No. 9 Pitt volleyball continues their dominant streak, as they won their third straight ranked match with a sweep over No. 24 Marquette on the road.
The Panthers (5-1) win their fifth game in a row after losing their first match of the season to then ranked No. 17 BYU in four sets. The win for the Panthers also ends a five match losing streak to Golden Eagles (2-4) and improves their standing to 7-6 in the all-time series. This match was the first between the two programs since 2012, when both teams competed in the Big East.
Both teams kept it competitive through the midway point of the first set, with Pitt leading 15-13. Pitt then went on a 10-2 run to win the set, with first-year outside hitter Torrey Stafford making two kills and graduate middle blocker Emma Monks making three kills over that period.
The Panthers had no issue at all in the second set, starting off on a 10-3 run and then holding on for a dominant 25-13 victory. The Golden Eagles had a -.100 hitting percentage in that set.
Pitt looked to get an easy sweep, beginning the third set with a 9-3 run, but Marquette responded, with an 8-3 run to cut the lead to 12-11. Despite the Marquette resurgence, Pitt would score the next four points and kept a sizable lead, winning the final set 25-20.
Stafford had her best game of her short collegiate career, with a double-double, team-highs with 17 kills, an incredible .561 hitting percentage and providing 10 digs.
Monks continues to step up her role at the net, with both middle blockers in graduate Chiamaka Nwokolo and junior Bre Kelley missing the game with injury. Monks made a team-high seven total blocks, along with six kills and a .500 hitting percentage.
Sophomore middle blocker Rachel Jepsen also is taking advantage of her time on the court, as she finished second on Pitt with five total blocks, while also making four kills.
First-year right-side hitter Olivia Babcock had another solid game for the Panthers. She made nine kills, three total blocks and had a .436 hitting percentage.
Juniors in setter Rachel Fairbanks led Pitt with 21 assists, while libero/defensive specialist Emmy Klika led with 13 digs.
Pitt volleyball faces Loyola (Chicago) in their next match on Sunday, Sept. 10 at 2 p.m. EST.
