Pitt volleyball earns No. 1 overall seed for NCAA Tournament

The Pitt volleyball team has earned the No. 1 overall seed for the first time in program history for the 2024 NCAA Tournament. It is also the second consecutive year that Pitt has earned a No. 1 seed.

The No. 1 seed comes with hosting privileges for Pitt. If Pitt continues to advance in the NCAA Tournament, then it gets to host its matches at home until the Final Four, which is in the KFC Yum Center in Louisville, Kentucky this season. 

Pitt has already played in the KFC Yum Center this season on Nov. 20 and won against Louisville (25-23, 18-25, 25-18, 25-16). 

The Panthers are also undefeated at home this season, going a perfect 15-0 and only losing five of the 50 sets they have played on their home floor. 

The first and second rounds are in the Petersen Events Center, and it has not been decided where Pitt will host its Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight matchups. Pitt will play in the Fitzgerald Field House or the Petersen Events Center for the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight.

The other No. 1 seeds for the NCAA Tournament are Nebraska, Penn State and Louisville. In Pitt’s regional bracket, the top four seeds are No. 1 seed Pitt, No. 2 seed SMU, No. 3 seed Kentucky and No. 4 seed Oregon.

Pitt has already played SMU and Oregon this season but has not faced Kentucky although the Panthers did play and beat Kentucky twice in 2023. 

The Panthers went 1-1 against SMU this season, winning in a sweep at home and losing in five sets on the road. And Pitt opened up its season at Oregon and swept them.

Pitt earned the No. 1 overall seed by finishing with a 29-1 record— the only team in the NCAA with only one loss— and an outright ACC regular season championship.

As a team, Pitt finished its regular season top ten in the NCAA in four different categories. The Panthers ranked No. 1 in hitting percentage and opponent hitting percentage. Pitt hit .345 as a team and kept opponents to a .122 hitting percentage. 

The Panthers ranked No. 6 in blocks per set with 2.91 per set. And Pitt was No. 9 in assists per set with 13.21 per set. 

The Panthers are also the only team to have three separate players nominated as semifinalists for the AVCA National Player of the Year — sophomore opposite hitter Olivia Babcock, sophomore outside hitter Torrey Stafford and senior setter Rachel Fairbanks all earned the prestigious recognition.

The NCAA Tournament starts this Friday at 7 p.m. for Pitt and will face Morehead State from the OVC.

With a win Pitt will face either No. 8 Oklahoma or unseeded UTEP on Saturday at 7 p.m. Both matches will air on ESPN+.