the weekend in South Bend against Notre Dame on Sunday at 1 p.m. The match is available on ACCNX.
