MILWAUKEE — After securing a season opening sweep against No. 6 Wisconsin on Friday, third ranked Kentucky would have its hands full taking on yet another top ranked team. Unlike the Wildcats opening matchup, they'd be hunting revenge rather than defending against it.
No. 4 Pittsburgh showed why its among the best teams in the country, taking down Kentucky once again. This time in a 3-1 finish in the AVCA First Serve invitational.
Pitt jumped out to an early 15-9 lead courtesy of two-time AVCA Player of the Year Olivia Babcock. The Panthers right side hitter notched five early kills during the opening stretch of play which included a 6-0 run for Pitt. In the first set alone, Brooklyn Deleye and Morgan Gaerte combined for seven attacking errors. Pitt won the first set 25-14.
Starck ➡️ Babcock connection 🔥
— NCAA Women's Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball) August 23, 2026
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The second set was back-and-forth from the start, with Pitt edging out an 11-7 advantage courtesy of back-to-back kills from Babcock. An aggressive attack from the Wildcats was continually thwarted thanks to a stout defense from Pitt.
Kentucky heads into the media timeout trailing Pitt 15-12 in the second set.
— BBN Tonight (@BBNTonight) August 23, 2026
The Wildcats currently have a .017 hit percentage with 16 attacking errors.
Gaerte began to heat up in the second set, posting a pair of kills to help Kentucky tie the second set 16-16. The Wildcats and Panthers would trade blows, until Deleye used her powerful serve to collect three consecutive service aces to win the second set 25-21.
& ANOTHER!!!!🤯🤯🤯
— Kentucky Volleyball (@KentuckyVB) August 23, 2026
Three straight aces from Brooklyn to claim the set.
25-21, Kentucky | Set 2
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Pitt grabbed an early lead in the third set, and didn't look back winning that frame 25-13. Babcock continued to dominate, tallying 19 kills through the first three sets. She'd go on to finish the day with 27 kills and four blocks.
In the fourth set, Pitt took a 21-17 lead when Craig Skinner took a timeout to gather the Wildcats. Kentucky would push things in the fourth set to 23-20 after back-to-back kills from Deleye and Gaerte, but Pitt would break through on the second match point to secure a 3-1 win.
For more on Kentucky volleyball and all of the Wildcats, join us on BBN Tonight, airing weeknights at 7:30 p.m. on the official station for UK Athletics, LEX 18.
