PITTSBURGH – Sparked by Olivia Babcock’s career-high and Pitt NCAA Tournament record 31 kills, the No. 1-seeded Pitt women’s volleyball team defeated No. 4-seeded Oregon, 3-2 (25-19, 24-26, 25-16, 21-25, 15-12), in the Regional Semifinal round of the NCAA Tournament. With the win, Pitt advances to its fifth straight Regional Final.
Adding an impact for the Panthers (32-1, 19-1 ACC) was Torrey Stafford, who had a double-double with 14 kills and 12 digs. Rachel Fairbanks paced Pitt by tallying a season-high 54 assists in the match, which put her over 3,000 in her career.
Babcock opened the match with a kill and a block as Pitt started the first set with a 2-0 lead. Oregon (24-8, 14-6 Big Ten) responded with a two-point tilt to even the match. Pitt extended its lead out to 9-5, spurred by Stafford and Babcock kills. After the Ducks drew within four points at 13-9, the Panthers rallied around back-to-back Babcock kills to extend their lead to 18-10. The Ducks stayed within striking distance and worked the set back to a three-point difference to trail 19-16. Pitt used three Stafford kills down the stretch to outscore Oregon 6-3 and take set one, 25-19.
Oregon started the second set with a quick 4-0 lead. The Panthers chipped away with kills from Stafford and Babcock, but the Ducks extended their lead to 11-6. Kills from Rachel Fairbanks and Bre Kelley helped Pitt get back within one at 12-11. Oregon ripped off a 7-3 response and led 19-14 before a Ryla Jones kill from a Fairbanks assist ignited the crowd. After chipping the lead down to 22-18, the Panthers broke out on a 6-0 run to take a 24-23 lead and earn match point. The Ducks responded with a 3-0 run with a kill, an ace and a forced error to take the set, 26-24.
Pitt trailed Oregon, 9-7, in the third set before using a kill from Kelley to go on a 4-0 tilt to retake the lead. The Fairbanks-to-Stafford connection was a force in the set, and the Panthers benefited with three kills and assists from the duo down the stretch to take a 23-15 lead. Pitt finished the set with a kill by Babcock and an ace from Valeria Vazquez Gomez to take the third, 25-16.
The Ducks benefited from a 17-6 advantage to start the fourth set. The Panthers, following a timeout, used a 13-5 run to bring the set within three at 22-19. Two Oregon kills in the final points of the set proved costly, as the Ducks took set four 25-21.
Pitt erupted for a 5-0 start to the fifth and final set, met with roars from the fans in the Petersen Events Center. The Ducks climbed back and met the Panthers at 9-9. Back-to-back-to-back kills by Babcock on three consecutive Fairbanks assists distanced the Panthers and an error by the Ducks sealed the match for Pitt. The Panthers took the fifth set, 15-12.
Pitt remains home to face No. 11 Kentucky in its fifth straight Regional Final on Saturday at 5 p.m. The game can be streamed on ESPN2. With a win Pitt would advances to its fourth straight NCAA National Semifinal.
Notes
• Rachel Fairbanks dished out a season-high 54 assists. The 54 assists are the second-most in program history in an NCAA Tournament match behind Lexis Akeo who had 58 on 12/7/19 vs. Cincinnati. Fairbanks’ previous season high was 47 which she earned twice, most recently on 11/17/24 vs. Louisville.
• Fairbanks earned her 3000th career assist in the contest.
• Olivia Babcock had a career-high 31 kills on .290 hitting. The 31 kills also mark the most kills in Pitt volleyball history in an NCAA tournament match. Her previous career high was 23 which she had twice, most recently on 11/27/24 vs. Louisville.
• Babcock also had a career-high-tying 12 digs, which she had previously done twice. Most recently, she had 12 digs on 11/30/24 vs. Georgia Tech.
• Torrey Stafford earned a double-double with 14 kills and 12 digs.
• Mallorie Meyer had a career-high three aces. Her previous high was two, which she had on 8/31/24 against Long Beach State.
