Pitt took care of business the way a No. 1 overall seed should in its first-round match with Morehead State.

The Panthers opened their 2024 NCAA Tournament run at the Petersen Events Center Friday night by sweeping the Eagles, who entered the postseason 18-13 overall and 12-6 in Ohio Valley Conference play.

Torrey Stafford recorded a match-high 14 kills, while Olivia Babcock had a double-double with 12 kills and 11 digs. Senior setter Rachel Fairbanks recorded a match-high 33 assists - her sixth game in a row with at least 33 - and tied her season high with five aces.

Fairbanks’ 33 assists were also five more than Morehead State had as a team.

While Pitt won each set of Friday’s match rather comfortably - 25-17, 25-15 and 25-15 - Morehead State was able to keep things a bit more competitive than expected. The Eagles were within two points of Pitt as late as 17-15 before the Panthers used an 8-2 run to take the first set. In the second set, they scored consecutive points to cut Pitt’s lead to 10-8, and the third set saw a score of 14-12 before the Panthers put it away.

Ultimately, the No. 1 overall seed and No. 1 team in the country played like it, holding a 40-29 advantage in kills, a 47-35 advantage in digs and recording all 11 aces in the match (tying a program record for an NCAA Tournament match in the process). The Eagles did challenge the Panthers at the net with six blocks - Pitt had eight - but the Panthers’ defense was too much to handle; after Morehead State hit .296 in the first set, the Eagles’ success rate dropped in the final two sets to finish at .114.

Pitt will be back in action tonight when the Panthers host No. 8 seed Oklahoma at the Petersen Events Center for a 7 pm start. The Sooners advanced from the first round with a five-set win over UTEP Friday night.