PITTSBURGH – No. 1 Pitt volleyball team (6-0, 0-0 ACC) hosts in-state rival No. 3 Penn State (8-0, 0-0 Big Ten) on Sept. 18 at 7 p.m. at the Petersen Events Center. The two programs have a rich history and will play in Pittsburgh for the first time in three years. This is the first time in program history that Pitt and Penn State have met in a top-five matchup.
Penn State leads the all-time series 34-21, but Pitt has won two of the last three meetings. The Panthers most recently defeated the Nittany Lions in the second round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament at the Petersen Events Center en route to their first-ever Final Four appearance. Rachel Fairbanks recorded a double-double in the win with 27 assists and 12 digs, along with five kills and an ace.

DYNAMIC DUO
• Torrey Stafford And Olivia Babcock have impressed in their sophomore season after earning All-American status as rookies.
• Stafford ranks in the top 15 in the country in points per set (13th – 5.23) and kills per set (14th – 4.54), while Babcock ranks 8th in the country in points per set (5.38) and 50th in kills per set (4.06).
• Babcock and Stafford have scored or tied for the most kills on the team in every match this season.

ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER PRIZE
• Olivia Babcock was recently named ACC Offensive Player of the Week for the second time in her career following her impressive week in California.
• Over the weekend, she averaged 6.17 points per set, 5.11 kills per set, 2.22 digs per set, 0.78 blocks per set and 0.67 aces per set, with a .347 batting average.
• This is the eighth weekly conference award she has received, after being named ACC Freshman of the Week six times last year.

WELL-OILED MACHINE
• Pitt ranks in the top five in the country in hitting percentage (3rd – .334), opponent hitting percentage (3rd – .103) and aces per set (3rd – 2.44)

BATTLE AGAINST THE TROJANS AND WON
• Pitt recorded its second win in the top 25 with a 3-0 victory over then-No. 23 USC in Los Angeles on Sept. 11.
• Native Californians Torrey Stafford, Olivia Babcock And Rachel Fairbanks made an impression in their hometown, as the sophomore pin hitters combined for 30 kills while Fairbanks recorded a season-high 38 assists.
• Freshman middle blocker Ryla Jones led the Panthers with seven blocks and added four kills.

WEAR A RING ON IT
• The 2023 ACC champions and Final Four participants will be presented with their rings by alumni and Forever Panthers before their game against Penn State.
• Cat Flood, Rachel Fairbanks And Emmy Klika receive their third ring (2021 Final Four, 2022 ACC Championship/Final Four, 2023 ACC Championship/Final Four) while Valeria Vazquez Gomez receives her fourth ring, as she was part of the 2019 ACC Championship team.

DOING BUSINESS
• The Panthers have defeated all six of their opponents this year, with their most recent win coming over UCSB at Pepperdine during the Asics Classic Tournament.
• Olivia Babcock And Valeria Vazquez Gomez combined for 27 kills and 10 digs, both above .400. against UCSB.
• Cat Flood and Babcock again led the Panthers from the service line, scoring two aces apiece against the Gauchos.
• Senior setter Nisa Buzlutepe recorded a season-record 31 assists in the UCSB game.

THE DUCKS ARE GOING DOWN
• The Panthers defeated No. 10 Oregon in their season opener in three sets.
• Senior setter Rachel Fairbanks led the charge with her first double-double of the season (34A, 11D).
• Second year winger Torrey Stafford came back strong from injury, recording a match-high 13 kills with a .333 hitting percentage and five digs.

THE BEACH CONQUERED
• Pitt dominated in the second game of the season, beating Long Beach State 3-0.
• Four freshmen made their college debut while being senior transfer setters Nisa Buzlutepe saw her first action against The Beach.
• The team was firing on all cylinders, hitting .351 for the game.
• Rachel Fairbanks achieved her second consecutive double-double with 25 assists and 11 digs.

FRESH FACES
• The Panthers’ roster consists of five true freshmen Ryla Jones, Bianca Garibaldi, Kiana Dinn, Mallorie Meyer and Dalia Vîrlan.
• Jones and Garibaldi joined the team in January, Dinn and Meyer arrived in Pittsburgh this summer and Vîrlan arrived just before pre-season.
• Garibaldi is from Argentina, Vîrlan is from Romania, while Jones (Washington, DC), Meyer (Nebraska) and Dinn (Kentucky) come to Pittsburgh from the United States.
• Pitt also recently signed a senior transfer setter, Nisa Buzlutepefrom Istanbul, Turkey. She has one year of eligibility remaining after playing three seasons at Texas A&M.

AN EXPERIENCED BUNCH
• Ten Panthers return from the 2023 Final Four Team, including five All-Americans.
• Rachel Fairbanks, Olivia Babcock, Torrey Stafford, Emmy Klika And Valeria Vazquez Gomez They have all won All-American, All-ACC and All-Region awards in their careers.

PANTHERS ARE HOT
• Pitt has made three straight Final Fours, two straight ACC championships and eight straight NCAA tournament appearances.
• The Panthers are the only team to appear in the 2021, 2022 and 2023 Final Fours in the past three years and one of three teams to have appeared in the last four Elite Eights.

PITT IN RED, WHITE AND BLUE
• Olivia Babcock And Blaire Bayless competed for Team USA again this summer.
•Babcock played with the senior national team in Anaheim, California, and was the only rising sophomore on the NCAA volleyball team to do so.
• Bayless trained with the U-19 national team and won the gold medal at the NORCECA U21 Continental Championship in Toronto, Canada.

FAIRBANKS RAINING THE SHOW
• The reigning ACC Setter of the Year and AVCA East Coast Region Player of the Year, Rachel Fairbanksis performing excellently in her fourth and final season in Pittsburgh.
• The senior ranks 29th in the nation in assists per set (10.36) and has reached double figures twice so far.

ALL FROM DEFENSE
• The Panthers finished the 2023 season ranked in the top five in total blocks (344), blocks per set (2.97) and opponent hitting percentage (.141).
• Senior libero Emmy Klika will return in 2023 after posting his best season ever, earning All-American Honorable Mention, All-ACC and AVCA East Coast All-Region honors for the first time.