Babcock, Bayless Bring Firepower In Sweep Of Miami

Sunday, October 18

Pittsburgh, Pa.

12 PM

Pitt

17-1,7-1ACC

Miami

8-9,6-2ACC

Team	1	2	3	Final F
Miami (FL)	12	15	25	0
Pittsburgh	25	25	27	3

Babcock, Bayless Bring Firepower In Sweep Of Miami

10/18/2026 2:36:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Highlights Press Conference Photo Gallery

Pittsburgh – Seniors Olivia Babcock and Blaire Bayless combined for 28 kills and a .444 attack percentage as No. 2 Pitt swept Miami Sunday 25-12, 25-15, 27-25. The teams entered the match with identical records of 6-1 in the ACC but Pitt remained unblemished inside Victory Heights Arena.

Babcock and Bayless had 14 kills each and Pitt hit .372, holding Miami to just .144 attacking. Miami freshman star Ruth Martinez was limited to 10 kills and a .185 attack percentage.

Pitt improves to 17-1 overall with the win and moves into a tie for second place in the ACC standings. Miami drops to 8-9 overall.

FIRST SET

Blaire Bayless had four kills and a block during a 5-0 run that gave Pitt a 7-2 lead.
Pitt continued to build the lead and went ahead 14-4 after consecutive service aces from Mallorie Meyer.
The Panthers rolled from there for the 25-12 opening set victory.

SECOND SET

After Miami scored the first two points of the second set, Abbey Emch impacted the match with a kill, two blocks and even tossing in an assist as Pitt took over.
Pitt continued to roll and posted a 25-15 victory.

THIRD SET

Pitt held a slim lead throughout the early stages of the third set but Miami tied it at 12-12 on a Ruth Martinez kill.
Still tied at 15-15, Pitt used a 5-1 run to find a short-lived cushion at 20-16.
Miami answered back by scoring the next three points to pull to within one as Pitt called a timeout.
The two teams traded side-outs and Miami was forced to call timeout with Pitt leading 24-22.
Pitt had a net violation that made it 24-23 after the break and a Hurricane ace tied it at 24-24.
Blaire Bayless posted her 14^th kill of the match as Pitt went ahead 25-24 but Miami tipped over a kill to tie it at 25-25.
From the right side, Babcock terminated a pass to put the Panthers ahead again and Ayanna Watson finished the match on a kill for the 27-25 win.

NOTABLES

Along with her 14 kills, Blaire Bayless had seven digs and three blocks. She was also perfect in 15 serve receive attempts.
Jordyn Dailey and Abbey Emch had five blocks apiece in the middle as Pitt outblocked Miami 10.5-8.0.
Izzy Starck dished out 33 assists and added seven digs, three blocks and an ace.
Three different Pitt players had seven digs apiece and the Panthers had 14 more digs than Miami.
Mallorie Meyer had a team-high two service aces.
Pitt improves to 17-5 all-time against Miami, including 9-1 at home.
Pitt is now 7-0 inside Victory Heights and has won all 21 sets it has played.
Dan Fisher improves to 367-75 in his Pitt career and 442-77 in his career. His .852 win percentage ranks No. 1 among all active Division I head coaches.
Pitt is 170-21 since the start of the 2021 season. Only Nebraska is better at 170-20.
Pitt is now 25-3 all-time as the No. 2 ranked team in the country.

UP NEXT

Pitt begins a four-match road swing Friday as the Panthers play at Georgia Tech (13-5, 5-2 ACC).
The Panthers will be at Clemson (7-12, 1-6 ACC) Sunday at 1 p.m.
The following weekend, Pitt will play matches at Wake Forest and at NC State.