Pitt Volleyball Closing in On No. 1 Ranking

The Pitt Panthers volleyball team is closing in on the No. 1 ranking in the country.

Pitt Volleyball Celebrates a well deserved point / Courtesy of Pitt Athletics

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers volleyball team is off to a great start in 2024, but it might get even better for them, as they may earn their first ever No. 1 ranking in next week's AVCA Coaches Poll.

Pitt Volleyball Hot Start

Pitt went into Eugene, Ore. and swept then ranked No. 10 Oregon on Aug. 30 and then the same with Long Beach State on Aug. 31. They then took on Buffalo at Fitzgerald Field House on Sept. 3 and swept them as well.

The Panthers' victory over the Ducks got them their first season opener win since 2021, when they took down then ranked No. 23 Rice Owls at the Carolina Classic in Columbia, S.C.

They lost to then ranked No. 25 San Diego Toreros in five sets in 2022 at the Texas A&M Invitational, who ended up making the Final Four, and to then ranked No. 17 BYU Cougars at the Ellesyn Invitational in Missoula, Mont.

It wasn't enough for Pitt to start off with a win, they needed to play with some style as well. They held all three opponents below .200 hitting, with Oregon at .186, Buffalo at .026 and Long Beach State at .011.

The Panthers, themselves, have improved their own hitting percentage each game, with .286 against the Ducks, .351 vs. the Beach and .516 against the Bulls.

Pitt has gotten great contributions from the five starters from last season in sophomores, right side hitter Olivia Babcock and outside hitter Torrey Stafford, sixth year in outside hitter Valeria Vazquez Gomez and seniors in setter Rachel Fairbanks and libero/defensive specialist Emmy Klika.

They also have middle blockers in redshirt junior Bre Kelley, who returned after suffering a season-ending ankle injury last season, and freshmen in Ryla Jones, who also starts, plus Bianca Garibaldi and Dalia Vîrlan from Argentina and Romania, respectively.

Other Pitt players to account for include serve specialists in graduate student outside hitter Cat Flood and liberos/defensive specialists in freshman Mallorie Meyer and junior Dillyn Griffin, as well as senior setter and Texas A&M transfer Nisa Buzlutepe and sophomore outside hitter Blaire Bayless, as well as

The AVCA Poll and How it Might Change

Pitt came into the season ranked No. 4 after making the Final Four last season for the third straight year. Reigning National Champions Texas took No. 1, runner-ups Nebraska came in at No. 2 and fellow semifinalist Wisconsin started out at No. 3.

Wisconsin started their season 0-3, with losses in four sets to then ranked No. 6 Louisville on the road on Aug. 27 and then four sets to Texas on Sept. 1 and then in a sweep to No. 5 Stanford on Sept. 2, with the latter two defeats at the Women's College Volleyball Showcase at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.

Texas themselves lost a five set thriller to No. 18 Minnesota on Sept. 2, also at the Fiserv Forum, dropping their first match since a sweep on the road vs. Kansas State on Nov. 8, 2023.

Nebraska won in four sets against then ranked No. 9 Kentucky in Louisville on Aug. 27, defeated both Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and TCU at home Aug. 30-31, but lost in a sweep to ACC incomer SMU in Dallas on Sept. 3.

Pitt, still undefeated, has a chance to leap both Nebraska and Texas for that No. 1 spot, as they don't play any games this weekend. Still, they have some challengers below them, who also have a case for the No. 1 spot.

Competition for No. 1 Ranking

Stanford is 4-0 on the season and holds the No. 5 ranking in the poll. They swept Milwaukee on Aug. 30, outlasted No. 18 Minnesota in five sets and defeated No. 6 Wisconsin on Sept. 2 in four sets at the Fiserv Forum and swept No. 24 Marquette on their home court on Sept. 4.

Penn State is No. 7 in the country and defeated then ranked No. 15 Tennessee on the road in four sets on Aug. 30 and swept Temple in Philadelphia on Sept. 1. They also dominated No. 4 Louisville at home, sweeping them and holding them to a .091 hitting percentage.

Stanford, Like Pitt, they don't play this weekend and will go into next week undefeated. Penn State will travel to take on No. 9 Kentucky and Ball State on Sept. 6/Sept. 7, respectively, in Lexington, Ky.

The AVCA coaches poll voters don't tend to make volatile decisions, which bodes well for Pitt, but with Stanford and Penn State getting some big wins, they may also have a good chance of taking that No. 1 spot as well.

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