University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt
Nebraska
Panthers Face Nebraska in National Semifinals Thursday Night
12/12/2023 11:57:00 PM | Volleyball
Tampa, Fla. – The No. 1 seed Pitt volleyball team (29-4, 16-2 ACC) meets the No. 1 overall seed Nebraska (32-1, 19-1 Big Ten) on Thursday night in the National Semifinals for a chance to play in the National Championship. First serve is set for 7 p.m. ET in the Amalie Arena and will be broadcasted on ESPN.
The Panthers trail in the all-time series against Nebraska as the Huskers have won all 14 matches. Most recently, Pitt and Nebraska met in the 2021 National Semifinals. The Panthers won the first set, but the Huskers were able to take the following three sets to advance to the National Championship. They eventually lost to Wisconsin in five sets. Rachel Fairbanks led the Panthers with 27 assists and six digs in the match.
The Husker are led offensively by All-American right-side Merritt Beason, a First Team All-Big Ten honoree. Both teams are led by freshmen as Torrey Stafford and Olivia Babcock face familiar faces in Husker newcomers Harper Murray, Bergen Reilly, Andi Jackson and Laney Choboy.
BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK
• The Panthers have advanced to three straight National Semifinals, the only program to do so in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
• Chiamaka Nwokolo, Valeria Vazquez Gomez, Lexis Akeo, Rachel Fairbanks, Emmy Klika and Cat Flood are in familiar territory, making their third career Final Four.
• Pitt is looking to advance to its first ever National Championship match with a win over Nebraska.
ONE OF ONE
• Olivia Babcock is the first Panther in program history to be named AVCA National Freshman of the Year.
• She adds to her long list of accolades (ACC Freshman of the Year, AVCA East Coast Region Freshman of the Year, First Team All-ACC, AVCA East Coast Region Freshman of the Year)
ALL-AMERICAN ATHLETES
• Five Panthers have been named All-American after successful campaigns.
• Rachel Fairbanks and Olivia Babcock earn First Team honors for the first in their careers while Torrey Stafford found herself on the Third Team.
• Emma Monks and Emmy Klika were named Honorable Mention.
PANTHERS OWN THE EAST
• A program-high seven Panthers were named to the AVCA East Coast Region Team.
• Rachel Fairbanks earned AVCA East Coast Region Player of the Year while Olivia Babcock notched Freshman of the Year honors.
• A Panther has notched the Player of the Year award for the third time in four years (Kayla Lund - 2020 and Courtney Buzzerio - 2022).
BACK-TO-BACK CHAMPS
• For the second straight year, the Panthers have secured a share of the ACC Championship, going 16-2 in conference play.
• Pitt beat two top-10 opponents in Georgia Tech and Louisville in the final four matches of the ACC slate.
ALL-ACC ACCOLADES
• A program record seven Panthers were named all-conference.
• Rachel Fairbanks, Olivia Babcock and Torrey Stafford are First Team members while Chiamaka Nwokolo, Emma Monks, Valeria Vazquez Gomez and Emmy Klika earned Second Team honors.
• Rachel Fairbanks is the ACC Setter of the Year for the first time in her career while Olivia Babcock is the first Panther to be named ACC Freshman of the Year.
DANCING SHOES
• Pitt is competing in its eighth straight NCAA Tournament, coming off three straight Elite Eights and back-to-back Final Fours.
• This is the second time in three years the Panthers are a number one seed, earning the right to host the first four matches of the tournament until the Final Four.
•The Panthers have competed in 19 NCAA Tournaments and hold a 22-18 record.
• Since 2020, Pitt has gone 15-3 in the tournament.
THEY'RE PROS!
• Graduate middle blockers Chiamaka Nwokolo and Emma Monks were drafted on Monday, Dec. 11 in the first ever Pro Federation Draft.
• Nwokolo was drafted number six overall by the Atlanta Vibe while Emma Monks was the 29th pick by the Columbus Fury.
VOLLEYBALL TOWN
• 8,865 people watched Pitt reverse sweep Louisville in the Petersen Events Center for an all-time attendance record in late November.
• This mark beats the previous program high of 5,195 set in 2019 in a home match against Penn State.
• After being down two sets to none, the Panthers came back to complete the reverse sweep.
