No. 4 Pitt Volleyball Sweeps Wake Forest

PITTSBURGH — No. 4 Pitt Panthers volleyball made quick work of another ACC opponent, as they swept Wake Forest at Fitzgerald Field House.

Pitt makes it five straight wins, which includes a sweep of Florida State on Oct. 12, a reverse sweep of Notre Dame on Oct. 17 and a comeback win over rival and then ranked No. 4 Louisville in five sets on Oct. 19, all on the road, plus a sweep of Wake Forest at home on Oct. 24.

The Panthers improve to 17-3 overall, 9-1 in the ACC and 9-0 at home in 2025, while the Demon Deacons fall to 9-12 overall, 3-7 in the ACC and 3-7 on the road this season.

Pitt Uses Strong Start to Win First Set

Pitt began the first set with a 6-0 lead, increased it to 10-2, 12-3 and then 15-7 at the media timeout. They eventually closed out the first set with a 25-13 victory, scoring 10 of the final 16 points.

Junior right side hitter Olivia Babcock led the way for the Panthers with seven kills and hitting .500 in the first set, while junior outside hitter Blaire Bayless had five kills and hit .500 herself.

Pitt also outhit Wake Forest, .469 to .172, with senior setter Brooke Mosher adding 15 assists in the period.

Pitt Starts Slow, But Finishes Strong in Second Set

The Demon Deacons began the second set with a 4-1 lead, but the Panthers quickly countered with a 4-1 run themselves, tying it up at 5-5.

Pitt then went on a 6-1 run, taking a 11-6 lead and forcing Wake Forest to take their first timeout of the period. Babcock made a kill and an ace on the run, both freshmen in outside hitter Marina Pezelj and Abbey Emch provided a kill and sophomore libero/defensive specialist Mallorie Meyer had an ace herself.

The Panthers kept their lead the rest of the set, going up 17-11 and forcing the second Demon Deacons timeout, then making it 22-12 on a 5-0 run, before taking the period, 25-17.

Babcock continued her great play with five kills, three blocks and the ace, while both Pezelj and Emch made four kills themselves in the second set.

Pitt Volleyball right side Olivia Babcock — Pitt Volleyball RS Olivia Babcock Makes the USA Team for the NORCECA Final Six Pan American Cup

Panthers Keep Up Great Play, Complete Sweep of Demon Deacons

Wake Forest used a 3-0 run to cut an early deficit in the third set down to 5-4, but Pezelj had made two aces and put Pitt on a 4-0 run, with the road team taking their first timeout

The Panthers also went to a 6-2 rotation at times in the period, with redshirt sophomores Haiti Tautua'a and Sophia Gregoire coming in for Mosher at setter and Babcock at right side, respectively.

Pitt had a five-point lead at 15-10, before going on a 6-1 run to make it 22-11, with Pezelj adding two kills and Gregoire making a kill and a block.

Redshirt freshman right side/setter Kiana Dinn made just her third appearance of the season and added an ace as well, as Pitt went on and defeated Wake Forest, 25-13 in the third set to take the sweep.

Pitt Furthers Dominance of Wake Forest in All-Time Series

The Panthers are now 14-1 overall against the Demon Deacons, 13-1 in the ACC, 7-0 at home and have won their past 10 matches against them without dropping a single set. Their only loss came in four sets on the road on Oct. 9, 2016.

That sole loss is the least amount of defeats they have against any ACC team that has stayed in the conference since 2014.

Players of the Game for the Panthers

Babcock led the way with 16 kills and hit an impressive .560 on the day, while also making five digs, three blocks and two aces in the victory over the Demon Deacons.

Mosher finished with 29 assists and helped Pitt to a .356 hitting percentage, as they had a strong and efficient attack vs. Wake Forest.

Emch had five kills, hit .455 and led the Panthers with four blocks, while redshirt senior libero/defensive specialist Emery Dupes, who got the start vs. the Demon Deacons, had a team-high 11 digs, while adding four assists as well.

The Panthers finished with 10 aces on the day, tying their season-high, which they also set in a four-set win over the Jacksonville Dolphins at Fitzgerald Field House on Sept. 7.

Pitt Volleyball Press Conference After Sweep of Wake Forest

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