Pitt
9-2,0-0ACC
UMBC
6-5,0-0America East
Pitt Sweeps UMBC in Final Non-Conference Match
9/20/2023 7:19:00 PM | Volleyball
PITTSBURGH –The No. 8 University of Pittsburgh volleyball team (9-2, 0-0 ACC) took care of business Wednesday night against UMBC (6-5, 0-0 America East), 3-0. The team hit .487, and eight Panthers recorded a kill.
The Panthers and Retrievers began set one trading off points, as both teams were tied 4-4 early, but momentum quickly shifted the Panthers way. Freshman Torrey Stafford was deadly behind the service line once again, going on a 5-0 run behind a service ace to extend the lead to 10-4. Freshman setter Haiti Tautua'a continued the service pressure, forcing two attack errors and assisting Valeria Vazquez Gomez and Stafford on a pair of kills. After the run the Panthers were up 17-7 and never looked back, winning set one, 25-11. Pitt hit .684, and Babcock led the way with four kills on four swings.
UMBC stuck around in the beginning of the second set, as the score was 8-5 Panthers early. A Stafford service run that included three combined kills from Vazquez Gomez and Bayless pushed the score to 15-6. Logan Mosley in her first start in the libero jersey, was efficient across the board, as she caused the Retrievers to be out of system and allowed the Panthers a 20-8 lead. A kill a piece from Stafford, Babcock and Bayless secured the set two win, 25-12.
The Panthers had a slow start to set three as UMBC got out to a 10-7 lead early behind a much improved Retriever offense. Pitt was unable to tie things up until 15-15. Junior libero Emmy Klika came off the bench and made an immediate impact, causing an overpass to a Stafford kill. Emma Monks went on a 4-0 run at the end of the third, giving the Panthers a 23-19 lead. Stafford came up clutch, recording the final two Pitt kills to give the Panthers the 25-21 set three win and 3-0 sweep.
NOTES
• Logan Mosley recorded her first start in a Pitt jersey
• Eight Panthers registered at least one kill in the match
• Freshmen Stafford and Babcock continue their stellar play, as both put away nine kills
UP NEXT
The No. 8 Panthers hit the road to begin ACC play this weekend. Pitt will play Duke Friday night at 6:30 before taking on North Carolina on Sunday at 1 p.m. Streaming is available on ACCNX.
