Takeaways: Pitt Volleyball Shines in Win vs. Louisville

Pitt Panthers volleyball shined in their win vs. Louisville.

Dominic Campbell | 8 Hours Ago

Pitt Volleyball Celebrates Point in Win vs. No. 3 Louisville / Courtesy of Pitt Athletic

PITTSBURGH -- No. 1 Pitt Panthers volleyball showed why they've held the top spot in the AVCA Coaches Poll for 12 weeks straight, as they defeated their rival, No. 3 Louisville, in four sets on the road.

Pitt Starts Fast, Holds Leads, Finishes Off Louisville

Pitt got strong starts to the first, third and fourth sets in their win over Louisville and it played an important role in them taking the match,

They had a 5-2 lead in the first set, fended off the Cardinals to make it 12-8, stayed up 24-19 and held off their rival for the 25-23 set victory.

Pitt went on a 7-1 run, after starting the third set up 7-5, to increase their advantage to 14-6. They still had to fight till the end, but would win the period, 25-20.

The Panthers broke open a 17-8 lead on a 10-1 run in the fourth set and would take it 25-16, as the Cardinals stood no chance in that period.

Pitt came out on top because of the great starts. Facing a tough rival on the road, you can't go down early and they came right at Louisville and got the victory.

The Cardinals won the second set because they opened with a 9-5 lead and fended off comebacks from the Panthers, 11-9 and 17-16 to end the period with an 8-2 run to win it, 25-18.

This rivalry has shown that neither team has much of a chance to comeback if the lead grows too large. The talent on both sides is too great and Pitt showed they were the better team in this one.

Pitt Takes Control of Rivalry vs. Louisville

Pitt has now won four straight matches vs. Louisville dating back to last season, as they have taken control of the rivalry, the best in women's college volleyball.

The Panthers reverse swept Louisville twice last season, at the Petersen Events Center on Nov. 18, 2023, which gave them home court advantage in the NCAA Tournament, and then in the Elite Eight in Fitzgerald Field House, to make their third straight Final Four.

Pitt has kept the momentum going this season vs. Louisville, as they also won in five sets on Oct. 25 in front of 11,309 fans at the Petersen Events Center.

This is the first win for the Panthers in Louisville since they swept the Cardinals in 2019. They lost in five sets in 2021 and suffered sweeps in both 2022 and 2023.

It also ties the longest winning streak for Pitt over Louisville, as they won four from 2018-20. It is also just the fifth win in Louisville all-time, with previous victories in 1984, 2011 and 2014.

Louisville won six out of seven matchups vs. Pitt from Oct. 23, 2020 to Oct. 13, 2023, which included the Final Four match in 2022, when they won in five sets and in the fifth set, 15-2.

The Panthers have shown the Cardinals that they are the dominant team in this rivalry at the moment and that they know how to defeat one of the best teams in the country, consistently.

Pitt Stars Shine Brightest on National Stage

Pitt has a number of fantastic players on their roster, but their best players put on dominant peformances in the win over Louisville.

Sophomore outside hitter Torrey Stafford finished with 17 kills, tying her season-high, and added 13 digs for her fifth double-double of 2024 and ninth of her career. She also hit an astounding .405, showing she is one of the most efficient pin-hitters in the country.

Fellow sophomore Olivia Babcock continues to show why she is the best right side hitter in the nation.

She had a season-high 23 kills, which tied her career-high that she set vs. Louisville at the Petersen Events Center last year. She also hit .311, made five blocks, five digs and two service aces, showing her versatility and importance to Pitt all over the court.

Senior setter Rachel Fairbanks helped both Stafford and Babcock hit as well as they did. She tied her season-high with 47 assists and led Pitt to a .310 hitting percentage. She also added nine digs, displaying her talents in the backrow.

Fairbanks, Babcock and Stafford are all semifinalists for AVCA Division I Player of the Year and they all played like they truly deserved the honor.

Panthers also got a great performance from redshirt junior middle blocker Bre Kelley. She made eight kills, hit .467 and led the Panthers with seven blocks in the victory.

Pitt will continue to keep winning in 2024, if their best players put on performances like this, which they've done all season.

Pitt Clinches ACC Title, Closes in on No. 1 Overall Seed

Pitt, with the win over Louisville, clinched at least a share of the ACC Title for the sixth season in the past eight years and three straight seasons.

Head coach Dan Fisher has changed the program from irrelvancy to one of the best and the domination of the ACC shows that Pitt will remain on top of the conference for years to come.

They will have a chance to win the ACC Title outright, if they defeat No. 19 Georgia Tech on Nov. 30 at Fitgerald Field House. Pitt swept then ranked No. 13 Georgia Tech in Atlanta on Sept. 29, holding their foe to a -.043 hitting percentage.

Pitt will most certainly earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the third time in four seasons, but a chance to clinch the No. 1 overall seed.

Nebraska, who is 28-1 and 18-0 in Big Ten play is also up for consideration for the top overall seed. Both teams have losses on the road to SMU, with Pitt losing in five sets on Oct. 12 and Nebraska getting swept on Sept. 3.

The NCAA Tournament Selection Committee named Nebraska No. 1 overall, back when the top 16 seeds came out on Oct. 20. They chose to look at quality RPI wins as the tie-breaker between both teams, not wanting to weigh how they lost to SMU.

Nebraska has 11 top 25 RPI Wins, while Pitt has nine top 25 RPI wins, which still gives Nebraska that No. 1 seed.

Pitt will need their rival, No. 4 Penn State, to defeat Nebraska at home on Nov. 29, if they want a chance at getting the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The NCAA Tournament Selection show is 6:00 p.m. on Dec. 1, which will show where Pitt will go and who will land in their quadrant of the bracket and they'll hope to go No. 1 overall.

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Published 8 Hours Ago