University of Louisville outside hitter Anna DeBeer delivered an impressive performance with 22 kills, 14 digs, and two aces, but the No. 4 Cardinals were edged out by No. 1 Pitt, losing 3-2 (25-21, 26-28, 25-17, 22-25, 15-12) on Friday night at the Peterson Event Center.
With this victory, Pitt improved to 18-1 overall and 8-1 in ACC play, while Louisville fell to 16-3, marking their first league loss, also standing at 8-1 in the ACC.
Louisville posted a .203 hitting percentage, with 13 blocks and one ace. Charitie Luper contributed 19 kills, 17 digs, and two blocks, while Reese Robins added 10 kills and three blocks. Libero Elena Scott recorded 21 digs, and setter Elle Glock had 38 assists.
Pitt’s victory was powered by Olivia Babcock’s 22 kills and four blocks, supported by Torrey Stafford’s 15 kills and 13 digs, and Bre Kelley’s 12 kills and 10 blocks. The Panthers hit .263 with three aces and 16 blocks but struggled with 12 service errors.
In the first set, Pitt surged to a 7-2 lead, leveraging .247 hitting to keep Louisville under pressure. Anna DeBeer’s efforts helped the Cardinals close the gap to 23-21, but a service error and a kill by Babcock secured Pitt’s 25-21 win.
Louisville responded in the second set, taking a 7-3 lead and forcing a Pitt timeout. The Cardinals extended their run to 9-3 and maintained their momentum, even as Pitt pulled within two points at 19-17. The set remained tightly contested, and at 26-26, Louisville capitalized on a service error and a block by Phekran Kong to take the set 28-26.
In the third set, Pitt built an early 7-4 lead. Louisville kept the score close, trailing just 15-13 at the media timeout, but Pitt then went on a 4-1 run, pushing their lead to 19-14. Despite a late rally by Louisville, the Panthers held on for a 25-17 win.
The Cardinals fought back in the fourth set, taking a 9-8 lead on a DeBeer kill. The Panthers kept pace, tying the score at 16, but Louisville pulled ahead 22-19, prompting a Pitt timeout. Pitt narrowed the gap to 23-22, but Charitie Luper and DeBeer secured the final points for a 25-22 win, forcing a decisive fifth set.
Pitt started strong in the fifth set, leading 5-2. Louisville closed the gap to 6-5 with DeBeer’s 22nd kill, and the two teams traded points. After a Louisville timeout, Pitt reached 12-8. The Cardinals managed to pull within one at 13-12 with blocks from DeBeer and Kong, but kills from Pitt’s Bayless and Valeria Vazquez Gomez sealed the match at 15-12, giving the Panthers the win.
