Pitt Volleyball Outlasts Oregon, Makes Elite Eight
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PITTSBURGH -- No. 1 Pitt Volleyball battled a strong No. 4 Oregon team for five sets, but managed to come out on top to make the Elite Eight.
Pitt (32-2) make this the fifth straight time they've made an Elite Eight. It is also the second win over Oregon (24-8) this season, as they swept them in the season opener on Aug. 30.
Both teams were close early on, until a 7-1 run for Pitt broke open 13-6 lead, with two service aces from freshman libero/defensive specialist Mallorie Meyer capping it off.
Oregon went on a 3-0 run, thanks to redshirt junior middle blocker Colby Neal making two blocks and sophomore opposite hitter Noemie Glover making a kill and a block, forcing a Pitt timeout.
The Panthers then responded with a 5-1 run, with sophomore right side Olivia Babcock making three kills and redshirt junior middle blocker Bre Kelley making back-to-back blocks, including one solo, to extend their lead to 18-10.
Oregon stayed in it, going on a 6-1 run themselves, to trim the deficit to 19-16. They made three aces on the run, with junior outside hitter Mimi Colyer making two and senior defensive specialist Daley McClellan getting another.
Pitt then went on a 6-3 run and won the first set, 25-19. Stafford had three kills during this time and finished with five kills and hit .500 in the period.
Babcock led the Panthers with seven kills, five digs and hit .500 in the first set. Kelley made three blocks and senior setter Rachel Fairbanks added 15 assists, as the Panthers outhit the Ducks, .294 to .069.
Oregon came out the better of the two teams in the second set, with a 5-1 lead. Glove made two kills, while senior libero Mackenzie Morris had a service ace.
Pitt responded with a 5-1 run, with Stafford making two kills to trim the deficit to one, but Oregon went on a 4-0 run, with senior outside hitter Michelle Ohwobete and Neal making a kill each and combining on a block, keeping their lead at 11-6 and forcing a Pitt timeout.
The Panthers then went on a 5-1 run, with Meyer getting her third service ace, but the Ducks embarked on a 6-2 run to extend their lead to 18-13 and burn the Panthers' final timeout. Colyer and Morris had service aces on the run.
Pitt battled back to trim the deficit to 20-17 and 22-20, burning both of Oregon's timeouts
The Ducks scored the first point out of their second timeout, making it 23-20, but the Panthers came back with a kill from Babcock, back-to-back blocks by Kelley with Babcock for one and Stafford for the other and then an attack error on the Ducks gave the Panthers set point at 24-23.
Oregon redshirt senior middle blocker Onye Ofoegbu made a kill on the next play, McClellan made a service ace and then the referees called Fairbanks for an illegal attack, allowing Oregon to win the second set, 26-24.
Pitt fell behind again in the third set, down 7-4 and head coach Dan Fisher burned an early timeout. Ofoegbu made two kills and a block, while Ohwobete added a kill and a block too on the run.
The Ducks led 9-7, but then the Panthers got back to their brand of volleyball, playing fast, excelling in serve-receive and dominating at the net, which allowed them to go on a 9-1 run and take a 16-10 lead.
Oregon would have five attack errors on the run, while Stafford and Kelley added two kills each for Pitt.
The Panthers outscored the Ducks the rest of the way, going on a 9-6 run and winning the third set, 25-16, to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
Babcock led with seven kills in the period, while Kelley added six kills herself and Stafford made three kills as well. Pitt hit .464 in that set, with 16 kills and just three errors on 28 attacks.
Oregon had another good start to the fourth set, going up 9-4 and then 12-5, burning both of Pitt's timeouts in the fourth set early on, as they outhit Pitt, .438 to .143.
The Ducks continued their great run, dominating in serve-receive and stopping the Panthers' attack from its usual effectiveness, building a 17-6 lead.
Ohwobete added two service aces, giving her team 10 at that point, the most for any Pitt opponent this season. Colyer led the Ducks with five kills to bolster their lead.
Sixth year outside hitter Valeria Vazquez Gomez came back in for sophomore outside hitter Blaire Bayless and helped Pitt get back into the match.
She spurred a 6-1 run to cut the deficit for the Panthers to 18-12, 21-16 and then to 22-19, burning both of the Ducks' timeouts. The Panthers improved their serve-receive and defense in the backrow during this time, giving themselves a chance to make a big comeback.
Oregon would stay in it and win the fourth set, 25-20, with Colyer and Ohwobete getting the last two kills.
This was just the fourth time Pitt had to play in five sets, doing so in their loss to then ranked No. 15 SMU on Oct. 12, and in their home wins vs. then ranked No. 4 Louisville on Oct. 25 and vs. then ranked No. 19 Georgia Tech on Nov. 30.
Pitt got the perfect start to the fourth set, as Fisher succesfully challenged the first point, and the referees deemed the ball in on the block.
Babcock then made a kill and Vazquez Gomez made two good serves to give Pitt a 4-0 lead and burn a timeout from Oregon.
Stafford made a kill on an overpass, but the Ducks fought back to make it 7-5, with Ofoegbu making three kills.
Freshman middle blocker Ryla Jones and Stafford made a block for Pitt, but Oregon tied it up at 8-8, with Ohwobete making back-to-back kills and junior defensive specialist Maya De Los Reyes making a service ace.
Oregon head coach Matt Ulmer used both of his challenges in this set, but they were unsuccessful, and Pitt took a 9-8 lead.
Ohwobete responded with a kill and then Babcock made a kill and a net ball on Oregon gave the home team a 11-9 lead. Ulmer took a timeout for Oregon at this point to get something going.
Babcock had another kill, the Ducks committed an error and then Fairbanks got a service ace to make it match point at 14-9.
Oregon did their best to make a comeback with three straight points, but Pitt won the fifht set, 15-12, on an attack error on Colyer, and the match as well.
Pitt will face No. 3 Kentucky in the Elite Eight on Dec. 14 at 5:00 p.m. at the Petersen Events Center for a spot in the Final Four.
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