University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt
19-1,9-1ACC
Clemson
8-14,2-8ACC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| Clemson | 16 | 9 | 14 | 0 |
10/25/2026 3:19:00 PM | Volleyball
Clemson, S.C. – The No. 2-ranked Pitt volleyball team hardly needed 75 minutes to earn an ACC victory Sunday, beating Clemson on the Tigers' home floor, 25-16, 25-9, 25-14. Pitt dominated defensively with 14 blocks, holding Clemson to -0.023 hitting.
Pitt ramped up the offense as the match wore on, hitting .276 in the opening set before posting a .583 attack percentage in the second and then closing out the match by hitting .700 in the third without an attack error.
Fourteen different players saw action for the Panthers and nine recorded at least one kill. No Pitt player had more than Blaire Bayless' eight kills.
With the win, Pitt improves to 19-1 on the year and 9-1 in ACC play. Clemson fell to 8-14 overall and 2-8 in the conference.
FIRST SET
- Pitt jumped out to a 5-1 lead, forcing an early Clemson timeout.
- The Panthers added to the lead quickly behind an Ayanna Watson ace and an assist block from Jordyn Dailey and Olivia Babcock that made it 8-1.
- Pitt continued to pull away throughout the set, but a late Clemson run made it 25-16.
SECOND SET
- Pitt built a big early lead again, going ahead 10-1 quickly and forcing a Clemson timeout.
- The Panthers lead climbed to 12 at 13-1 before Clemson stopped the run.
- Pitt closed out the stanza for the 25-9 victory.
THIRD SET
- Just like the first two sets, Pitt took an early lead, going ahead 6-1.
- Clemson tried to stay close but the Panthers maintained the five-point lead until a run midway through the set made it 18-10.
- Pitt continued to hold off the Tigers and won 25-14.
NOTABLE
- Pitt's .475 attack percentage was its second-highest of the year, behind only a .476 match against Wright State. It was the team's highest hitting rate in an ACC match since hitting .486 against Syracuse a year ago.
- Ayanna Watson had a career-high three service aces as Pitt recorded four for the match. Trinity Thompson contributed the other.
- Watson also had a career-high with three blocks and hit .600 for the match (six kills on 10 swings).
- Pitt's 14 blocks tied a season-high and is the most for the Panthers in a three-set match since recording 18 last year against Georgia Tech.
- Clemson's -0.023 hitting percentage was the lowest for a Pitt opponent since Georgia Tech hit -0.043 in Sept. of 2024.
- Jordyn Dailey had a team-high seven blocks, coming up one shy of her career-high.
- Sophia Gregoire had a season-high six kills on just seven swings.
- Pitt improved to 16-1 all-time against Clemson, including 9-0 on the road.
- Pitt has now won 12 straight regular season matches away from home and is 10-0 away from home (7-0 on the road and 3-0 in neutral site) this year. That 10-0 mark is the program's best start to a season since the 2021 team won 12 straight away from home to open.
- Although Clemson entered the match with just eight wins on the season, all eight victories had come at home.
- Pitt is now 94-10 (.904) in ACC play since the start of the 2021 season.
- Olivia Babcock, who entered the match as the nation's leader in kills per set, had five kills on just 12 swings. She increased her hitting percentage to .372 on the season and is now hitting .470 over the past five matches.
- Pitt has hit at least .300 in 14-of-20 matches this year.
- Pitt has outdug 16-of-19 opponents this year and is averaging 8.6 digs per match more than opponents over the last five matches.
- Pitt is now 25-3 all-time as the No. 2-ranked team in the country
UP NEXT
- Pitt will make a road swing through North Carolina this upcoming week, playing Wake Forest Friday at 6:30 p.m.
- The Panthers will close the trip by playing at NC State Sunday at 1 p.m.
