Pitt Volleyball Proves Might vs. Stanford

No. 1 Pitt Volleyball demonstrated their might in sweep of No. 5 Stanford

Pitt Volleyball Celebrates a Point / Courtesy of Pitt Athletics

PITTSBURGH -- No. 1 Pitt Panthers volleyball absolutely dominated No. 5 Stanford in front of a sold-out crowd at Fitzgerald Field House, proving their might amongst the elite in the sport.

Pitt improved to 17-1 overall and 7-1 in the ACC, their eighth straight win at home and 24 straight dating back to last season. It is also their first win ever over Stanford, after losing their first four matches against them, which all took place 30 years prior.

It is the sixth ranked win for Pitt this season, all sweeps, and third at home, along with then No. 15SMUon Oct. 9 and against rival No. 3 Penn Stateon Sept. 18 in front of a program record crowd at the Petersen Events Center of 11,800 fans.

They also got three road ranked wins against then ranked No. 10 Oregon in the season opener on Aug. 30, then ranked No. 23 USC on Sept. 11 and then ranked No. 13 Georgia Tech on Sept. 29.

Panthers head coach Dan Fisher said that the work his team puts in every day and the lack of acceptance for anything less than the absolute best is why they have had so much success against the top teams in the nation.

“Just how we’re training every day in the practice gym, No. 1," Fisher said. "The desire for perfection that everyone has. This group is better than any team I’ve had in terms of wanting to be great all the time and so when they’re flat, I push them and they want it and I think when we’re at our best, we’re really tough.”

Sophomore right side hitter Olivia Babcock starred yet again for Pitt in the sweep, leading the way with 17 kills, hitting .361, while also adding six digs and six total blocks.

The blocking for the Panthers played a major role in the win over the Cardinal, with 13 total blocks tying the second most in a match this season. Middle blockers in redshirt junior Bre Kelley and freshman Ryla Jones added seven blocks and four blocks each, respectively, joined Babcock in the great performance at the net.

They also defended incredibly well overall, holding the Cardinal to a .090 hitting percentage. This marks the ninth time the Panthers held an opponent to under .100 hitting and the sixth time in ACC play.

Pitt forced the two Stanford outside hitters in junior Elia Rubin and redshirt freshman Ipar Kurt to hit a negative clip, with Rubin at -.038 and Kurt at -.077. Fisher said the matchup of Babcock on Rubin played a big role in their defense and Babcock said the scouting that they did with the coaches made it much easier to excel in this matchup.

“I feel like we really emphasized the idea of not letting your first time be your first time," Babcock said on their defensive strategy. "So we scouted them really well and I feel like, going into this game, I felt like I had already played against these hitters. So it was just very comfortable and we had a good assignment and I feel like we all executed it very well."

This big time win for Pitt came after their first loss of the season to then ranked No. 15 SMU on Oct. 12 in Dallas.

Senior setter Rachel Fairbanks took the loss incredibly seriously, focusing more in practice and demanding more from herself and her teammates.

It surely worked in her favor, as she made 35 assists, two blocks, two kills and finished just shy of a double-double with a team-high nine digs in the win over Stanford. Pitt, as a team, also hit .314 and ranks No. 1 in the country with hitting percentage, with Fairbanks playing a big role in that.

“My job as a setter? I say this a lot, but my hitters make it so easy for me," Fairbanks said. "Like, I feel, 100% of the time I have everyone available and everyone wanting the ball and I feel like I can’t go wrong.”

Fisher praised her efforts and said that the work that she and Babcock put in this week, after struggling vs. SMU to create points in the defeat, showed in the weekend sweeps.

"...The two women sitting next to me weren’t very happy with their connection a couple of games ago and really have been working hard on their timing in practice and I think all that hard work paid off," Fisher said.

Babcock enjoyed playing in front of a sold-out Fitzgerald Field House and using the energy from the home team in the victory. This also marks back-to-back games sold out at the venue, as they swept Cal on Oct. 18, two days prior.

“I think it was great," Babcock said. "The environment, I don’t know, I know we had the same amount of people as Friday, but the environment just felt so much more electric today. I think that’s cause everyone had such good energy throughout and then I think it definitely reflected on the court. Like, we all had the same energy as the crowd, I think. That’s where we were able to find success because we were just having fun and being loud.”

Stanford and Pitt have many differences between the two of them in terms of their volleyball programs. Stanford has won record nine National Championships, finished as runners-up eight times, made 23 Final Fours and every NCAA Tournament since 1981, except for the COVID-19 impacted 2020-21 season.

Pitt has made the past three Final Fours, the only team to do so, but still doesn't get the same respect that a powerhouse like Stanford would, despite their recent great play.

Fairbanks, who hails from California, knows the history Stanford possesses and spoke on how Pitt consistently has to prove they belong amongst the best in the nation, which they surely did in this matchup.

"Traditionally, I feel like, or historically, volleyball has been a group of eight main teams and Pitt, as a school and as a volleyball team, we’re really just fighting to show that we belong," So I think, this, just beating them, and the ACC is better than it ever has been. So I think we’ve had a lot of games to prepare for a team as good as Stanford and we’ve prepared a lot for this team and felt comfortable enough to execute."

Pitt will cherish this win, but the main goal of a National Title still remains true and steadfast. They'll have to face some great opponents along the way, but Fisher is confident that he has the team to do it this time around.

“We feel it’s a special team culture," Fisher said. "What we’re trying to do is really hard, we know it is, but we think we have the group to do it.”

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