No. 9 Pitt defeated Clemson in three sets Friday night on the road in one of their most dominating wins on the season.
The Panthers (15-2 overall, 5-0 ACC) win their eighth straight match with their victory over the Tigers (10-7 overall, 1-4 ACC). It also keeps the Panthers undefeated against the Tigers since joining the ACC in 2013 with 12 consecutive victories. This is also the fifth time in the last six years that Pitt started 5-0 in conference play.
Pitt found itself down midway through the first set, 14-12. They scored six consecutive points to take an 18-14 lead and kept Clemson at a distance to take the set, 25-21.
The Panthers demolished the Tigers in the second set, 25-8, to take a 2-0 lead. The set victory is the largest margin for the Panthers this season and since they defeated American in 2021, 25-7, in the first set of that match.
The third set saw Pitt take an early lead before Clemson cut the lead down to just three at 13-10. Pitt then went on a 8-1 scoring run to take a 21-11 lead and finished off the set, 25-18 to earn the sweep.
Graduate right setter Courtney Buzzerio continues to star for the Panthers offensively She led the team for the ninth straight game in kills with 12 against the Tigers. It was also her ninth straight game with 10 or more kills and her 13th this season.
Senior setter Lexis Akeo returned to action against Clemson, after sitting out last weekend’s games due to injury. She led with 18 assists and Pitt made kills on 18 of her 28 serves, around 64.3%. It is also the first time she led Pitt in assists since she made 27 in the victory over Penn State in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament last season.
Sophomore setter Rachel Fairbanks earned her 10th career double-double with 14 digs and 16 assists. Those digs tied for the most in the match with senior librero/defensive specialist Ashely Browske. Browske is now averaging 5.2 digs per set in her last two appearances and made double-digit digs in six of her last seven matches.
Pitt faces one of their toughest challenges this season next time out against No. 10 Georgia Tech. The game tips off at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 9 at McCamish Pavilion, Georgia Tech’s basketball arena. It is the first time the venue will host a volleyball match.