BIG-TIME BABCOCK
• Freshman Olivia Babcock was named ACC Freshman of the Week six times, ACC Offensive Player of the Week and AVCA National Player of the Week in conference play.
• This is first time a Panther has earned AVCA Player of the Week honors since Kayla Lund did so in 2021.
BLOCK PARTY
• The Panthers are currently second in the nation in blocks per set (2.97) and are holding teams to an average .138, also good for second in the country. Pitt has been ranked top five nationally in these categories throughout the season.
• The combination of Pitt's block and back court defense has been tough to stop this season, and it has held 14 opponents to less than a .100 hitting percentage.
• Both Pitt middle blockers earned all-conference honors, and Monks is currently fourth in the nation in blocks per set (1.56) and 7th in total blocks (165) despite Pit sweeping 21 opponents.
QB1
• Rachel Fairbanks is setting the Panthers to a team 0.308 hitting percentage, good for top five nationally.
• All five starting attackers are hitting at least .250 for the season.
• Her 9.32 assists per set is a career-high, and she is also averaging 1.87 digs and 0.54 blocks per set.
MONSTER MONKS
• Graduate middle blocker Emma Monks set the program record for most blocks in a single season, previously held by Jessica Moses with 151. Monks now has 165 blocks to her name.
• Her 1.57 blocks per set is a career-high, improving upon last season's 1.04 blocks per set.
• Her .403 hitting percentage is also a career high.
VVG RETURNS
• Graduate outside hitter Valeria Vazquez Gomez announced that she is coming back for her final year of eligibility.
• She is currently averaging 2.27 kills per set and 1.94 digs per set, both good for third on the team.
• The 2022 Second Team All-American is an experienced six rotation outside hitter for the Panthers and will be a key part of the 2024 squad as well.
FRESHMAN PHENOMS
• Torrey Stafford, Olivia Babcock, Blaire Bayless and Haiti Tautua'a came to Pitt as the No. 8 recruiting class according to prepvolleyball.com, and they have not disappointed.
• Torrey Stafford and Olivia Babcock earned spots on the All-ACC Freshman Team and First Team.
• The dynamic duo combine for 770 kills, 351 digs and 190 blocks
TERRIFIC TRANSFERS
• Head Coach Dan Fisher and the Panthers added three talented transfers in Emma Monks, Logan Mosley and Bre Kelly to the squad at the beginning of the 2023 season.
• Graduate middle blocker Emma Monks joined the Panthers from Michigan State after playing in 69 sets, registering 133 kills and 72 blocks in her four years as a Spartan.
• Junior middle blocker Bre Kelley came to Pitt from the University of Florida, playing in every match and notching 203 kills and 124 blocks. She competed on the U.S. U21 team under Head Coach Dan Fisher.
• Graduate libero/DS Logan came to Pitt from Virginia Tech, where she recorded 1,304 digs in her four years as a Hokie. She has been instrumental as a back row option in her fifth season.
OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN
• Graduate middle blocker Chiamaka Nwokolo is a two-time captain for the Panthers.
• Chia planned on using her last year of eligibility in 2022. A future lawyer, she had an internship with local law firm Edgar Snyder and Associates this past spring.
• After further discussion with family and Coach Fisher, Chia decided to come back for her final year of eligibility.
OHANA IN PITTSBURGH
• A Hawaiian connection resulted in a home away from home for Lexis Akeo and Haiti Tautua'a.
• Current Assistant Coach Kamalani Akeo played for Coach Fisher for four years at Pitt before being promoted to a coaching position. During her time as a player, Kamalani was named 2016 ACC Setter of the Year and two-time All ACC.
• Graduate setter Lexis Akeo followed in her sister Kamalani's footsteps and committed to Pitt. In her freshman season, Lexis was named ACC Freshman of the Week eight times, a program record.
• Freshman setter Haiti Tautua'a, knowing Lexis in high school, was passionate about coming to Pitt to continue the tradition.
SISTER, SISTER
• Four Panthers have a sister who competed in the NCAA Tournament.
• Laney Klika (Wofford), Becca Kelley (Oregon), TaKenya Stafford (Coppin State) and Katie Dalton (Kansas) all competed in the big dance.
• Laney and TaKenya willed their respective programs to their first ever NCAA Tournament appearance.
