Pitt
#3 Penn State
No. 1 Pitt Takes on No. 3 Penn State in Rivalry Match Wednesday Night
9/17/2024 1:51:00 PM | Volleyball
PITTSBURGH – The No. 1 Pitt volleyball team (6-0, 0-0 ACC) hosts in-state rival No. 3 Penn State (8-0, 0-0 Big Ten) on Sept. 18 at 7 p.m. at the Petersen Events Center. The two programs have a storied history and will play in Pittsburgh for the first time in three years. This will mark the first time in program history Pitt and Penn State will play each other in a top five matchup.
Penn State leads the all-time series 34-21, but Pitt has won two of the last three meetings. Most recently, the Panthers defeated the Nittany Lions in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2021 at the Petersen Events Center, en route to their first ever Final Four appearance. Rachel Fairbanks registered a double-double in the win with 27 assists and 12 digs along with five kills and an ace.
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 15 in the nation in points per set (13th – 5.23) and kills per set (14th – 4.54) while Babcock ranks 8th nationally in points per set (5.38) and 50th in kills per set (4.06).
• Babcock or Stafford have either led or tied for the team high in kills in each match this season.
ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER AWARD
• Olivia Babcock was recently 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.
WELL-OILED MACHINE
• Pitt ranks among the top five in the country for hitting percentage (3rd - .334), opponent hitting percentage (3rd - .103), and aces per set (3rd – 2.44)
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 a season-high 38 assists.
• Freshman middle blocker Ryla Jones led the Panthers with seven blocks and added four kills.
PUT A RING ON IT
• The 2023 ACC Champions and Final Four participants will be given their rings prior to the Penn State match by alumni and Forever Panthers.
• Cat Flood, Rachel Fairbanks and Emmy Klika will receive their third ring (2021 Final Four, 2022 ACC Championship/Final Four, 2023 ACC Championship/Final Four) while Valeria Vazquez Gomez will be given her fourth ring, as she was a part of the 2019 ACC Championship team.
TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS
• The Panthers have swept all six of their opponents this year, most recently defeating UCSB at Pepperdine in the Asics Classic Tournament.
• Olivia Babcock and Valeria Vazquez Gomez combined for 27 kills and 10 digs as both hit above .400. against UCSB.
• Cat Flood and Babcock once again led the Panthers from the service line, dialing up two aces a piece against the Gauchos.
• Senior setter Nisa Buzlutepe recorded a season-high 31 assists in the UCSB match.
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 recently 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.
PANTHERS ARE HOT
• Pitt is coming off three straight Final Fours, back-to-back ACC Championships and eight consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.
• The Panthers are the only team in the last three years to appear in the 2021, 2022 and 2023 Final Fours and one of three to compete in the last four Elite Eights.
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.
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 29th in the nation in assists per set (10.36) and has recorded double digit digs twice so far.
ALL OUT DEFENSE
• The Panthers finished the 2023 season ranked top five in total blocks (344), blocks per set (2.97) and opponent hitting percentage (.141).
• Senior libero Emmy Klika is set to return after a career-best season in 2023 after earning All-American Honorable Mention, All-ACC and AVCA East Coast All-Region honors for the first time.
