Pitt
Cal
No. 1 Panthers Host Cal and No. 5 Stanford This Weekend
10/17/2024 1:30:00 PM | Volleyball
PITTSBURGH – The No. 1 Pitt volleyball team (15-1, 5-1 ACC) welcome new ACC opponents Cal (10-8, 2-4 ACC) and No. 5 Stanford (14-2, 6-1 ACC) to the Fitzgerald Field House on Friday night at 7 p.m. and Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m., respectively. Friday's match will be on ACCNX while Sunday's will be broadcast on ESPN.
The Panthers and Golden Bears face off for only the second time in program history, having not competed since 1981 where Cal defeated Pitt in the best of three sets. Pitt and Stanford will play for the fifth time, as the Panthers seek their first win against The Cardinal in program history. The nine-time NCAA Champion advanced to the Regional Finals in 2023 after losing to eventual National Champion, Texas.
THE SETTER SCENE
• Rachel Fairbanks and Kami Miner are the only returning AVCA First Team All-American setters from the 2023 season.
• The two have competed together in the USA volleyball scene and were both selected for the 2024 NORCECA Final Six roster.
COMPREHENSIVE EXCELLENCE
• The Pitt Panthers (4) and Stanford Cardinal (2) have combined for six Elite Eight appearances in the last four years.
• Pitt and Stanford play each other for the first time as conference foes and host the Cardinal for the first time since 1994.
SENSATIONAL STAFFORD
• Torrey Stafford is hitting .409 for the season, good for 22nd in the nation and first among outside hitters.
• The next closest outside hitter is 76th in the nation and hitting .353.
KELLEY ON THE RISE
• Middle blocker Bre Kelley has recorded at least six blocks in the last five matches.
• Her nine blocks against Boston College are a season high and one off her career high.
• She has hit at least .400 in eight of the last nine matches and is hitting .491 on the season.
SWEPT THE STANGS
• Pitt defeated SMU in straight sets last Wednesday behind 18 kills on a .571 hitting percentage from Olivia Babcock.
• She added a match-high four aces, seven digs and three blocks.
• The Mustangs were held to a season low .109 hitting percentage and were aced 10 times, the most in a single match this season.
• Rachel Fairbanks recorded a match-high 37 assists, setting Pitt to a blistering .427 hitting percentage.
MR. 300
• Head Coach Dan Fisher captured his 300th win at the helm of the Pitt volleyball team against Boston College last Friday.
• Fisher now has the most all-time wins at Pitt with 302, passing Shelton Collier with 295 wins (1980-1988).
RECORD BREAKER
• Olivia Babcock recorded a program best 12 aces in a single match against Boston College.
• Her 12 aces passed her previous career high of five and the long-standing program record set in 2005 by Diana Andreyko with eight aces.
TRIPLE-DOUBLE SHOW
• Babcock notched the first triple-double of her career with 14 kills, 12 aces and 10 digs against Boston College.
• She is the first Panther to reach the milestone since Rachel Fairbanks did so in the second round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament against BYU (28A, 13D, 10K).
• Babcock is the first player to record that style of triple-double since the 2021 season.
WELL-OILED MACHINE
• Pitt ranks among the top 15 in the country for hitting percentage (1st - .343), opponent hitting percentage (1st - .107), aces per set (4th - 2.27) and kills per set (15th - 13.86).
DYNAMIC DUO
• Torrey Stafford and Olivia Babcock have impressed in their sophomore campaigns after earning All-American status as rookies.
• Stafford ranks among the top 35 in the nation in kills per set (27th – 4.38) and points per set (33rd – 4.93) while Babcock ranks 2nd nationally in aces per set (0.81), 3rd in points per set (5.69) and 30th in kills per set (4.25).
• Babcock or Stafford have either led or tied for the team high in kills in each match this season.
BREAK OUT THE BROOMS
• The Panthers earned their 13th sweep of the season against Syracuse.
• Torrey Stafford hit for an impressive .560 hitting percentage, and senior setter Nisa Buzlutepe recorded a season-high 37 assists and added seven digs and a block.
SOARIN' HIGH
• Pitt defeated Boston College in four sets in Chestnut Hill, holding the Eagles to a -.010 hitting percentage.
• Bre Kelley recorded a season-high nine blocks, and Olivia Babcock and Torrey Stafford combined for 28 kills.
• Dalia Vîrlan registered a career-high six kills in the match and hit .455 on 11 attempts.
PANTHERS STING YELLOW JACKETS
• Pitt dominated in a 3-0 sweep of then No. 13 Georgia Tech, holding the Yellow Jackets to less than 20 points in each set.
• This was the first time this season Georgia Tech has been held to a sub .200 hitting percentage (-.043).
• Pitt hit a blistering .493, its second highest team hitting percentage of the season behind a .516 clip against Buffalo.
• The Panthers recorded a season-high 12 blocks in the three-set win.
ACC OPENER WON
• Pitt took care of business in the ACC opener against Clemson.
• The Panthers held the Tigers to a .094 hitting percentage and hit an efficient .326.
• Olivia Babcock had a match-high 15 kills and hit .406 in the sweep.
CAREER DAY
• Five different Panthers recorded career bests against UMBC on Sept. 25.
• Cat Flood (6K), Dalia Vírlan (4K), Bianca Garibaldi (2K), Ryla Jones (1SA) and Blaire Bayless (2SA) all impressed in the sweep of the Retrievers.
