University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt
#25 North Carolina
No. 1 Pitt Welcomes No. 25 North Carolina and Duke to the Field House
11/7/2024 2:15:00 PM | Volleyball
PITTSBURGH – The No. 1 Panthers (21-1, 11-1 ACC) continue their ACC season as they host No. 25 North Carolina (18-3, 10-2 ACC) and Duke (9-14, 5-7 ACC) this weekend at the Fitzgerald Field House. Pitt plays the Tar Heels on Friday at 6 p.m. and wraps up the weekend against Duke on Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Panthers lead the overall series 16-6 against the Tar Heels and most recently earned the win last season in Carmichael Arena. Torrey Stafford recorded 16 kills, four digs and two blocks in the sweep while Rachel Fairbanks dished 31 assists and added four digs and four blocks. The Panthers hit an efficient .312 and held North Carolina to a team .111 hitting percentage.
Pitt also owns the series lead over Duke, 15-8 and has won seven straight matches. Stafford once again hit an efficient .333 while adding 15 kills, six digs and two assists in the sweep over the Blue Devils last year in Durham.
WELL-OILED MACHINE
• Pitt ranks among the top 15 in the country for hitting percentage (1st - .332), opponent hitting percentage (1st - .112), aces per set (7th - 2.07), blocks per set (9th - 2.83), kills per set (14th - 13.99) and assists per set (125h -13.13).
HOUSED THE HOKIES
• Pitt defeated Virginia Tech on Sunday in three sets in Blacksburg.
• Olivia Babcock recorded a match-high 18 kills, hitting .341.
• Nisa Buzlutepe notched her first double-double of the season with 31 assists and ten digs. This marked the second of her career.
• Blaire Bayless tied her career high with eight kills.
BROOMS COME OUT
• Pitt downed Virginia in the form of a sweep on Friday Night.
• Olivia Babcock and Torrey Stafford notched 11 kills a piece, both hitting .375 or higher.
• The Panthers dominated in the first set with the greatest point differential of the season as Pitt held a 21-2 advantage. An 8-0 service run from Valeria Vazquez Gomez, a 10-0 service run and three consecutive aces from Olivia Babcock powered Pitt's dominance.
• Emmy Klika had a match-high 13 digs and assisted on five kills.
MISS 1,000
• Valeria Vazquez Gomez recently became the 19th player in program history to reach the 1,000 kills mark in the sweep over Virginia.
• She is also 45 digs away from reaching the 1,000 career digs mark.
• With the 45 digs, Vazquez Gomez will become the eighth player in program history to join the 1,000 kill + 1,000 dig club.
THIRD TIME'S THE CHARM
• Rachel Fairbanks earned a weekly conference honor (ACC Co-Setter of the Week) for the third time this season after two wins over No. 4 Louisville and Notre Dame.
• She averaged 10.33 assists per set, 2.00 digs per set, 0.33 aces per set and 0.33 blocks per set in two wins on the weekend.
• Fairbanks notched 46 assists, nine digs and two blocks in the five-set victory over No. 4 Louisville, setting the Panthers to a .262 hitting percentage.
• She concluded the weekend by recording a season-high 47 assists, nine digs, three aces and a block in the win over Notre Dame, setting Pitt to a .279 hitting percentage.
LUCK OF THE PANTHERS
• Pitt defeated Notre Dame in four sets to wrap up the fifth weekend of ACC play.
• Torrey Stafford recorded her second double-double of the weekend with a match-high 17 kills and season-high 14 digs.
• Rachel Fairbanks registered a season-high 47 assists on the day.
SILENCED THE CARDS
• Pitt defeated No. 4 Louisville for the third straight time on Oct. 25.
• The Panthers have outlasted the Cardinals in five sets in all three contests.
• Bre Kelley recorded her first career double-double with 12 kills and 10 blocks, hitting .500.
• Olivia Babcock tied a match high with 22 kills while hitting .326.
• Torrey Stafford (15K, 13D) and Valeria Vazquez Gomez (10K, 11D) both notched double-doubles.
BALLER BABCOCK
• Babcock was named the AVCA Player of the Week for the second time in her career for her performances against Cal and Stanford.
• She averaged 7.0 points per set, 5.5 kills per set, 1.83 blocks per set and 1.33 digs per set for the week.
• She notched a match-high 16 kills, hitting a season-high .577, five blocks, two aces and two digs in the match against Cal.
• Babcock recorded a match-high 17 kills, hitting .361 against No. 5 Stanford in the sweep and added six blocks, six digs and an ace.
PANTHER DOMINANCE
• Three Panthers earned ACC weekly honors after two sweeps against Cal and #5 Stanford.
• Rachel Fairbanks (Setter), Olivia Babcock (Offensive Player) and Bre Kelley (Defensive Player) notched the awards after impressive play.
HISTORY MAKERS
• The Panthers defeated No. 5 Stanford for the first time in program history in three sets.
• Olivia Babcock had a match-high 17 kills, and Pitt held the Cardinal to a season low -0.48 hitting percentage.
• This marked the second straight match that has been sold out in the Fitzgerald Field House.
BEAR DOWN
• Pitt handily defeated Cal in the Fitzgerald Field House in three sets.
• Eight Panthers recorded a kill in the match and hit .430 as a team.
SENSATIONAL STAFFORD
• Torrey Stafford is hitting .366 for the season, good for 56th in the nation and first amongst Power Four outside hitters.
• The next closest Power Four hitter is 83rd in the nation and hitting .350.
KELLEY ON THE RISE
• Middle blocker Bre Kelley has recorded at least five blocks in eight matches this season.
• Her ACC Defensive Player of the Week (10/21) was the first of her career.
• Her ten blocks against No. 4 Louisville tied a career high and are a season high.
• She has hit at least .400 in the last eight matches and is hitting .484 on the season.
SWEPT THE STANGS
• Pitt defeated SMU in straight sets 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.
• Fisher now has the most all-time wins at Pitt with 308, 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.
DYNAMIC DUO
• Torrey Stafford and Olivia Babcock have impressed in their sophomore campaigns after earning All-American status as rookies.
• Babcock ranks among the top 25 in the nation in points per set (5th – 5.70), aces per set (3rd - 0.67) and kills per set (23rd – 4.39) while Stafford ranks 56th in hitting percentage (0.366), 67th in kills per set (4.39) and 66th in points per set (4.41).
• 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.
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.
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.
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 308-68 overall record, good for a .819 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 27th in the nation in assists per set (10.43) and has recorded double digit digs in five matches.
