No. 1 Pitt volleyball dominates over the weekend

The Pitt volleyball team is still undefeated in sets, with 27 consecutive victories, and in matches, with nine straight wins to start the year. The Panthers are the only team in the NCAA to have not lost a set. But Pitt’s set streak doesn’t cross head coach Dan Fisher’s mind too often. 

This nonchalant approach to winning 27 consecutive sets — the most consecutive sets won in program history — is continued with the players. 

“It’s cool, but our mindset isn’t ‘we can’t lose a set,’ that’s not what we are thinking,” senior setter Rachel Fairbanks said. “We are prepared for hard [games], we are preparing every single game like it’s a national championship … maintaining intensity every match.”

“I think it builds confidence, but I don’t think it means that much,” sophomore opposite hitter Olivia Babcock said. “I think it’s a sign of maturity that we are able to close out sets and stuff, but I wouldn’t say it defines our game because it’s not about who wins a set, it’s about who wins a game.”

But after the game, when Pitt earns yet another three-set sweep, the pride of not losing a set kicks in for Babcock.

“I’m not thinking about it in the moment [during the game],” Babcock said. “But I feel like at the end of the game when we are like, ‘Oh, yeah, we were able to lock in for all three sets and not let up,’ I feel like [that] is a prideful feeling.”

This weekend, the Panthers reached 27 consecutive sets won by sweeping both East Carolina (25-13, 25-23, 25-11) and Marquette (25-18, 25-18, 25-16). 

The East Carolina matchup on Friday night got a little hairy for Pitt, especially in the second set. Pitt trailed 23-22, but the Pirates got in their own way at the end of the set, committing multiple errors and allowing an ace by serving specialist Cat Flood to finish the set.

The Panthers were without Fairbanks for all three sets against the Pirates and sophomore outside hitter Torrey Stafford for the first and second sets, so that could explain the struggle.

East Carolina is also a formidable opponent that could win the American Athletic Conference.

“We scheduled East Carolina for a reason,” associate head coach Kellen Petrone said. “They won so many games last year. They returned every single player, and we knew that they would be a really good team to play, even though they’re not ranked right now, but they’re definitely going to be in the conversation for winning their conference. And so what we saw tonight did not surprise us.”

Babcock had one of her best games of the season against East Carolina, nabbing 19 kills on 29 attempts with three errors, good for a .552 hitting percentage while adding two digs and five blocks.

First-year middle blocker Ryla Jones also had an efficient night against the Pirates, tallying eight kills on 10 swings and tying Babcock in blocks with five of her own. Jones’ numbers weren’t as staggering against Marquette during the Sunday sweep, but she still earned three kills and four blocks with Fairbanks back at setter.

“I think she has definitely been more consistent now,” Fairbanks said of Jones’ improving offensive game. 

“I think her confidence has grown, and she’s a beast,” Fairbanks said. “The more games she plays, the more she knows it. As every game passes, she is going to be more of a threat.”

The star setter knows her 18-year-old starting middle blocker well. Jones wasn’t self-assured to start the year, but her confidence has grown immensely because of the support she gets. 

“I feel like coming into the season, there were a lot of nerves starting off, being a freshman on the court,” Jones said. “But I feel like my team helped me settle in, and I just started getting in the groove, and I was able to keep it going with the confidence that the team and my coaches instilled in me.” 

The star on Sunday against Marquette, like Wednesday against Penn State, was Stafford. She had yet another performance where she hit above .400, all while earning double-digit kills. Oh, and the outside hitter also earned seven digs and a career-high four assists against the Golden Eagles.

“She’s just such a prominent figure on the court, even her vibe, her intensity, her passion, her joy,” Fairbanks said. “This year, she has gotten better passing, and I think when she is in a good groove of passing, she feels more confident and it translates to her hitting.She’s always been a beast, though.” 

The only issue of true concern over the weekend for the Panthers was redshirt junior middle blocker Bre Kelley going down with a brief injury in the second set against Marquette. Luckily for the Panthers, she stayed in the game and was still productive while she played for the rest of the match, earning multiple blocks and kills.

“I never want to assume anything bad happens,” Fairbanks said. “So when she was kind of getting off [from] the court, I was like ‘just stand up, just stand up, just stand up.’ But I know she is a tough girl.”

The Panthers’ clean 2-0 weekend alongside their dominance against No. 3 Penn State makes it look likely Pitt will earn multiple weekly awards from the ACC.

Stafford should win ACC Player of the Week. In the seven sets she played, the Torrance, California, native earned 34 kills on her 61 attempts with only four hitting errors, which is good for a .492 hitting percentage. Stafford also added 15 digs, five assists and four blocks.

Jones put herself in a good position to win ACC Freshman of the Week by totaling 18 kills with zero errors on her 26 swings, tallying up to a .692 hitting percentage while adding 15 blocks.

Fairbanks has as good of a case as any to win ACC Setter of the Week. In the six sets she played, the Tustin, California, native earned 81 assists, which is good for 13.5 assists per set. With Fairbanks setting against Penn State and Marquette, the team hit .401 on average when Fairbanks was the setter.

This Pitt team is star-studded, and that is why Fisher believes this is the “best team he has coached at Pitt.”