PITTSBURGH, PA. – On the surface, Friday night’s box score may not tell the whole story. After all, the No. 2 Pitt volleyball team cruised to a 25-11, 25-16, 25-19 win over Jacksonville, dropping the Dolphins to 3-4 on the season. But the night was historic nonetheless as the Panthers opened Victory Heights Arena with their 54thconsecutive home victory in front of a sellout crowd of 3,005 inside the pristine new venue.

On a night in which many of Pitt’s stars played sparingly, senior Blaire Bayless led the way with 17 kills and a .483 attack percentage. Middle blocker Jordyn Dailey had eight kills on 11 swings and added four blocks. As a team, Pitt hit .418, holding Jacksonville to .087.

FIRST SET


Ayanna Watson scored the first point of the Victory Heights era with a kill from an Izzy Starck set.
The opening frame was tied at 3-3 before Pitt reeled off four straight and Jacksonville was never able to recover.
Jacksonville called a timeout with Pitt leading 14-7 followed an Izzy Starck service ace, the second of the match for the Panthers.
Pitt hit .667 and finished with three aces in the frame for the 25-11 win.

SECOND SET


Jacksonville scored the opening point of the set but Pitt answered with seven straight to run away early.
The Panthers continued to build the lead, rolling to a 25-16 victory.

THIRD SET


Jacksonville jumped out to a 4-0 lead, forcing an early Pitt timeout.
The Dolphins maintained the lead until Pitt went on a 3-0 run to tie the set at 10-10.
Jacksonville answered with its own three-point run and led 13-10.
Pitt still trailed 15-12 but Blaire Bayless had back-to-back kills to spark a 7-0 run and give the Panthers the lead for the first time in the set. 
From there, Pitt pulled away for the 25-19 win.

NOTABLE


Blaire Bayless had four blocks and two digs to go with her match-high 17 kills.
Izzy Masten donned the libero jersey for the first time in 2026 and finished with seven digs, four assists and two aces.
Abbey Emch racked up seven blocks, two solo.
Ayanna Watson had six kills, seven digs and two aces.
Pitt has outdug all eight of its opponents in 2026, posting a 34-24 edge against Jacksonville.
Pitt improved to 2-0 all-time against Jacksonville.
Pitt improved to a nation’s best 161-20 since the start of the 2021 season, including a mark of 55-6 in regular season non-conference contests. The Panthers are 34-1 against unranked opponents in non-conference play.
Pitt is now 16-2 all-time when ranked No. 2 in the country and 265-38 when ranked in the AVCA top 25 poll.

UP NEXT


Pitt returns to Victory Heights Saturday to host High Point at 5 p.m.