No. 1 Pitt Volleyball Sweeps Pepperdine

No. 1 Pitt Panthers volleyball swept Pepperdine in Malibu to stay undefeated.

Pitt Volleyball celebrates their sweep over Pepperdine in Malibu, Calif. / Courtesy of Pitt Athletics

PITTSBURGH -- The No. 1 Pitt Panthers volleyball team continues to dominate their opponents, as they swept Pepperdine in Malibu, Calif. Friday night.

The Panthers (5-0) stay undefeated on the season and the only team in Division I to not drop a set. This is also the fourth win in seven matches all-time for the Panthers against the Waves (1-5), including 3-0 under head coach Dan Fisher, with a sweep at home in 2018 and a five set win on the road in 2019.

Both teams came out tied 4-4, but Pitt used a 4-2 run to open up a 10-6 lead, and then after Pepperdine scored back-to-back points, Pitt got a 4-1 run to increase the lead to 14-9.

The Panthers took advantage of a service run by senior setter Rachel Fairbanks for a 6-0 run later in the period to make it 23-14 and held on to win the first set 25-18.

Pitt absolutely dominated in the second set, using a service run from sophomore right side hitter Olivia Babcock to increase an 9-4 advantage to 17-4, as she had to aces as well, using her powerful, top-spin serve.

The Panthers got some time for some of their reserves and dominated in a 25-8 set victory. This is the second time the Panthers held an opponent to less than 10 points in a set, with Long Beach State scoring nine in the second match of the season on Aug. 31. The eight points allowed for the Panthers rank as the least since they allowed eight in the sweep over Syracuse on the road on Nov. 24, 2023.

Pepperdine challenged Pitt in the third set, taking the lead, 11-10, after a 6-2 run, with five attack errors on Pitt.

The Panthers bounced back and took the Waves down with a 15-4 run to win the third set, 25-15 and the match as well. Sixth year outside hitter Valeria Vazquez Gomez and graduate student outside hitter Cat Flood both had long service runs, while Babock added four kills and sophomore outside hitter Torrey Stafford made three kills herself.

Stafford and Babcock both led Pitt in kills with 14. Babcock led with .407 hitting, finished second with three total blocks and third with nine digs, with her hitting percentage and digs season-highs for her.

Stafford added 12 digs, matching her career-high that she had against Coppin State in the First Round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament, and earning her first double-double of the season.

Vazquez Gomez finished with a season-high of 13 digs to lead the team, the most she's had in a game since she had 14 digs in a four-set victory over then ranked No. 15 Kentucky at the Petersen Events Center on Sept. 3, 2023.

Fairbanks led with 28 assists and senior libero/defensive specialist Emmy Klika added eight digs and a season-high seven assists.

Redshirt junior middle blocker Bre Kelley added five kills and led with four total blocks for Pitt in the win. Sophomore outside hitter Blaire Bayless came off the bench and provided three kills in four attacks herself.

The Panthers also held the Waves to .038 hitting, their third lowest of the season and the third time they've stopped an opponent from hitting over .100.

Pitt will finish off their California trip with a match against UC Santa Barbara on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. (EST).

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