No. 1 Pitt volleyball dominates No. 15 SMU in a sweep

Another top-15 match for No. 1 Pitt volleyball turned into another win for it. Pitt swept No. 15 SMU (25-17,25-18, 25-9) on Wednesday night, and the Panthers kept their undefeated record and advanced to 15-0.

First set

Pitt started the game slow against SMU and was down 8-6. But once Pitt got senior setter Rachel Fairbanks to the service line, the Panthers went on a 8-0 run against the Mustangs. 

In the run, Pitt forced multiple attack errors by the No. 15 team in the nation and took a commanding 14-9 lead once Fairbanks committed a service error on her eighth consecutive serve. 

Besides the slow start and two more errors after the missed serve by Fairbanks, Pitt dominated the rest of the first set, winning 25-17.

Second set 

Sophomore opposite hitter Olivia Babcock was practically unstoppable to start the set. She had six kills on six swings to start the set, scoring six of Pitt’s first eight points. At the 15 point media timeout, Babcock had earned eight kills on 10 swings, and Pitt led by three.

Pitt would only stretch its lead after the timeout, forcing SMU to call one when it was down 17-12 and 20-12. Babcock added six more kills to her name, finishing the set with 12 kills and a .688 hitting percentage. The Los Angeles, California native’s dominance helped Pitt win the second set 25-18.

Third set

Babcock didn’t just own the second set, as the third set was all hers as well. In the first ten points Pitt scored in the first set, Babcock tallied three kills on three swings and four aces. 

SMU stalled out Babcock’s early dominance after the sophomore opposite hitter had a service error on her eighth consecutive serve. But Pitt and Babcock still dominated the school from Dallas, Texas, winning the third set 25-9.

Pitt finished the top-15 match hitting .427. Babcock led the way for the Panthers and finished with 18 kills and a .571 hitting percentage. Pitt’s defense also held SMU to a .109 hitting percentage