Pitt volleyball starts the year in dominant fashion

No. 3 Pitt volleyball (2-0, ACC 0-0) traveled to Eugene, Oregon, for two games over the weekend and proved it’s still a national champion-caliber team. 

The Panthers didn’t lose a set in their two games, sweeping No. 10 Oregon (1-1, Big Ten 0-0) and Long Beach State (0-2, Big West 0-0). Pitt didn’t just win but also dominated both games, as the Panthers won three of the six sets played by 13 or more points. 

Here is what stood out the most during the Panthers’ two games in Oregon.

Offseason injury didn’t slow down Stafford

In a Pittsburgh Post Gazette story, sophomore outside hitter Torrey Stafford revealed that she had a benign tumor in her tibia that caused a pathologic fracture. As a result, she had to undergo surgery in February and missed playing time for the entire spring scrimmaging season. But this injury didn’t slow down the sophomore outside hitter for the first two games —  in fact, it might have improved her game.

Stafford led the Panthers in kills in both games with 13 against Oregon and 12 against Long Beach State. She did so efficiently, with a hitting percentage over .300 in both contests. 

The Torrance, California native didn’t just dominate on the offensive side of the ball. She had 12 total digs on the weekend with five against the Ducks and seven against The Beach. To add to Stafford’s back row defense, her blocking against Long Beach State was a career best, where she totaled five blocks against The Beach.

Kelley’s return to the lineup is huge for the Panthers

Staying in the same boat with another Pitt player who suffered an injury, redshirt junior middle blocker Bre Kelley played efficiently all weekend. 

Kelley, who suffered a season-ending injury in 2023 and played limited minutes in the spring scrimmage season, had a businesslike start to her 2024 campaign. On Kelley’s 11 attempts against Oregon and Long Beach State, she had a kill on nine and only one error. The Florida transfer currently has a hitting percentage of .727.

The redshirt junior’s defense didn’t take a step back after the injury either. In the five sets Kelley played over the weekend, she added over a block per set with six total blocks.

Fairbanks’ all-around game in full display

Senior setter Rachel Fairbanks did everything over the weekend. 

Fairbanks tallied 59 assists, 21 digs, four aces, two blocks and two kills. The senior has a charted statistic in every category besides in serves received and attacking errors. 

The most eye-popping statistic of Fairbanks’ game is the 21 digs, which currently leads the Panthers. Fairbanks was often targeted against opposing hitters and stepped up in both games. Now, Fairbanks averages a double-double on the season with 29.5 assists and 10.5 digs per game. 

New faces for Pitt fans to know

Head coach Dan Fisher played four first-years and one transfer over the weekend. The first-years who saw the floor were middle blockers Ryla Jones and Dalia Vîrlan, libero Mallorie Meyer and setter Kiana Dinn. The lone transfer is senior setter Nisa Buzlutepe from Texas A&M. 

It’s not expected that Vîrlan, Dinn and Buzlutepe will play major roles this season, but they are all worthy backups if the Panthers sustain an injury at their respective positions. Jones and Meyer, however, look to play important roles this season. 

Jones is the second starting middle blocker, and in her action over the weekend, she tallied five kills on a .333 hitting percentage while adding five blocks and two assists. 

Meyer has been reaping the benefits of the new two-libero role the NCAA added in 2024, as she now wears the libero jersey along with starting libero senior Emmy Klika. Meyer was used as a serving specialist in the first two games and earned three service aces to her name with no serving errors.

What’s Next

Pitt returns to action for its home opener on Tuesday night in the Fitzgerald Field House against Buffalo (3-0, MAC 0-0) at 6 p.m. The Panthers haven’t lost a game in Pittsburgh since they fell to Oregon on Sept. 14th, 2023. The game will air on ACCNX.