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SMU Stuns Pitt, Leaving Just One Undefeated Team in College Volleyball

In one of the most anticipated matches of the season, SMU shocked the volleyball world, leaving one team vying for a perfect season
Abbie Harris|
SMU players celebrate during their upset victory over Pitt Panthers at Peterson Events Center
SMU players celebrate during their upset victory over Pitt Panthers at Peterson Events Center | SMU Athletics

The NCAA volleyball landscape has never been easy. It has been 15 years since the 2009 Penn State Nittany Lions had a perfect 38-0 record.

Since the NCAA volleyball championship began in 1981, only four teams have had a perfect season and won a national championship.

There were 44 undefeated teams in Division I college volleyball on Sept. 1, and a week later, that number was nearly halved to 23 teams. By Sept. 15, there were only nine.

One by one, they fell.

To begin October, there were only four teams without a blemish and looking to add their names to that elusive list: Harvard, No. 1 Nebraska, No. 2 Pitt, and No. 20 Washington. Two days later, there were only two.

And in stunning fashion on Wednesday night, only one remained.

No. 2 Pitt Panthers vs No. 6 SMU Mustangs

In one of the most highly anticipated matches of the regular season, Pitt welcomed conference foe SMU to the Peterson Events Center.

The match not only had strong ACC conference implications, as they were two of the three teams currently undefeated in conference play, but could also have a significant impact on potential NCAA tournament seedings for both teams.

SMU came in on a 13-game ACC win streak, the longest active streak in the conference. Pitt was holding a nation-leading 58-match home winning streak and was one of the last two undefeated teams in the NCAA.

Both teams also had players on individual record watch. Pitt's senior opposite hitter Olivia Babcock was on pace to break the program record for service aces and kills and SMU's junior libero Victoria Harris, a transfer from South Carolina, was drawing closer to 1,000 career digs.

And there was pride on the line.

In 2024, SMU was the only team to beat Pitt in the regular season. In 2025, Pitt beat SMU in both matches.

Excitement was sky-high as the teams took to the court.

Early on, Pitt looked every bit like one of, if not the top team in the country. SMU led for a single point before Pitt took over and never looked back, winning 25-21.

The Mustangs made adjustments from that set, specifically on defense, and held the nation's best offense to a staggering .194 as they snapped Pitt's 27-match win streak by winning the second set 25-19.

All this, despite Babcock notching her 176th career service ace, setting a new program record.

In perhaps the most entertaining set of volleyball this season (for neutral fans, at least), the third set had everything. 48 minutes of thrilling volleyball, including 21 ties, five lead changes, a head-block, a defensive specialist forced to play in the front row due to lack of remaining substitutions, 74 combined points, another Pitt program record shattered by Babcock (1,853 career kill), and the full emergence of SMU's middle duo in Favor Anyanwu and Natalie Newsome.

SMU emerged victorious from the marathon set thanks to back-to-back-to-back kills by Newsome.

The Mustangs were able to maintain that momentum and composure in the fourth set, despite Pitt fighting tooth and nail for every point. A balanced offense and stifling defense extended SMU's conference win streak to 14 and dashed the Panther's perfect season. Neither team will have much time to sit with the outcome of this match, as they'll meet up later this weekend for a rematch in Dallas.

So, What Comes Next?

Losing a match in the middle of a grinding season does not mean Pitt has lost any chance of winning a national championship. Nor does winning a match of this importance guarantee SMU a conference championship.

The two teams will meet again on Sunday at SMU.

Momentum, both positive and negative, has power. But the season is not even half-way done.

The NCAA now has one remaining undefeated team, the No. 1 Nebraska Cornhuskers.

But they're about to hit the hardest test of their regular season schedule as they take on a conference rival and a top-10 Wisconsin Badgers squad. Will we see another giant fall during the spooky season that is conference volleyball? Or will the Huskers rise to the occasion to stay atop the polls?

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Abbie Harris
ABBIE HARRIS

Abbie Harris has been talking about women's sports to anyone who would listen, and sometimes to those who wouldn't, for as long as she can remember. She has been the host of a weekly Nebraska women's sports podcast for over a year, primarily covering volleyball, women's basketball, and softball. Harris holds three degrees, including a Ph.D. from Saint Louis.

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