No. 5 Pitt Volleyball Downs No. 11 SMU

PITTSBURGH — No. 5 Pitt Panthers volleyball faced another matchup with No. 11 SMU and again came out with the win, doing so in four sets at the Petersen Events Center.

The Panthers made it back-to-back wins over the Mustangs, as they won in five sets at the Moody Center in Dallas on Sept. 24, giving them a 2-0 start to ACC play.

Pitt also makes it six ranked win in a row, as they took down then ranked No. 25 TCU in four sets on Aug. 31 and swept then ranked No. 7 Arizona State on Sept. 1, both in the State Farm Volleyball Showcase at PPG Paints Arena, swept then ranked No. 3 Kentucky on Sept. 10 in Fort Worth, Texas, and beat rival Penn State in four sets on the road on Sept. 17.

SMU began the match with a 4-2 lead, as sophomore outside/opposite hitter Jadyn Livings had two kills and a block.

Pitt responded with a 5-0 run, thanks to two attack errors and a service error from SMU, along with a block by both junior right side hitter Olivia Babcock and redshirt senior middle blocker Bre Kelley and a service ace from sophomore libero/defensive specialist Mallorie Meyer, taking a 7-4 lead.

The Mustangs then went on an 8-3 run and took a 12-10 lead, as graduate student opposite hitter Malaya Jones posted three kills and sophomore middle blocker Natalia Newsome made two kills and a block.

Pitt would go on an 8-3 run themselves, taking an 18-15 lead, as outside hitters in junior Blaire Bayless and freshman Dagmar Mourits each posted a kill and a block.

SMU got a kill from Livings and a solo block from senior setter Averi Carlson, which forced Pitt head coach Dan Fisher to take a timeout, with the road team within one point at 18-17.

The Panthers then went on a 7-3 run to take the first set, 25-20, as Kelley made two blocks and a kill and Bayless had the set-clinching kill and added a block.

No. 5 Pitt Volleyball Celebrates a Point in their four-set win over No. 11 SMU at the Petersen Events Center | Courtesy of Pitt Athletics

Pitt opened the second set with a 6-1 lead, as sophomore middle blocker Ryla Jones made three blocks and a kill, while Babcock combined with her on back-to-back blocks.

SMU would cut into the Pitt lead consistently, until the made it a one-point game at 17-16, with Fisher taking a timeout. Sophomore middle blocker Favor Anyanwu excelled on the run, with two kills and two blocks.

Both teams traded the next six points at 20-19, before the Panthers outscored the Mustangs 5-3 and took the second set, 25-22.

Pitt hit much better in the second set, .407, compared to first set, .152, and Bayless also delievered the set-clinching kill.

The Mustangs came out the better of the two teams to start out the third set, with a 5-0 run that put them up 9-5, thansk to back-to-back service aces from senior setter Casey Batenhorst.

Babcock showed how dominant of a player she can be, with four kills over a 5-2 run, including three straight to cut the deficit to 11-10, forcing an SMU timeout.

The Mustangs then went on a 5-2 run, with a block and a kill from Malaya Jones, building a 16-12 advantage out of the timeout.

Pitt then tied it up at 18-18, going on a 6-2 run, and traded points to make it 23-23.

SMU got kills from Livings and Anyanwu for set point twice, but Carlson committed a service error on the first one and then Bayless had a kill to tie it up, 25-25.

Babcock got the 13th kill of the set to give Pitt match point at 26-25, but SMU rallied for three straight points to take the set, 28-26, with Malaya Jones posting two kills and Newsome adding one as well.

The Panthers began the fourth set with a 5-2 run, but the Mustangs had a 4-1 run of their own, as they cut the deficit to 7-6.

SMU kept it close at 11-9, before Pitt went on a 5-0 run for a 16-9 lead. Pitt would continue building their lead up, making it 20-12 and 22-14, forcing SMU to take both of their timeouts.

The Mustangs made a late comeback to cut the deficit to 23-20, forcing the Panthers to take both of their timeouts.

Babcock closed the game out for Pitt, with two kills to win the set, 25-20, and the match in four sets.

She finished the game with a season-high 29 kills, hit .434 and a career-high 17 digs for a double-double, her fifth of the season and third straight game doing so.

This makes it 39 straight wins at home for Pitt and 28 consecutive ACC victories at home, as they make both the Petersen Events Center and Fitzgerald Field House a tough place to play,.

It is also 10 straight wins for Pitt, who began the season with back-to-back losses to No. 1 Nebraska on Aug. 22 and then ranked No. 16 Florida on Aug. 24 in the AVCA First Serve Showcase in Lincoln, Neb.

No. 5 Pitt Volleyball Press Conference After Win Over No. 11 SMU

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