University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt
8-0,0-0ACC
Jacksonville
3-4,0-0ASUN
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville | 11 | 16 | 19 | 0 |
| Pittsburgh | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
No. 2 Pitt Gets First Win In Victory Heights, Sweeps Jacksonville
9/11/2026 9:25:00 PM | Volleyball
PITTSBURGH, PA. – On the surface, Friday night's box score may not tell the whole story. After all, the No. 2 Pitt volleyball team cruised to a 25-11, 25-16, 25-19 win over Jacksonville, dropping the Dolphins to 3-4 on the season. But the night was historic nonetheless as the Panthers opened Victory Heights Arena with their 54thconsecutive home victory in front of a sellout crowd of 3,005 inside the pristine new venue.
On a night in which many of Pitt's stars played sparingly, senior Blaire Bayless led the way with 17 kills and a .483 attack percentage. Middle blocker Jordyn Dailey had eight kills on 11 swings and added four blocks. As a team, Pitt hit .418, holding Jacksonville to .087.
FIRST SET
- Ayanna Watson scored the first point of the Victory Heights era with a kill from an Izzy Starck set.
- The opening frame was tied at 3-3 before Pitt reeled off four straight and Jacksonville was never able to recover.
- Jacksonville called a timeout with Pitt leading 14-7 followed an Izzy Starck service ace, the second of the match for the Panthers.
- Pitt hit .667 and finished with three aces in the frame for the 25-11 win.
SECOND SET
- Jacksonville scored the opening point of the set but Pitt answered with seven straight to run away early.
- The Panthers continued to build the lead, rolling to a 25-16 victory.
THIRD SET
- Jacksonville jumped out to a 4-0 lead, forcing an early Pitt timeout.
- The Dolphins maintained the lead until Pitt went on a 3-0 run to tie the set at 10-10.
- Jacksonville answered with its own three-point run and led 13-10.
- Pitt still trailed 15-12 but Blaire Bayless had back-to-back kills to spark a 7-0 run and give the Panthers the lead for the first time in the set.
- From there, Pitt pulled away for the 25-19 win.
NOTABLE
- Blaire Bayless had four blocks and two digs to go with her match-high 17 kills.
- Izzy Masten donned the libero jersey for the first time in 2026 and finished with seven digs, four assists and two aces.
- Abbey Emch racked up seven blocks, two solo.
- Ayanna Watson had six kills, seven digs and two aces.
- Pitt has outdug all eight of its opponents in 2026, posting a 34-24 edge against Jacksonville.
- Pitt improved to 2-0 all-time against Jacksonville.
- Pitt improved to a nation's best 161-20 since the start of the 2021 season, including a mark of 55-6 in regular season non-conference contests. The Panthers are 34-1 against unranked opponents in non-conference play.
- Pitt is now 16-2 all-time when ranked No. 2 in the country and 265-38 when ranked in the AVCA top 25 poll.
UP NEXT
- Pitt returns to Victory Heights Saturday to host High Point at 5 p.m.
