PITTSBURGH — No. 7 Pitt defeated Syracuse in a sweep Friday night at Fitzgerald Field House for the second time this season.
The Panthers (25-2 overall, 15-0 ACC) beat the Orange (11-14 overall, 7-8 ACC) last Friday on the road. This is the Panthers 18th consecutive victory this season and their fourth straight over the Orange since 2021. It is also the Panthers’ ninth straight victory at home since September.
“I’m always pleased when we hit over .300,” Panthers head coach Dan Fisher said. “I thought that was a goal of ours tonight. I thought we were inconsistent defensively, but that’s easy to do because they have some very good attackers that pose challenges. But glad to get the win. Glad to have a good senior night. So all in all pleased.”
Pitt fought Syracuse early on and managed to build a lead of 10-5 in the first set. Pitt soon broke away from Syracuse, increasing their advantage to 20-10 on an 8-2 scoring run, then taking the set 25-14.
The Panthers struggled early on in the second set, but the Orange kept them in it with service errors. When the Panthers led 10-7 early on, five of those points came from the Orange’s service errors.
While the Panthers never built as big of an advantage as they did in the first set, they led by four or more points for most of the set. They would go on and win the second set, 25-18.
Pitt and Syracuse kept it close to start the third set, with Pitt leading just 11-9. Then Pitt went on a 7-2 scoring run to increase their advantage to 18-11 and never looked back, winning the set 25-15, and the match as well.
Sophomore outside hitter Julianna Dalton led the Panthers with eight kills. This is just the second game this season she finished first in kills for her team, with the last on Sept. 2 against Cincinnati. She played an efficient game as well with a .467 hitting percentage.
“Probably the biggest highlight was Julianna’s numbers,” Fisher said. “She’s been really working hard to end this season playing well offensively. We think she’s important piece for our tournament run.”
Graduate middle blockers Serena Gray and Sabrina Starks made six and five kills each, respectively. Gray led with a .857 hitting percentage and Starks finished second for the Panthers with a .625 hitting percentage.
Redshirt junior outside hitter Valeria Vasquez Gomez and graduate right side hitter Courtney Buzzerio finished tied second for Pitt with seven kills each.
Sophomore setter Rachel Fairbanks led Pitt with 18 assists and senior setter Lexi Akeo provided 12 assists as well. Senior libero/defensive specialist Ashley Browske finished with a team high 13 digs, her third straight game leading Pitt in that category.
Pitt honored six seniors who are graduating after this year against Syracuse for Senior Night. The six seniors are middle blocker Chiamaka Nwokolo, graduate outside hitter Cam Ennis, Browske, Buzzerio, Starks and Gray. Fisher praised their efforts for what they have brought to the Panthers during their collegiate careers and how valuable they are going forward.
“Well, we have a good team culture this year,” Fisher said. “I don’t think that’s possible without seniors setting the tone for that. They’re very good players. They’re good people. Our gym and our locker room is an enjoyable place to be and some of them are fifth years that have played for a long time and they’re still everyday letting me push them and trying to get better.”
Pitt faces off against Louisville next Friday, Nov. 18 on the road. If Pitt wins the match, they win the ACC title for the first time since 2019. Fisher isn’t concerned with his team’s readiness for the game, but will focus on what his team needs to improve on before they take Louisville on.
“They’ll definitely be very excited to play against Louisville, Fisher said. “We’re just gonna keep picking away at areas of our game we think we can get better at. But it’s going to be exciting to play a team that good right now before the tournament as a test.”
