Inside The Panthers

Pitt Volleyball Lands 2026 OH Ayanna Watson

The Pitt Panthers added their fourth commitment to their volleyball class of 2026 in outside hitter Ayanna Watson.

Dominic Campbell

Pitt Volleyball landed a talented outside hitter in Class of 2026 commitment Ayanna Watson
Pitt Volleyball landed a talented outside hitter in Class of 2026 commitment Ayanna Watson / Ayanna Watson's Twitter

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers have had an excellent month of June when it comes to volleyball recruiting and they landed one of the top recruits in the Class of 2026.

Outside hitter Ayanna Watson announced her commitment to Pitt volleyball on her Twitter and Instagram.

"itā€™s finally here!! pitt is it!!," Watson wrote on her Instagram post. "iā€™m so extremely excited and blessed to announce that i have verbally committed to play division one volleyball at the University of Pittsburgh!! I am so honored for this opportunity to continue my academic and athletic career as a panther!! first, i wanted to thank God for gifting me with my athletic and academic abilities and also for allowing me to be presented with all of the opportunities i have been granted along the way.

"next, i wanted to thank my parents and my sisters who have been my biggest supporters throughout this whole process. i also wanted to thank my teammates, friends, and coaches that have helped me to develop to where i am today not only as an athlete, but more important as a human being. as far as coaches go, thank you to Coach Mel and Coach Ruben for always believing in me and making me better by teaching me life lessons through this beautiful sport.

"lastly, i wanted to thank Coaches Fisher, Kellen, Kama, Shaun, and Michael for offering me the opportunity to be apart of the Pitt family! im so excited for what my future holds and canā€™t wait to call myself a panther!! hail to pitt!! šŸ’™šŸ’› šŸ† šŸ¾#h2p#pittisit"

Watson plays for Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas and also for Vegas Aces 16 Under Armour, her travel team.

She had a stellar sophomore campaign, leading the Gaels with 605 kills, 5.7 per set, while coming in second with a .392 hitting percentage, 52 total blocks, 56 service aces, 0.5 per set and third with 373 digs. She also was impressive in serve receive, making 601 receptions with only 13 errors.

Watson played a massive role in Bishop Gorman finishing with a 34-5 overall record, 12-0 record in the Class 5A Southern - Desert Conference and Las Vegas 5A State Champions in 2023.

She earned a number of accolades for her efforts last season, including Desert Region Player of the Year, Volleyball Mag High School All-American Honorable Mention and Max Prep Sophmore All-American in 2023, as well as 2024 Gatorade State Player of the Year in Nevada.

Coming from an athletic background, she is also the daughter of Tennessee alum C.J. Watson, who played 13 professional seasons overseas and in the NBA. C.J. Watson also attended Bishop Gorman.

She is one of the top recruits in the Class of 2026, as PrepVolleyball ranks her No. 5 and PrepDig ranks her No. 12. She attended a number of camps across the country, including Nebraska, San Diego, LSU, Baylor, Ohio State and USC.

Watson is the fourth commitment for Pitt volleyball in the Class of 2026, along with her teammate in libero/setter Trinity Thompson, who also plays for Bishop Gorman and Vegas Aces.

Isabella Hoppe, who plays setter and hails from nearby Pine-Richland High School in Gibsonia, Pa., and outside hitter/libero/defensive specialist Izzy Masten from Tri-West Hendricks High School in Lizton, Ind. also join Watson and Thompson in the Class of 2026.

The Panthers had five commitments in the Class of 2024 in middle blockers Ryla Jones, Bianca Garibaldi from Argentina andĀ Dalia VĆ®rlan from Romania,Ā libero/defensive specialist Mallorie Meyer and right side hitter/setter Kiana Dinn.Ā 

They also have two commitments in the Class of 2025 in outside hitter Samara Coleman and outside hitter/middle blocker Abbey Emch.

Make sure you bookmarkĀ Inside the PanthersĀ for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage, and more!Ā 

Follow Inside the Panthers on Twitter:Ā @InsidePitt

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Dominic Campbell
DOMINIC CAMPBELL

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