Pitt
24-4,15-2ACC
Miami
17-10,10-7ACC
No. 3 Panthers Sweep Miami in Home Regular Season Finale
11/22/2023 9:28:00 PM | Volleyball
PITTSBURGH –The No. 3 University of Pittsburgh volleyball team (24-4, 15-2 ACC) finished the home regular season slate strong, sweeping Miami (17-10, 10-7 ACC) Wednesday night in the Fitzgerald Field House. The Panthers were led by Olivia Babcock and Rachel Fairbanks, who recorded a match-high 15 kills and 33 assists, respectively.
Both teams went back and forth to start set one, as the Panthers and Hurricanes were tied 8-8 early in the first set. Valeria Vazquez Gomez gave the Panthers a boost from behind the service line and propelled Pitt to a 15-10 lead going into the media timeout. Miami came within a few points after a few Panther errors, and Pitt immediately called its first timeout, still up 17-13. A solid response and a pair of kills from Vazquez Gomez and Torrey Stafford forced Miami to take its first timeout. Dillyn Griffin came in clutch at the end of set one, going on a 5-0 run to help Pitt take the first set comfortably, 25-15.
Like set one, both teams competed well and sided out at an efficient clip until a surge from the Miami offense forced a Pitt timeout, down 11-13. Shortly after, Cat Flood delivered from the back line and tied things up at 14-14. Babcock, thanks to the service of Fairbanks, came alive in the remaining stretch and pushed Miami to take a timeout, down 20-23. A Panther service error and Babcock kill brought the score to 24-21, and Babcock capitalized on an ace to secure the second set win, 25-21.
The Panthers came out of the break with all the momentum, surging to a 10-5 lead as Miami called a timeout to stop the run. Another huge service run from Griffin, including two aces, an Emma Monks kill and Miami error extended the lead to 16-7. Pitt handled business the rest of the way, going on a 9-4 run to take the third set, 25-12 and match, 3-0.
NOTES
- Valeria Vazquez Gomez has recorded 10 or more kills in four of the last five matches
- Rachel Fairbanks has notched 30 plus assists in the last six matches
- Emma Monks blocked eight balls, doubling the next closest blocker in the match
- Pitt registered nine aces and allowed zero
UP NEXT
The No. 3 Panthers hit the road for the last conference match of the season, playing Syracuse on Friday at 6 p.m. The match will be available on ACCNX. With the win, Pitt will secure at least a share of the ACC Championship.
