Pitt
Clemson
No. 1 Panthers Open ACC Play with Sweep of Clemson
9/27/2024 10:07:00 PM | Volleyball
CLEMSON, S.C. - The No. 1 University of Pittsburgh volleyball team (11-0, 1-0 ACC) defeated Clemson (8-4, 0-1 ACC) Friday night at Jervey Gym in straight sets for the 11th win and sweep of the season. Torrey Stafford and Olivia Babcock combined for 25 of Pitt's 38 kills, and Rachel Fairbanks recorded a double-double with 27 assists and 10 digs.
The Panthers jumped out to an early 10-5 lead; however, Clemson went on an 8-4 run as the Tiger's offense came alive and forced Pitt to take a timeout, with a narrow lead of 14-13. Pitt responded well out of the break as Stafford, Babcock and Bre Kelley recorded a kill, and Babcock notched an ace to cause Clemson to take its second timeout, down 15-18. Three attack errors and an efficient Pitt offense was enough to take the first set, 25-21. This marks only the sixth set this season a team has reached the 20-point mark.
Pitt stepped on the gas at the beginning of set one, getting out to an early 5-0 lead behind an impressive service run from Valeria Vazquez Gomez, and Clemson had no choice but to call a timeout. The Tigers' attempt to narrow the lead was unsuccessful and had to take another timeout, down 8-16. Six Panther kills and three Clemson attack errors down the stretch allowed Pitt to take the second set, 25-15.
Pitt began the third set in similar fashion as it got out to a 4-0 lead behind the serve of Fairbanks, forcing Clemson to take a timeout. The Panthers strung together another two points before the Tigers got on the board. A kill in the middle from Kelley, a Babcock kill and two attack errors from Clemson helped Pitt extend its lead to 10-1. Clemson strung together a few consecutive points but couldn't get within reach of the Panthers and had to call its final timeout, down 16-5. Pitt took care of business at the end of the set and ultimately won in commanding fashion, 25-13 and took the match, 3-0.
NOTES
- Rachel Fairbanks recorded her third double-double of the season
- This marked Olivia Babcock and Torrey Stafford's seventh match of the season with double-digit kills
- Bre Kelley recorded a season-high seven blocks in the match
UP NEXT
The No. 1 Panthers will finish the ACC opening weekend with No. 13 Georgia Tech on Sunday in Atlanta. First serve is set for 1:30 p.m., and the match will be on ACC Network.
