Yardbarker
x
Courtesy of Pitt Athletics

PITTSBURGH — No. 9 Pitt Panthers volleyball put on their best showing of the season, as they swept No. 7 Arizona State at PPG Paints Arena in the State Farm Volleyball Showcase.

The Panthers (2-2) finish with two victories this weekend, as they defeated the then ranked No. 25 TCU Horned Frogs in four sets on Aug. 31, for their first two wins on the season. They lost their first two matches to the No. 1 Nebraska Cornhuskers in four sets on Aug. 22 and the then ranked No. 16 Florida Gators in five sets on Aug. 24 in the AVCA First Serve Showcase in Lincoln, Neb.

This is also the second ever win for Pitt over Arizona State, as they swept them in 1989 in their only ever previous meeting.

Pitt fell behind 5-0 early and 7-3 to Arizona State, with their only points coming off of service errors from ASU.

The Panthers then went on a 6-1 run, taking a 9-8 lead, with junior outside hitter Blaire Bayless posting a block and then three straight kills.

Arizona State rallied for a 14-12 lead, with junior outside hitter Noemie Glover putting up back-to-back kills.

Pitt then scored three straight points to take a 15-14 lead at the media timeout, with back-to-back kills from freshman outside hitter Dagmar Mourits and junior right side Olivia Babcock, who then had aservice ace.

Both teams battled back-and-forth, with the Sun Devils leading 19-18 and looking to take the first set.

The Panthers then pulled up a 5-0 run, with senior setter Brooke Mosher dominating at the service line with her top spin serve, with three aces to take a 23-19 lead.

Pitt then won the first set, 25-20, as Babcock and Mourits posted a kill each, giving them a strong start to the match.

Arizona State took an early 5-3 lead in the second set, with Glover posting three kills, but Pitt battled back with a 5-0 run to take a 8-5 lead, with Bayless posting two kills and a block and redshirt senior middle blocker Bre Kelley posting two blocks, including a solo block.

Courtesy of Pitt Athletics

Bayless has back-to-back attack errors, with the Sun Devils cutting the deficit to 8-7, but the Panthers went on an 8-1 run to take a 16-8 lead, with Bayless posting two kills and a solo block.

Pitt went on and won the second set 25-18, thanks to three service errors from Arizona State, taking a 2-0 lead in the match.

Arizona State began with another early lead, but Pitt again came back and took a 7-5 lead, with Mourits, Bayless, Babcock and Mosher posting kills, plus junior setter Haiti Tautua'a getting a service ace.

The Sun Devils tied it back up at 9-9, but the Panthers used a 6-1 run to build a 15-10 lead at the media timeout, with Babcock and Mourits each making a kill and a block.

Pitt then made it a 9-1 run, as they scored four straight points out of the timeout, to take a 19-10 lead, with sophomore libero/defensive specialist Mallorie Meyer going on a great service run and Kelley adding a block and a kill.

The Panthers went on and won the third set, 25-16, with Mosher making a block and then a kill to clinch match victory.

Bayless dominated for Pitt, with nine kills, hitting. 292 and setting a new career-high with five blocks in the win over Arizona State.

Pitt outblocked Arizona State 14-4, with Bayless dominating and Kelley leading the way with seven of her own blocks.

Mosher also had four total blocks, along with 21 assists, four aces, three kills and four digs for a great, all-around match for the Panthers.

Pitt will host their first two games of the season next weekend, as they face Jacksonville on Sept. 5 and Pepperdine on Sept. 7, both at Fitzgerald Field House.

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Panthers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

Yardbarker +

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!