PITTSBURGH — No. 7 Pitt fell behind in their match with No. 11 Georgia Tech, losing the first two sets and on the brink of a disappointing loss. They made an incredible comeback, winning the next three sets off some of their best play of the season to get a win in front of a sold out crowd at Fitzgerald Field House Friday night.
The Panthers (14-2 overall, 5-0 ACC) win their eighth straight match and their fourth straight over the Yellow Jackets (13-2 overall, 4-1 ACC). The win also keeps the Panthers at the top of the ACC with Florida State, who are also 5-0.
Georgia Tech started out the first set with a 5-2 run, but first-year right side hitter Olivia Babcock changed things in favor of Pitt. She made the kill to end the run and then took over on serving duties. This led to a 7-0 run from Pitt, as her powerful serve forced Georgia Tech out of system and also two service aces.
The Panthers would increase their advantage to 12-6, on a 10-1 run, but the Yellow Jackets wouldn’t quit. They went on a 6-1 run themselves to cut the Panthers’ advantage to one, 13-12, with two kills from graduate student middle blocker Afedo Manyang along the way.
Coming out of that timeout, Pitt stayed with a small lead for most of the set and Georgia Tech took a timeout, down 22-19. Redshirt senior outside hitter Valeria Vasquez Gomez made a kill for Pitt and they had a 23-20 lead and looked to win the first set.
Yellow Jackets first-year outside hitter Larissa Mendes made a kill and allowed junior outside hitter Bianca Bertolino to take over the serve. She would guide the Yellow Jackets to a 5-0 run, along with senior outside hitter Tamara Otene who made the final three kills to win the first set.
The second set featured runs for both teams and neither really taking control at all throughout. Georgia Tech took a 7-4 lead, then Pitt responded to make it 8-7 in their favor. Georgia Tech retook the lead at 13-10 and then Pitt scored five straight points to make it 15-13.
The Panthers would hold onto the lead, going up 22-20 and 23-22 and looking to get their first set. The Yellow Jackets would foil those plans, with three players combining for a block, then Otene making a kill and Bertolino getting her third service ace to take the second set, 25-23.
After losing the first two sets, Pitt came back out ready to dominate in the third set. Georgia Tech kept it close initially, down just 7-6, but Pitt would go on a 10-2 run to take a 17-8 lead.
The Yellow Jackets tried to come back, going on a 7-2 run to cut the Panthers’ advantage to 19-15, but the Panthers would finish off the set on a 6-2 run to win, 25-17. The Panthers outhit the Yellow Jackets in that third set, .367 to .067.
Pitt volleyball kept that momentum going into the fourth set, starting off on a 6-0 run and increased it to 15-5. Georgia Tech would try to cut into the lead with a 5-0 run to make it 15-10, but then Pitt went on a 5-0 run themselves to make it 20-10 before winning the set 25-15.
The fifth set was far more competitive with the Yellow Jackets starting off the better of the two teams, earning leads of 2-0 and 4-2. The Panthers battled back with a 6-1 run to take a 8-5 lead with the teams switching sides of the court.
Both teams traded points, but a great challenge from Pitt volleyball head coach Dan Fisher gave them a 10-7 lead. Pitt would hold onto that lead the rest of the way, scoring five of the final six points to win 15-10 and complete the comeback.
Pitt volleyball will finish their four match homestand with Clemson on Sunday, Oct. 8 at 1 p.m.
It was great to hear Lund on the broadcast. Great job winning the last 3 sets after having a great chance to win the first two sets. Georgia Tech is a good team… wins like this help win league titles!