PANTHERS SWEEP GOLDEN EAGLES
• Pitt looked sharp against Marquette, sweeping the Golden Eagles.
• The Panthers hit .398, and three Panthers (Olivia Babcock, Torrey Stafford and Valeria Vazquez Gomez) recorded at least 10 kills.
• Rachel Fairbanks recorded 39 assists, six digs, three blocks and two digs.
• Emmy Klika picked up a season-high 18 digs.
PITT DOMINATES PIRATES
• The Panthers once again swept East Carolina behind Olivia Babcock's match-high 19 kills.
• Senior setter Nisa Buzlutepe recorded 30 assists, and Cat Flood tied her career high with three aces.
QB1 DOING QB1 THINGS
• Rachel Fairbanks was named the ACC Co-Setter of the Week for the first time this season (9/23).
• This marked the fifth Setter of the Week award of her career since switching to a one setter offense.
• She averaged 13.5 assists per set and set the team to a .391 hitting percentage in the wins over then No. 3 Penn State, ECU and Marquette.
THE ROOKIE IMPRESSES
• Ryla Jones earned her first ACC Freshman of the Week honor after an impressive three match stretch.
• She recorded seven kills in the sweep of No. 3 Penn State, hitting .636 on 11 attempts and added a match-high six blocks.
• Against East Carolina, she notched a career-high eight kills, hitting .800 on 10 attempts and added five blocks. She followed that up with three kills and four blocks in the sweep of Marquette.
SWEET SWEEP
• The Panthers swept No. 3 Penn State in the Petersen Events Center in front of a record-breaking crowd (11,800).
• Torrey Stafford and Rachel Fairbanks shined, recording 17 kills and 42 assists, respectively.
• Freshman middle blocker Ryla Jones had a then career-high seven kills on a .636 hitting percentage.
• Senior libero Emmy Klika recorded 15 digs.
ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER AWARD
•Olivia Babcock was named the ACC Offensive Player of the Week for the second time in her career after her impressive week in California.
• On the weekend, she averaged 6.17 points per set, 5.11 kills per set, 2.22 digs per set, 0.78 blocks per set and 0.67 aces per set on the weekend, hitting .347.
• This is the eighth conference weekly honor she has received after being named ACC Freshman of the Week six times last year.
BATTLED THE TROJANS, AND WON
• Pitt recorded its second top 25 win with a 3-0 sweep over then No. 23 USC in Los Angeles on Sept. 11.
• California natives Torrey Stafford, Olivia Babcock and Rachel Fairbanks impressed in their hometown, as the sophomore pin hitters combined for 30 kills while Fairbanks recorded 38 assists.
• Freshman middle blocker Ryla Jones led the Panthers with seven blocks and added four kills.
DOWN GO THE DUCKS
• The Panthers defeated No. 10 Oregon in its season opener in straight sets.
• Senior setter Rachel Fairbanks led the charge with her first double-double of the season (34A, 11D).
• Sophomore outside hitter Torrey Stafford came in hot after returning from injury, recording a match-high 13 kills on a .333 hitting percentage and adding five digs.
CONQUERED THE BEACH
• Pitt dominated in its second match of the season, beating Long Beach State in a 3-0 sweep fashion.
• Four freshmen experienced their college debut while senior transfer setter Nisa Buzlutepe saw her first action against The Beach.
• The team was clicking on all cylinders, hitting .351 for the match.
• Rachel Fairbanks recorded her second straight double-double with 25 assists and 11 digs.
FRESH FACES
• The Panthers' roster features five true freshmen in Ryla Jones, Bianca Garibaldi, Kiana Dinn, Mallorie Meyer and Dalia Vîrlan.
• Jones and Garibaldi joined the team in January, Dinn and Meyer arrived in Pittsburgh this summer, and Vîrlan came right before preseason.
• Garibaldi hails from Argentina, Vîrlan is from Romania while Jones (Washington, D.C.), Meyer (Nebraska) and Dinn (Kentucky) come to Pittsburgh from the States.
• Pitt also signed senior transfer setter, Nisa Buzlutepe, from Istanbul, Turkey.
• She has one year of eligibility remaining after playing three seasons at Texas A&M.
AN EXPERIENCED BUNCH
• Ten Panthers return from the 2023 Final Four Team, including five All-Americans.
• Rachel Fairbanks, Olivia Babcock, Torrey Stafford, Emmy Klika and Valeria Vazquez Gomez all have notched All-American, All-ACC and All-Region awards in their careers.
PITT IN RED, WHITE AND BLUE
• Olivia Babcock and Blaire Bayless competed with Team USA once again this summer.
•Babcock played with the Senior National Team in Anaheim, Calif., the only rising sophomore in NCAA volleyball to do so.
• Bayless trained with the U-19 National Team, winning the gold medal at the NORCECA U21 Continental Championship in Toronto, Canada.
FISHER IN HIS 12TH SEASON
• Head coach Dan Fisher is in his 12th season at the helm of the Pitt volleyball team.
• He is building upon his unprecedented success and seek his sixth ACC Championship and first National Championship.
• Fisher currently holds a 302-68 overall record, good for a .816 winning percentage.
FAIRBANKS RUNS THE SHOW
• The reigning ACC Setter of the Year and AVCA East Coast Region Player of the Year, Rachel Fairbanks, is putting up solid performances in her fourth and final season in Pittsburgh.
• The senior is 21st in the nation in assists per set (10.53) and has recorded double digit digs in five matches this season.
