No. 24 Marquette falls to No. 9 Pitt

MILWAUKEE – The No. 24 Marquette University women’s volleyball team fell, 25-15, 25-13, 25-20, to No. 9 Pitt on Friday evening in its home opener at the Al McGuire Center.

Middle blocker Hattie Bray had seven kills and four blocks to lead the Golden Eagles (2-4).

Torrey Stafford led the Panthers (5-1) with 17 kills on .516 hitting, 10 digs and three blocks. Emma Monks posted a match-high seven blocks and Pitt had 12 total blocks as a team. The Panthers out-hit MU, .333 to .050.

NOTABLE:

• Today’s match was MU’s fourth this season against a ranked opponent. MU’s next two matches are also against ranked teams, No. 18 Tennessee and No. 1 Wisconsin.
• The remainder of MU’s non-conference schedule will be played in Milwaukee. Marquette closes non-conference play with three matches at the Al McGuire Center on campus, the Wisconsin match at Fiserv Forum (home of MU men’s basketball and the Milwaukee Bucks) and a Thursday, Sept. 14 match across town at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
• MU outside hitter Aubrey Hamilton is 17 kills from reaching 1,000 in her NCAA career. The native of Hartland, Wisconsin has 472 at Marquette and 983 in her career.
• Pitt now leads the all-time series between the two programs, 7-6. Marquette had won each of the last five matchups entering Friday night.
• All but two of the 13 meetings all-time between the two programs came as fellow members of the BIG EAST Conference (2005-12).
• MU is 3-3 against Pitt in matches played at the Al McGuire Center.
• The Panthers are coming off consecutive appearances in the NCAA Final Four and have made three-straight trips to the NCAA regional finals.
• Pitt’s 135 wins since 2018 are the most in NCAA Division I over that period.

UP NEXT: The Golden Eagles host No. 18 Tennessee on Sunday at 1 p.m. Central time at the Al McGuire Center. UT (6-1) defeated Loyola Chicago, 3-1, on Friday night.

KEEP SHOWING UP

Sunday’s matchup with Tennessee on World Suicide Prevention Day is MU’s Mental Health Awareness Match. The Golden Eagles have teamed with alumna Jenny Fischer (Comm ’19) and her Keep Showing Up campaign in support of suicide prevention awareness and mental health as a whole. Fischer began producing t-shirts adorned with the “Keep Showing Up” phrase in 2020 to raise money for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Fischer’s inspiration came from her personal connection to the cause. Her mother and grandfather both died by suicide.

Keep Showing Up shirts will be available for purchase at the match, and donations will be made to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Active Minds and Black Minds organizations will be in attendance at the match.

Keep up with the Marquette University women’s volleyball program through social media by following on X (@MarquetteVB) and Instagram (@MarquetteVB) and ‘liking’ on Facebook (/MarquetteVolleyball).