Pitt Volleyball Wins Round 1 against SMU

Setters don't always get the glory. But after Pitt's Brooke Mosher guided the Panthers to a textbook five-set thriller victory at #11 SMU, she got to grab the headset for the post-match ACC Network interview.

"I think it gives us a lot of confidence," Mosher told the hosts. "SMU is a great team, so getting that win gives us a lot of confidence for sure."

Her connection to superstar Olivia Babcock was as strong as ever, helping Babcock to 22 kills on .400 hitting. But for Pitt, it's never just one hitter.

"Every single one of my hitters that I have – I trust them fully," Mosher said. "Olivia is great, but all of my hitters can do the same thing too."

Mosher didn't just quarterback a solid offensive performance (51 assists, .294 team hitting) at a loud Moody Coliseum, she also collected five of Pitt's six service aces and commanded some impressive serving runs.

After a struggle of a 4th set in which the Panthers hit just .043 and surrendered five SMU aces, it looked like the Mustangs' legendary Moody Magic might win the day. So Pitt coach Dan Fisher lit a fire (a metaphorical one!) for the final set.

"He let us know that maybe that wasn't our best volleyball in the 4th set," Mosher said. "But he knows we're a lot better than that – and to trust what we've been working on."

Mosher took up the matter herself to begin the 5th. After a quick set to middle blocker Ryla Jones for the opening sideout, Mosher fireballed some jump topspin serves to rattle off four straight points – including two aces. Even an early SMU timeout couldn't slow her, and the Panthers were quickly up 5-0.

SMU kept digging the hole deeper with attack errors, and eventually was a 10-2 deficit and a 14-5 deficit. Eventually, SMU found some life and grabbed four straight.

Then we were reminded, "Oh right, Olivia Babcock," and she grabbed Kill No. 22 on the night – and it was all wrapped up. Double-double for Babcock with the help of 12 digs. Ninth Pitt victory in a row.

From DFW to PIT

(Yes, Dallas Love Field is closer to SMU than DFW, but I don't think they're waiting until the 5:45 PM Southwest flight today.)

So the Panthers got their vengeance from their lone 2024 regular-season loss – another five-setter at SMU. One demon slain.

Between sweeping then-#3 Kentucky in Fort Worth to gutting out a five-set win over #11 SMU in Dallas, you could say Pitt's two biggest wins so far were both in the DFW Metroplex – apologies to a struggling Penn State for not being a bigger foe.

And if you liked what you saw from Pitt and SMU last night, you're in luck! They'll meet up again Sunday at the Petersen Events Center. Tickets in the lower level of the arena are nearly snapped up, so don't delay.

Pitt probably should've won the first round more handily, given that they out-hit the Mustangs by 100 points (.294 to .187). But SMU has some *ballers*. Averi Carlson – on her 3rd stop in the Lone Star State – is a great setter and server, and she found right-side hitter Malaya Jones early and often for a match-high 23 kills on .422 hitting.

Jones will need to be slowed, SMU's Jadyn Livings will play better than last night's 14 errors on 36 swings, and Pitt's serve-receive will need to be shored up. The passing fell apart in the 4th set when SMU pretty much served them out of the building.

One player who has proven herself as a receiver is Dagmar Mourits. In her first 10 collegiate matches, she is already Top 10 among NCAA outsides in passer rating:

Somehow Pitt's associate head coach Kellen Petrone was just able to pluck a six-rotation player straight out of the Netherlands – certainly his best pickup of the offseason. Though Mourits didn't have her best offensive night on Wednesday, she's a good bad-ball hitter capable of killing out-of-system sets.

If Mourits, Blaire Bayless and Babcock can all get cooking at once on Sunday, Pitt has a good chance to sweep the Mustangs in Round 2. See you at the Pete or on ESPN.