PITTSBURGH, PA. \u2013 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.<\/p>\n
On a night in which many of Pitt’s stars played sparingly, senior Blaire Bayless<\/a> led the way with 17 kills and a .483 attack percentage. Middle blocker Jordyn Dailey<\/a> had eight kills on 11 swings and added four blocks. As a team, Pitt hit .418, holding Jacksonville to .087.<\/p>\n FIRST SET<\/p>\n
SECOND SET<\/p>\n
THIRD SET<\/p>\n
NOTABLE<\/p>\n
UP NEXT<\/p>\n
\n\tAyanna Watson<\/a> scored the first point of the Victory Heights era with a kill from an Izzy Starck<\/a> set.
\n\tThe opening frame was tied at 3-3 before Pitt reeled off four straight and Jacksonville was never able to recover.
\n\tJacksonville called a timeout with Pitt leading 14-7 followed an Izzy Starck<\/a> service ace, the second of the match for the Panthers.
\n\tPitt hit .667 and finished with three aces in the frame for the 25-11 win.
<\/p>\n
\n\tJacksonville scored the opening point of the set but Pitt answered with seven straight to run away early.
\n\tThe Panthers continued to build the lead, rolling to a 25-16 victory.
<\/p>\n
\n\tJacksonville jumped out to a 4-0 lead, forcing an early Pitt timeout.
\n\tThe Dolphins maintained the lead until Pitt went on a 3-0 run to tie the set at 10-10.
\n\tJacksonville answered with its own three-point run and led 13-10.
\n\tPitt still trailed 15-12 but Blaire Bayless<\/a> had back-to-back kills to spark a 7-0 run and give the Panthers the lead for the first time in the set.\u00a0
\n\tFrom there, Pitt pulled away for the 25-19 win.
<\/p>\n
\n\tBlaire Bayless<\/a> had four blocks and two digs to go with her match-high 17 kills.
\n\tIzzy Masten<\/a> donned the libero jersey for the first time in 2026 and finished with seven digs, four assists and two aces.
\n\tAbbey Emch<\/a> racked up seven blocks, two solo.
\n\tAyanna Watson<\/a> had six kills, seven digs and two aces.
\n\tPitt has outdug all eight of its opponents in 2026, posting a 34-24 edge against Jacksonville.
\n\tPitt improved to 2-0 all-time against Jacksonville.
\n\tPitt 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.
\n\tPitt is now 16-2 all-time when ranked No. 2 in the country and 265-38 when ranked in the AVCA top 25 poll.
<\/p>\n
\n\tPitt returns to Victory Heights Saturday to host High Point at 5 p.m.\u00a0
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