The Pitt women’s volleyball team opened the week of Sept. 16 as the No. 1 team in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll. It was the second week in a row the Panthers had been ranked No. 1.
There is a good chance that will extend to a third week when the AVCA releases its new poll Monday.
The Panthers remained undefeated by winning three matches this past week, including a sweep of cross-state rival No. 3 Penn State on Wednesday in front of a school-record volleyball crowd of 11,800. On Friday, Pitt swept East Carolina, and Sunday, they swept Marquette.
Pitt (9-0) has yet to drop a set this season, and it’s not as if they are feasting on a bunch of mid-majors. Aside from Penn State, the Panthers defeated then-No. 10 Oregon (currently No. 12), and then-No. 23 (current No. 21) USC. Marquette had been ranked in the top 25 and still was the first team in the AVCA’s “others receiving votes” in the Sept. 16 poll.
In Sunday’s win over Marquette, Olivia Babcock had 14 kills to lead a balanced, dominant attack. Fellow sophomore Torrey Stafford had 13 kills, and sixth-year Valeria Vazquez Gomez had 10. As a team, the Panthers hit a staggering .398 for the match.
The Panthers host UMBC on Wednesday before getting into ACC play with matches at Clemson and Georgia Tech on Friday and Sunday, respectively.
