Pitt Wins at Penn State, Affirming Spot Among the Blue Bloods

Can Pitt win big road matches without playing its best volleyball?

The Panthers answered 'yes' on Wednesday night, winning in State College over the defending National Champions 25-23, 25-17, 23-25, 25-17.

Their victory over Penn State puts a stake in the ground for how far this program has come. The last time they stepped into Rec Hall for a non-exhibition match was in 2019, seeking to beat the Nittany Lions for the first time in 32 years. That '19 win was an upset. This one was simply Pitt taking care of business.

That stat from the Big Ten Network up top is reflective of the new reality for Pitt Volleyball: you can put easily slot among this program among the nation's best, which certainly wasn't the case back in 2019.

Yes, there is still work to do. Yes, there is the little matter of a National Championship to win. But having the reigning National Player of the Year step up in all facets of the game will do you a whole lot of good.

Olivia Babcock recorded a double-double (16 kills, 13 digs), bringing big-time defensive effort on a night when Penn State forced her into some mistaken hits into their block and outside the lines. Dagmar Mourits was as effective as ever on the left pin (13 kills on .333 hitting, 9 digs), and Ryla Jones (9 kills, 9 blocks) had her best night out of the middle this season.

Service errors and defensive miscommunications threatened to sink the party at Penn State, especially when Pitt nearly dropped an opening set in which they out-hit PSU .267 to .121. But the serves improved – Babcock added 3 aces and others forced some lengthy service runs – and Pitt kept the Nittany Lions on their heels. The dig numbers (Pitt's 48 to PSU's 39) reflected the Panthers' commitment to covering on defense and laying out to keep plays alive.

Penn State's star portal acquisition Kennedy Martin (team-high 16 kills) did her damndest, and even delivered the 3rd-set-clinching kill that kept PSU in the match. But Pitt also dug her out well and forced miscues as Martin ended the night hitting .149.

(Not for nothing: A recent attempt by Martin of some gallows humor on TikTok shows how quickly a Blue Blood can sink into the doldrums. She's now unexpectedly on a struggling team after watching her setter Alexis Stucky be injured at Florida, followed by Izzy Starck taking a mental-health pause at Penn State.)

When Pitt took over

While a 13-2 run in the second set was a thing of beauty, it really wasn't until Pitt took a 19-13 lead in the fourth set that I could truly breathe easy. Blaire Bayless was finally getting involved (she ended up with 7 kills on the night) and Pitt totaled up a .406 hitting percentage in the final set.

Things were clicking on the block too: Bayless, Brooke Mosher, Mourits, Bre Kelley and Jones all totaled at least three blocks on the night. Penn State rarely found a lasting offensive rhythm without Pitt's front row swooping in to cut it short.

It was an imperfect yet emphatic road victory to close out the non-conference portion of the schedule, and we're seeing a Pitt team that is looking more like the Blue Blood we've come to know.

If you would have told me before the season that Pitt would go 8-2 in non-conference play, I would have taken it. Coming out of an offseason with many high-profile departures, some tough nights were inevitable. But Pitt grabbed a neutral-site win over now-#6 Kentucky plus wins at PPG Paints Arena over #8 Arizona State and #9 TCU.

Dan Fisher scheduled well, and after a stumbling start in Lincoln with losses to #1 Nebraska and #15 Florida, the Panthers are rolling.

What's Next?

ACC play begins with a home-and-home against SMU. The last time Pitt faced the Mustangs, the ACC debutantes ended Pitt's undefeated season in five sets. Revenge on the mind? Perhaps.

While RPI rankings aren't officially out yet, you can see from the unofficial RPI that Pitt would fit solidly as the #3 team in the nation. That's the benefit of scheduling tough and beating good teams along the way. (Pity Penn State, which has dropped to #42 in the RPI in this recent slide.)

The ACC will be just as tough as any other league this season. And that's not my conference-homerism. This week's AVCA coaches' poll divvied up the Top 25 thusly:

• ACC - 6
• Big Ten - 6
• Big 12 - 6
• SEC - 6
• Big East - 1 (Creighton, who played Nebraska to 5 sets on Tuesday)

Winning a 7th ACC championship is no gimmie for Pitt, especially with #4 Louisville, #5 Stanford and #10 SMU all contenders. The Panthers get several days off before traveling to Dallas next Wednesday, and they have that all-important momentum on their side. Eight wins in a row and counting...