Pitt Volleyball
Pitt VB Sweeps No. 10 Oregon on Road to Open Season
Pitt volleyball has kicked off the 2024 season in the best way possible.
Pitt may have fallen to Oregon in five sets at the Fitzgerald Fieldhouse last fall, but the Panthers kicked off the 2024 season with a dominant all-around showing on the road against the Ducks this season. Pitt went into the Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore. and left with a 3-0 win (25-12, 27-25, 25-23) against Oregon.
Pitt took a dominant first set and didn’t look back in a statement win over a squad that advanced to the Elite 8 last season, helped by a .258 to .186 hitting percentage advantage, along with 41 kills and 11 aces.
Top 10 sweep to open the season? Not bad 😏 pic.twitter.com/Z7x7o4NPT9
— Pitt Volleyball (@Pitt_VB) August 31, 2024
Pitt coasted through the first set, securing an early 8-3 lead courtesy of an attack error from Oregon’s Onye Ofoegbu, and while the Ducks battled back to a 9-6 deficit, the Panthers took 11 of the next 13 points to build a 20-8 lead. A Torrey Stafford kill, assisted by Rachel Fairbanks, clinched an eventual 25-12 first set win.
Oregon was much stronger in the second set, turning a 4-1 Pitt lead into a 6-5 Ducks lead at the first substitution break. The two teams traded points throughout the middle of the match, with neither gaining more than a three point lead until an attack error from Louisville’s Mimi Colyer gave the Panthers a 17-13 advantage.
A five point run eventually gave Oregon the lead, holding a 21-19 lead late in the second set, but kills from Stafford and Valeria Vazquez Gomez evened the set at 21. Pitt and Oregon went back and forth, trading match points until a Stafford kill gave the Panthers a 26-25 lead and an attack error from Colyer secured a 27-25 set win for the Panthers.
The third set was another back-and-forth affair, with neither squad gaining a legitimate advantage until late in the set. A 15-11 Pitt lead turned into a 16-15 Pitt lead, which turned into a 20-16 Pitt lead and then a 22-20 Pitt lead.
Pitt went up 24-20 courtesy of an attack error from Oregon’s Michelle Ohwobete, setting up a match point, but the Ducks took three consecutive points to set up a fourth Pitt match point. And a Vazquez Gomez kill finally ended it — clinching a 25-23 set, and match, win.
Torrey Stafford was magnificent in attack, racking up 13 kills and hitting .333%. Vazquez Gomez added nine kills and Olivia Babcock added eight — along with three aces and six blocks.
Rachel Fairbanks put in a dominant all-around performance, leading the match with 34 assists and adding three aces and 10 digs.
Pitt (1-0, 0-0 ACC) will continue its West Coast road trip with a matchup against Long Beach State, a squad that went 21-10 (13-5 Big West) last season. The matchup is set for Matthew Knight Arena. And the Panthers will return home for their first match of the season at the Fitzgerald Fieldhouse Tuesday against Buffalo.
