Pitt
18-1,8-1ACC
#4 Louisville
16-3,8-1ACC
No. 1 Panthers Defeat No. 4 Louisville in Five Sets Friday Night
10/25/2024 11:26:00 PM | Volleyball
PITTSBURGH - The No. 1 Pitt Panthers volleyball team (18-1, 8-1 ACC) won their first five set match of the season against No. 4 Louisville (16-3, 8-1 ACC), 25-21, 26-28, 25-17, 22-25, 15-12 Friday night in the Petersen Events Center. Bre Kelley recorded the first double-double of her career with 12 kills and 10 blocks.
Pitt began the match and immediately gained momentum, forcing Louisville to call a timeout down 3-9. In the following stretch Babcock recorded three kills, and Louisville had no choice but to call a timeout, down 8-15. The Cardinals stayed in the fight and caused Pitt to take its first timeout of the set, with a 23-19 lead. A Louisville attack error and a kill from Babcock sealed the first set win for the Panthers, 25-21.
Louisville rebounded well coming out of the break and forced Pitt to take a timeout, down 3-7. The Cardinals continued putting their foot on the gas and clicking offensively. The Panthers took their second and final timeout, down 5-12. The Pitt offense came alive during the next handful of points courtesy of Kelley, and a Torrey Stafford ace caused Louisville to take a timeout as Pitt came within four points. A Vazquez Gomez kill and a Cardinal error forced Louisville to take its second timeout. Both teams battled for the remainder of the second set, but Louisville was able to take a 28-26 set two victory.
Neither team could string together enough points for a significant lead as Pitt went into the media timeout up 15-13. An attack error and a kill from Ryla Jones forced Louisville to take a timeout. A kill from Babcock and another Louisville error caused the Cardinals to take a timeout, down 14-19. Pitt needed to think things over after two straight kills from the Cardinals. A 6-1 run from the Panthers sealed the deal and won the third set, 25-17.
Similar to the third set, both teams battled back and forth in the first half of the fourth set. Louisville held a narrow 13-11 lead, and Pitt took a timeout to talk things over. Four Panther kills and a hitting error from the Cardinals made Louisville call a timeout, all tied up at 16-16. The Cardinals impressed in the following stretch as Pitt took a 22-18 lead into the timeout. Babcock recorded back-to-back kills in the next two points, and Louisville needed a break. Three kills from the Louisville pin hitters was enough for the Cardinals to win the fourth set, 25-22.
Pitt had a hot start in the fifth set and forced Louisville to take a timeout, down 2-5. Jones, Kelley and Babcock recorded kills and forced Louisville to take its final timeout, down 7-10. Pitt held a 13-9 advantage, but three straight points from the Cardinals caused Pitt to take a timeout, within one. A kill from Blaire Bayless and Vazquez Gomez was enough for Pitt to win the fifth set, 15-12 and the match, 3-2.
NOTES
- This is the third straight five set win against No. 4 Louisville.
- Olivia Babcock recorded a season-high 22 kills on a .326 hitting percentage.
- Rachel Fairbanks dished out a season-high 46 assists along with nine digs and two blocks.
- Valeria Vazquez Gomez had her first double-double of the season with 10 kills and 11 digs.
UP NEXT
The No. 1 Panthers return to the Fitzgerald Field House on Sunday at 1 p.m. The match will be streamed on ACCNX.
