The University of Pittsburgh is enjoying a tremendous start to its 2024-25 athletic year. The Panthers’ fall sports teams are among some of the most successful in the country, with the men’s soccer and women’s volleyball team currently holding the No. 1 overall ranking nationally in their respective sports.
Here is this week’s fall sports recap.
Volleyball
Record: 12-0 (2-0 ACC)
Ranking: No. 1 (AVCA)
Last week: Defeated UMBC 3-0; Defeated Clemson 3-0; Defeated No. 13 Georgia Tech 3-0
Schedule
Friday 10/4: @ Boston College 7:00 p.m. (ACCNX)
Sunday 10/6: @ Syracuse 11:00 a.m. (ACCNX)
Pitt earned all 61 first-place votes in this week’s AVCA Top 25. The Panthers are pretty much the unquestioned best team in the country at this point. Pitt is 12-0, and still has not lost a single set this season. Dan Fisher’s team continued that dominance last week with three victories, including the team’s first two ACC wins of the year.
Pitt had an easy one to close out non-conference play, taking care of business against UMBC (25-17, 25-15, 25-14). Olivia Babcock had 8 kills, while senior Cat Flood had a career-best six kills. The Panthers then hit the road for their first two ACC matches of the season.
Pitt saw a little bit of resistance from Clemson in the first set, but prevailed 25-21 and then went onto dominate the next two. The Panthers held a 16-5 lead in the third set against the Tigers and won 25-13.
Sunday’s match was supposed to be a lot more challenging against No. 13 Georgia Tech, which has been one of the better ACC programs in recent years. Pitt did not mess around too much here, however. The Panthers raced out to a 19-4 lead in the first set, and sort of coasted from there. Pitt’s lethal sophomore duo of Olivia Babcock and Torrey Stafford combined for 23 kills.
Pitt will continue its four-game road stretch with games at Boston College (7-7, 0-2) and Syracuse (12-2, 0-2) this weekend.
Men’s Soccer
Record: 8-1 (4-0 ACC)
Ranking: No. 1 (United Soccer Coaches)
Recognition: Casper Svendby, ACC Defensive Player of the Week
Last week: Defeated No. 17 Virginia Tech 2-0
Schedule
Wednesday 10/2: Howard 7:00 p.m. (ACCNX)
Pitt climbed to No.1 in the Uniter Soccer Coaches Top 25 last week. The Panthers started the season unranked, but are off to an impressive start and look well on their way to making the NCAA Tournament for the sixth straight year.
Jay Vidovich is one of the best in the business, but is doing perhaps the best coaching job of his career. The Panthers were picked to finish ninth in the preseason ACC poll, but he has them as a firm national championship contender nine matches into the season.
The Panthers only had one match last week, but made it count, taking home a 2-0 decision over No. 17 Virginia Tech on the road. It marked Pitt’s fifth consecutive win, good for the program’s best winning streak since the 2020-21 campaign.
Pitt benefitted from an ‘own goal’ by Virginia Tech in the second half, before Casper Grening buried his second goal of the season in the 76th minute. It marked the third straight shutout for the Panthers. The win also was the eighth consecutive against the Hokies.
The Panthers have a total of seven matches remaining, with four of those being ACC contests, though no league matches this week. Pitt only has one date this week, a 7:00 p.m. home kick on Wednesday against Howard at Ambrose Urbanic Field. The Bison are just 1-4-2 this season.
Women’s Soccer
Record: 7-3-2 (1-2-1 ACC)
Ranking: N/A
Last week: Lost to Cal 1-0; Draw Stanford 1-1
Schedule
Thursday 10/3: Clemson 6:00 p.m. (ACCNX)
The Pitt women’s soccer program got a taste of the new look ACC this week. The Panthers had to travel across the country for a pair of conference games in the Bay Area. Randy Waldrum’s team did not pull out a victory on the West Coast swing, but did manage to squeeze out a point.
On Thursday, the Panthers dropped a 1-0 decision to Cal in Berkeley. Pitt outshot the Golden Bears 11-3 for the match, but Soleil Dimry found the back of the net for Cal in the 46th minute, which was enough to hold onto the victory.
Pitt had an even tougher match on Sunday, but equated itself quite well against No. 6 Stanford, playing to a 1-1 draw. The Panthers fell behind in the 18th minute, but responded as Keera Melenhorst connected on her fourth goal of the season, coming on an assist from Sarah Schupansky, adding to her team-high in points this season at 23.
It was not enough to climb in the rankings, Pitt did receive one vote in this week's United Soccer Coaches Poll. The Panthers are now just 1-2-1 in ACC play, and needs to start registering a few more wins. The panthers welcome Clemson to Ambrose Urbanic Field on Thursday. The Tigers are 0-5 in league play.
