No. 1 Pitt Downs Virginia in three sets on Friday night

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The No. 1 Pitt Panthers volleyball team (20-1, 10-1 ACC) dominated Virginia (17-5, 7-4 ACC) 25-9, 25-9, 25-15 on Friday night in Charlottesville. Torrey Stafford And Olivia Babcock combined for 22 kills, 13 digs and seven blocks. Valeria Vazquez Gomez scored her 1,000th career kill in the first set, becoming the 19th player in program history to reach the milestone.

The Panthers came out of the gates well in the first set as Virginia needed a timeout and was down 4-0. Vazquez Gomez continued to put pressure on Virginia's passers. After hard serving, two Pitt blocks and a Stafford kill, Pitt extended its lead to 9-0. The Cavaliers scored a few points but couldn't hold it together enough to make a significant run and called a timeout when the score was 13-2. Babcock hit three straight aces at the break to extend a dominant Pitt lead to 21-2. Two kills apiece from Stafford and Vazquez Gomez were enough for Pitt to win the set 25-9.

The start of the second set mirrored the first, as Virginia took a timeout and trailed 4-0. Virginia scored a few points, but overwhelming service pressure and a nearly unstoppable Pitt offense caused problems for the Cavaliers, forcing them to call their second timeout with 2:11 remaining. Virginia tried everything to tie the score, but Pitt kept rolling and won the second set 25-9.

Pitt continued its ability to start strong with an early 6-1 lead, forcing Virginia to call a timeout. The Panthers and Cavaliers traded points back and forth until a 15-8 Pitt lead led to Virginia calling its final timeout. A 10-7 run and a 6-0 serve run from Vazquez Gomez were what Pitt needed to win the third set 25-15 and the match 3-0.

NOTES

– Pitt has now held opponents to a batting average of less than .100 10 times this season
– Emmy Klika had a game-high 13 digs, five more than the next closest player
– The Panthers have beaten Virginia nine times and have been successful just once

NEXT
The No. 1 Panthers close out the weekend slate on Sunday against Virginia Tech in Blacksburg at 1 p.m. The game will be streamed on ACCNX.