Coming off a swift, decisive victory over UMBC on Friday night, perhaps Pitt volleyball thought its next match would be more of the same. But it was clear after the first set that Michigan would not go quietly.
Finding their footing after a rocky first set full of bad passes and poor communication, the Panthers took the match in three straight sets — 25-23, 25-23, 25-18.
“We have big goals and big aspirations as a program,” head coach Dan Fisher said. “Being able to be one of the last 16 teams left is, you know, a good year. So we’d like to keep winning and make it a great year.”
Give them their flowers
First-year outside hitter Marina Pezelj tied her career high with 12 kills on 24 swings, hitting an impressive 0.333. The Monaco native also contributed seven digs and one block for the Panthers.
After setting a new program record for single-season kills on Friday, junior opposite hitter Olivia Babcock followed up on Saturday with another impressive performance. The right-side hitter netted 24 kills on 46 swings and hit a staggering 0.370. Babcock also earned three blocks, eight digs, and led the match in kills, attacks and points —21, 46 and 25.5, respectively.
Key stat
Including Pitt’s victory tonight over Michigan, Babcock now holds first, second and third place in the NCAA Tournament record for most kills in individual matches for Pitt. First place comes from Pitt’s loss to Louisville in the Final Four last year, where she netted 33 kills and second place was 31 kills against Oregon in the Sweet Sixteen.
What about the other side?
Michigan made quick work of Xavier on Friday night, taking the game in straight sets — 25-19, 25-15 and 25-23. Despite losing to the Panthers, the Wolverines managed to hit 0.281 and 0.289 in the first and second sets — higher than the team’s season average hitting percentage of 0.276. This is also the team’s highest average hitting percentage in program history.
Redshirt first-year opposite hitter Cymarah Gordon led the charge for the Wolverines, contributing 11 kills on 29 swings, hitting a staggering 0.474. Sophomore middle blocker Jenna Hanes led the match with four blocks and a 0.500 hitting percentage.
What’s next for the Panthers?
The Panthers will go on to play Minnesota in the Petersen Events Center on Thursday at 7 p.m.
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