CHESTNUT HILL – The No. 1 University of Pittsburgh volleyball team (13-0, 3-0 ACC) defeated Boston College (7-8, 0-3 ACC) in four sets (23-25, 25-7, 25-9, 25-20) at Margot Connell Center on Friday night for head coach Dan Fisher‘s 300th win at Pitt. Olivia Babcock set an all-time single match ace record with 12 and notched the first triple-double of her career with 14 kills, 12 aces and 10 digs. Babcock is the first Panther to accomplish the feat since Rachel Fairbanks did so with 28 assists, 13 digs and 10 kills against BYU in the 2022 NCAA Tournament. Fairbanks registered a double-double with 37 assists and 10 digs, and Torrey Stafford notched 14 kills on a .321 hitting percentage.
Pitt held a 7-4 lead in the beginning of the first set, but a 7-5 run from the Eagles forced the Panthers to take a timeout with a narrow 12-11 advantage. Two kills and a pair of aces from Babcock led Boston College to take its first timeout of the set, down 13-16. A kill from Fairbanks and Blaire Bayless extended the Panther’s lead to 18-14. The Eagles responded and went on a 6-2 run of their own to force Pitt to take a timeout at 20-20. Three Pitt errors and two kills for Boston College allowed the Eagles to take the first set, 25-23. This marked the first set Pitt has dropped all season, ending a program record 36 consecutive sets won.
The Panthers responded with urgency in the second, getting out to a 9-4 lead early. Babcock went on a 10-0 run from the service line, recording five aces in the stretch. Boston College scratched for points, but a kill from Dalia Vírlan, Bre Kelley, Bayless and Babcock secured the dominant set two win, 25-7.
The third set began in similar fashion to the second as Pitt got out to a demanding 12-3 lead behind tough serving from Valeria Vazquez Gomez and Cat Flood. Babcock returned to the line and fired off two aces to extend the lead to 14-3, and ultimately a 15-5 advantage at the media timeout. Pitt pushed Boston College to take a timeout down 7-17 after being unable to go on a run. Three Eagle attack errors, a kill from Bayless and an ace from Fairbanks gave the Eagles no choice but to call their final timeout, down 8-22. A few errors from the Eagles and a Bayless kill allowed Pitt to take the third set, 25-9.
The fourth set was much tighter from start to finish. Both teams went point for point until Pitt built a 15-12 lead, forcing the Eagles to take their first timeout of the set. The Panthers continued clicking and went on a 6-4 run to cause Boston College to take its second and final timeout, down 16-21. A pair of kills from Boston College hitters gave Pitt something to think about as it took a timeout, still holding a 22-18 lead. A kill a piece from Stafford and Babcock and a hitting error for the Eagles allowed Pitt to take the fourth set, 25-20, and the match, 3-1.
NOTES
– Olivia Babcock is now the program record holder for most service aces in a single match with 12
– She recorded her first career triple-double in the match (14k, 12SA, 10D)
– Rachel Fairbanks notched her third double-double of the season (37A, 10D)
– Dalia Vírlan recorded a career-high six kills and saw her first career start
– This marked Stafford’s 11th match of the season that she has hit at least .300
UP NEXT
The No. 1 Panthers will wrap up the weekend against Syracuse at 11 a.m. on Sunday. The match will be streamed on ACCNX.
Source: Pitt Athletics
