University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt
20-1,10-1ACC
Wake Forest
9-13,3-8ACC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh | 25 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| Wake Forest | 21 | 25 | 19 | 19 | 1 |
10/30/2026 9:14:00 PM | Volleyball
Winston-Salem, N.C. – No. 2 Pitt battled through adversity to remain unbeaten away from home, defeating Wake Forest 25-21, 23-25, 25-19, 25-19. The Panthers played the match without two-time defending National Player of the Year Olivia Babcock, who did not travel due to illness. Babcock had played in all 124 matches of her career prior to Friday night.
Senior Blaire Bayless and freshman Ayanna Watson picked up the offensive pace in Babcock's absence, posting career-highs of 22 and 19 kills, respectively. Pitt hit .336 as a team, had 14.0 blocks and outdug Wake Forest 49-37.
With the win, Pitt improved to 20-1 on the season and 10-1 in ACC play. Wake Forest fell to 9-13 on the year and 3-8 in ACC action. The Panthers remain one game behind Louisville in the ACC standings with those two programs set to face off in Victory Heights on Nov. 15.
FIRST SET
- Pitt and Wake Forest battled through a competitive first set with neither team able to take control or build a lead.
- The Demon Deacons held a 15-13 advantage at the technical timeout but Pitt responded to tie it at 15-15 on a Blaire Bayless kill and force a Wake Forest timeout.
- Out of the break, Pitt continued to keep the pressure on, scoring two more to take a 17-15 advantage.
- The Panthers pushed the lead to three but Wake Forest battled back to within one and Pitt used a timeout holding a 22-21 lead.
- Out of the break, Bayless tipped one over the block for a kill and Abbey Emch followed with a kill out of the middle for the 24-21 advantage. Pitt held on for the 25-21 victory.
SECOND SET
- Wake Forest pushed out to an 8-5 lead as Pitt used a timeout.
- The Demon Deacons took their largest lead of the match at 10-6 before the Pitt block kickstarted a 5-1 run that tied the score at 11-11.
- The Demon Deacons continued to play from ahead and used a 4-0 run to build a 19-15 advantage.
- Pitt wasn't done though, and the Panthers clawed back to tie the score at 20-20 after an assisted block by Jordyn Dailey and Abbey Emch.
- Wake Forest followed with a bad set on the next point and Pitt led for the first time since 4-3.
- Again, Wake Forest battled back for the lead and the Demon Deacons pulled out the second set 25-23.
THIRD SET
- Pitt jumped ahead early as Maaike Heilig had two blocks and a kill for a 6-3 Panthers' lead.
- Pitt continued to play from ahead throughout the third set, leading by as many as five points at 17-12.
- Wake Forest answered with a kill and an ace to close to within three. Following a timeout, a Wake block made it 17-15.
- Pitt would not led the Deacs get closer as a 4-1 run made it 21-16 and the Panthers rolled to the 25-19 win.
FOURTH SET
- Wake Forest opened by scoring five of the first seven points of the set.
- Pitt briefly took the lead at 13-12 but Wake answered with back-to-back points to recapture the advantage.
- Mallorie Meyer gave Pitt a 16-15 lead with a service ace and Ayanna Watson terminated a pass to make it 17-15.
- From there, Pitt began to pull away. The Panthers made it a 6-0 run for a 20-15 lead, forcing a Wake Forest timeout.
NOTABLE
- Along with her 19 kills, Ayanna Watson added a career-best 11 digs for her first career double-double.
- Izzy Starck also had a double-double with 35 assists and 12 digs, along with three blocks.
- Abbey Emch had a team-best eight blocks, while Jordyn Dailey added seven more.
- Pitt improved to 15-1 all-time against Wake Forest, including a 7-1 record in road matches.
- Pitt is undefeated away from home this year, 8-0 on the road and 3-0 in neutral site matches, and has won 13 straight regular season matches away from home dating back to last year.
- With a .336 attack percentage, Pitt has hit at least .300 in 15-of-21 matches this year. Pitt has hit at least .336 in six straight contests.
- Jordyn Dailey has 19 blocks in the last three matches.
- Pitt has now outdug 18-of-21 opponents this year. In its last six matches, Pitt is averaging 9.2 digs per match more than opponents.
- Pitt is 26-3 all-time as the No. 2 team in the country and 271-39 when ranked.
UP NEXT
- Pitt stays on the road to face NC State (13-9, 4-7 ACC) Sunday at 1 p.m. to conclude a four-match road swing.
- The Panthers return home to host Duke Friday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m.
