Preview: Pitt Volleyball Faces Oregon in Sweet 16

No. 1 Pitt Volleyball faces No. 4 Oregon in their Sweet 16 matchup.

Dominic Campbell | Dec 12, 2024

Pitt Volleyball Celebrates Point Against Penn State / Courtesy of Pitt Athletics

PITTSBURGH -- No. 1 Pitt Volleyball faces another great test in the NCAA Tournament, as they'll host No. 4 Oregon in the Sweet 16.

Pitt Volleyball Regular Season Review

Pitt finished with a 29-1 overall record and a 19-1 record in the ACC, winning them the conference title outright. This is their third straight ACC Title and their sixth in the last eight seasons.

They also held on to the No. 1 spot in the AVCA for the final 13 weeks of the season, accrued 11 ranked victories and dropped just 10 sets all season, least in Division I.

This allowed them to earn their first ever No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. It is the third time they've earned a top four seed, allowing them to host through to the Final Four.

Pitt had all seven starters make the All-ACC Teams, with sophomore right side hitter Olivia Babcock winning ACC Player of the Year and head coach Dan Fisher earning ACC Coach of the Year Honors.

The Panthers had four All-ACC First Team honorees in senior setter Rachel Fairbanks, redshirt junior Bre Kelley and sophomores in outside hitter Torrey Stafford and Babcock.

They also had two All-ACC Second Team honorees, in graduate student Valeria Vazquez Gomez and senior libero/defensive specialist Emmy Klika, and middle blocker Ryla Jones made the All-ACC Freshman Team.

Pitt is in their ninth straight NCAA Tournament, and after making the past four Elite Eights and three Final Fours, they start their quest to win their first ever National Title.

They easily took care of Morehead State in the First Round in a sweep on Dec. 6, making it nine straight Second Round appearances.

Stafford led with 14 kills and hit .312, Fairbanks had 33 assists, eight digs and tied a season-high with five aces, Klika led with 12 digs and Babcock made 12 kills and 11 digs for her second double-double of the season and second career double-double in the NCAA Tournament.

Pitt also swept No. 8 Oklahoma in the Second Round on Dec. 7, making it five straight Sweet 16 appearances

Babcock led with 13 kills, Fairbanks made 36 assists, Stafford made both 10 kills and led with nine digs and Kelley made six kills, hit .545 and five blocks.

Pitt Volleyball vs. Oregon History

Oregon came to Fitzgerald Field House last season and took down Pitt in five sets. They opened up with a two set lead, but Pitt battled back, winning the next two sets and taking a 13-12 lead in the fifth set. Late errors from Pitt allowed Oregon to get the victory.

The Panthers defeated the Ducks twice prior, including a four set victory in 2019 at Fitzgerald Field House and a victory on a neutral court in 1978.

Pitt would travel to Eugene to face off against Oregon to start 2024 and swept them on Aug. 30.

The Panthers dominated in the first set, winning 25-12 and outhitting the Ducks, .545 to .048. The Ducks would keep it more competitive in the next two sets, but the Panthers would win in extra points in the second set, 27-25, and in the third set, 25-21.

Fairbanks finished with a double-double, 34 assists and 10 digs, while Babcock led with 13 kills. Kelley, who made her first appearance after suffering a season-ending injury early in 2023, made seven kills and one error in nine attacks, hitting .667, plus four blocks.

Oregon Preview

Unlike Pitt, Oregon lost almost their entire production from last season, with seven seniors graduating from their Elite Eight run.

This includes First-Team All-American setter Hannah Pukis, Second Team All-American middle blocker Kara McGhee, Third Team All-American right side Morgan Lewis and Honorable Mention All-American outside hitter Gabby Gonzales. The other departures include setter Elise Ferreira, libero Georgia Murphy and middle blocker Karson Bacon.

The Ducks still had a solid season overall, finishing 22-7 overall and 14-6 in their first season in the Big Ten.

With a No. 4 seed, Oregon hosted the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. They swept High Point in the First Round on Dec. 5 and defeated No. 5 TCU in four sets in the Second Round on Dec. 6.

Junior outside hitter Mimi Coyler is one of the returning players from last year and had a fantastic regular season, earning Unanimous All-Big Ten First Team honors. She leads the Ducks with 4.76 points per se and 4.02 kills per set, hits .253 and is fourth with 2.23 digs per set.

Redshirt senior middle blocker Onye Ofoegbu sat out last season after transferring from UC Irvine. She leads Oregon with a .369 hitting percentage and 1.29 blocks per set and is third with 3.17 points per set and 2.47 kills per set, helping her earn All-Big Ten First Team honors.

Senior outside hitter Michelle Ohwobete came from UC Santa Barbara, where she was the 2023 Big West Player of the year and an Honorable Mention All-America, posting a career-high 434 kills coupled with a .254 hitting percentage.

She had another good season in 2024 for Oregon, earning All-Big Ten Second Team honors. She hits .253, leads with 0.44 aces per set, ranks second with 3.50 points per set and 2.76 kills per set and ranks third with 2.57 digs per set.

Redshirt freshman setter Cristin Cline learned from Pukis and started 27 of the 29 matches she played for the Ducks. She averages 10.31 assists per set and earned All-Big Ten Freshman Team honors.

Senior libero Mackenzie Morris, who transferred in from Kansas State, leads Oregon with 3.40 digs per set. Senior defensive specialist is a returner from last season for Oregon and she ranks second on the team with 2.60 digs per set.

Sophomore opposite hitter Noemie Glover is another threat for the Ducks, as she averages 2.26 kills per set and 0.90 blocks per set. Redshirt junior middle blocker Colby Neal has played a good amount for the Ducks this season, second on the team with 1.16 blocks per set.

How to Watch: Pitt Volleyball vs. Oregon

Pitt and Oregon will tip-off at 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 13 on ESPN2. There is one game prior, No. 3 Kentucky vs. No. 7 Missouri, that starts at 1:00 p.m., also on ESPN2.

If the first match runs long, the Pitt-Oregon matchup will take place 30 minutes after the next match. Both matches will also stream on ESPN+.