University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt
21-1,11-1ACC
NC State
13-10,4-8ACC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| NC State | 20 | 20 | 13 | 0 |
11/1/2026 3:14:00 PM | Volleyball
Raleigh, N.C. – The No. 2 Pitt Volleyball team remained unbeaten away from home this season, sweeping past NC State 25-20, 25-20, 25-13 Sunday as two-time National Player of the Year Olivia Babcock returned to the lineup after missing a match Friday for the first time in her career due to an illness.
Babcock led Pitt with 13 kills but the Panthers used a balanced effort to dominate the Wolfpack. Blaire Bayless had a double-double with 10 kills and 10 digs, while Ayanna Watson added 11 kills in the win. Pitt had three more blocks and six more digs than NC State, hitting .348 and holding the Wolfpack to just .107 hitting.
With the win, Pitt improves to 21-1 on the season (11-1 in the ACC), while NC State falls to 13-10 overall and 4-8 in ACC play.
FIRST SET
- Pitt used a 7-1 run to open up a six-point lead at 13-7. Two kills by Ayanna Watson and another by Blaire Bayless were the catalysts during the stretch.
- NC State chipped away at the lead and got back within one at 18-17.
- After a Pitt timeout, Sophia Gregoire and Jordyn Dailey combined on a block that stopped the run.
- Pitt's fourth and fifth blocks of the set gave the Panthers a 22-18 lead and NC State was unable to rally.
SECOND SET
- NC State scored the first five points of the set and the Wolfpack lead was as many at six at 7-1.
- Pitt climbed out of the hole and kills from Ayanna Watson and Olivia Babcock tied the score at 10-10. Babcock followed with another kill to make it 11-10 Pitt.
- The Panthers kept the pressure on, taking a 14-10 lead after a Blaire Bayless kill.
- NC State would not go away and the Wolfpack closed to within one at 20-19 but another Bayless kill stopped the momentum.
- Pitt pulled away for a second 25-20 victory.
THIRD SET
- Pitt led throughout the early stages of set three but was not able to put together a decisive run until Olivia Babcock posted back-to-back kills to give the Panthers a 14-9 lead.
- Babcock added a block assist, next to Abbey Emch, and then another kill for a 16-9 lead.
- NC State was never able to gather itself and the Panthers rolled 25-13.
NOTABLE
- Abbey Emch had six kills and five blocks to lead Pitt in the middle. Jordyn Dailey added four points and four blocks from the middle position; she now has 23 blocks over the last four Pitt matches.
- Izzy Starck dished out 35 assists, adding four digs and two blocks.
- Along with her double-double, Blaire Bayless had 22 serve receptions without an error.
- Although Bayless' 10 digs were a team-high, Olivia Babcock and Trinity Thompson followed with eight apiece.
- Pitt hit at least .300 in each set, closing out the match by hitting .455 in set three.
- Pitt is now 18-2 all-time against NC State and 8-1 on the road; the Panthers have won 10 straight over NC State.
- Pitt is now 12-0 away from home this year (9-0 on the road and 3-0 in neutral site contests) and has won 14 straight regular season matches outside of Pittsburgh dating back to last year. Pitt, BYU and Nebraska are the only teams that remain unbeaten away from home this year.
- Pitt has hit at least .336 in seven straight matches since losing to SMU. In total, Pitt has hit .300 or better in 16-of-22 matches.
- Pitt has outdug 19-of-22 opponents in 2026.
UP NEXT
- Pitt returns home to host Duke and North Carolina next weekend.
- Duke (16-6, 8-4 ACC) will visit Victory Heights Friday night at 7 p.m.
- North Carolina (16-4, 11-1 ACC) is tied with Pitt for second place in the ACC standings. The Tar Heels will meet Pitt inside Victory Heights Sunday at 1 p.m.
