Pitt volleyball dominates Georgia Tech in sweep

Sweeping a top-15 team on the road shouldn’t look easy, but for No. 1 Pitt volleyball, it is. Pitt began its season with a sweep and continued that streak against No.13 Georgia Tech (25-11, 25-17, 25-8). 

Coming into the game, Pitt assistant coach Shaun Ermi’s biggest worry was the Georgia Tech attack.

“[They are] super efficient on the offensive side of the ball,” Ermi said. “So being able to figure out how we can slow them down on offense.” 

And figure it out Pitt did. The Yellow Jackets hit -.043 against the Panthers, Georgia Tach’s worst hitting percentage of the season.

The Pitt offense impressed against the Yellow Jackets, with the Panthers hitting .493 and all of the pin hitters putting out dominant performances. All three committed only one attacking error for themselves. 

Sophomore opposite hitter Olivia Babcock had 12 kills on 23 swings good for a .478 hitting percentage. Babcock also earned herself a double-double by tabbing 10 digs. Sophomore outside hitter Torrey Stafford earned 11 kills on 20 swings good for a .500 hitting percentage, and sixth year outside hitter Valeria Vazquez Gomez nabbed nine kills on 17 swings good for a .471 hitting percentage.

First set

Pitt came out hot against Georgia Tech, earning four blocks – three on the first four points the Panthers scored — and nabbing six kills with Stafford adding three of her own. The Panthers led 12-3 and Georgia Tech had to call a timeout after hitting a lowly -.333 and two of its three points coming via a service error by Pitt.

But to no avail for Georgia Tech, Pitt rallied off five more points after the timeout. Pitt’s only defect in the first set were service errors that handed Georgia Tech four free points. 

These errors were the only issues, as Pitt didn’t make a single hitting error in the first set while tabbing 12 kills on its 23 swings. Georgia Tech took all the hitting errors in the set as it committed 11 hitting errors and only earned six kills in the first set — good for an abysmal -.185 hitting percentage in the first set. Pitt won the lopsided set 25-11.

Second set 

Georgia Tech didn’t let Pitt bully them in the second set. The Yellow Jackets got themselves out to a 7-4 lead, but Pitt pushed back and got itself back and went on a 7-2 run to take an 11-9 lead. After Georgia Tech scored two consecutive points on Larissa Mendes kills, Pitt would go on a 5-0 run with the Panthers block earning two kills and Fairbanks dishing it all over the court earning herself three assists. 

Stafford’s first error of the game came on her 13th attack of the game, but it did not lead to a run of form for the opponents–kept on pushing and eventually led by seven, 19-12.

Despite the early lead for Georgia Tech, Pitt had some of the same domination. The Panthers went on a 21-10 run to close the set out, winning 25-17. Georgia Tech hit a better .088 in the second set, but Pitt got better too by hitting .609 in the second set.

Third set

Pitt showed more dominance in the third set, jumping out to an initial 9-4 lead thanks to multiple kills from Babcock via the front row and the back row. 

Georgia Tech couldn’t stay with the No.1 team in the nation. Pitt kept on pushing, with Babcock continuing to tally kills from all over the court and Georgia Tech falling behind while making errors in serve receive and while attacking.

By the end of the set and match the Pitt fans in Atlanta, Georgia were louder than the Georgia Tech fans as the Bee fans were silent at the end of the match. 

Pitt kept Georgia Tech to a -.061 hitting percentage in the third set while the Panthers continued to dominate hitting .444.

Next up, Pitt heads north to face Boston College on Friday at 7 p.m. then Syracuse on Sunday at 11 a.m.