Pitt
8-0,0-0ACC
East Carolina
7-2,0-0AAC
No. 1 Panthers Defeat East Carolina in a Sweep, Pitt's Eighth Straight
9/20/2024 9:55:00 PM | Volleyball
PITTSBURGH - The No. 1 University of Pittsburgh volleyball team (8-0, 0-0 ACC) defeated East Carolina (7-2, 0-0 AAC) in three sets for its eighth straight sweep of the season. The Panthers remain as the only team in the nation to have not dropped a set. Pitt was led by Olivia Babcock with a season-high 18 kills, five blocks, two digs and an ace.
The Panthers started a bit slow in the first set as Pitt and East Carolina were tied early at 9-9. Pitt turned it on and created a run behind the serve of Nisa Buzlutepe. Valeria Vazquez Gomez and Bre Kelley supplied a kill a piece to force an East Carolina timeout at 13-9. The Panthers went on another substantial run as two kills from Babcock, and a kill a piece from Vazquez Gomez and Kelley caused the Pirates to take their final timeout, as Pitt held the 19-11 advantage. Freshman middle blocker Ryla Jones impressed offensively and helped Pitt to a 5-2 run to take the first set, 25-13.
Pitt and East Carolina battled at the beginning of set two as Pitt held a narrow 4-3 lead early. The Pirates looked to keep up with the Panthers, but Pitt extended its lead to 12-8 as Babcock continued to dominate in the front row. The Pirates responded with a 6-2 run of their own to be down by only one at the media timeout, 15-14. East Carolina sided out consistently throughout the following stretch, forcing Pitt to take a timeout at 19-19. A Babcock kill and Pirate error resulted in East Carolina taking its final timeout, down 20-21. It came down to the wire, but Cat Flood came in clutch at the end of the set, dialing up an ace to give Pitt a 25-23 set two victory.
Yet again, Pitt and East Carolina played it tight early in the third set as the pair were tied 9-9. Buzlutepe proved effective yet again from the service line, forcing the Pirates to be out of system, and East Carolina called a timeout with Pitt leading, 12-9. A 7-2 run from Pitt including kills from three different Panthers led the Pirates to take their second and final timeout, down 11-19. Pitt maintained its lead, and Dillyn Griffin served a tough ball that resulted in a bad set for the Pirates, giving Pitt the demanding 25-13 set three win and the 3-0 sweep.
NOTES
- Olivia Babcock recorded 18 kills in the match, 10 more than the next closest player
- Ryla Jones had a career night, recording eight kills while hitting .800
- Nisa Buzlutepe anchored the Pitt offense and recorded 30 assists, one off her season high
- Cat Flood tied her season high with three aces
- Babcock and Jones led the Pitt defense with five blocks, and Emmy Klika notched 10 digs
UP NEXT
The No. 1 Panthers are back at the Fitzgerald Field House on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. as they wrap up the weekend against Marquette. The match will be broadcasted on ACCNX.
