PITTSBURGH — The No. 1 seeded Pitt volleyball team advanced to its sixth straight regional final this Saturday as the Panthers rolled past No. 4 seeded Minnesota 25-16, 25-23, 25-22, Thursday night in the third round of the NCAA Tournament.

Olivia Babcock led the match with 19 kills, and Bre Kelley recorded eight kills on 10 swings for a blistering .800 hitting efficiency.

Pitt (29-4) jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the opening set and never trailed. Minnesota (24-10) did get within two on a pair of occasions, but the Panthers finished on an 11-4 run and took the opening stanza, 25-16. Kelley and Babcock combined for nine of Pitt’s 13 kills in the frame.

In the second set, neither team led by more than two points until the Panthers used a 5-1 run to go ahead 19-16. Minnesota clawed back to tie the score at 23-23, forcing a Pitt timeout. Following the break, Marina Pezelj had a kill, and Blaire Bayless and Abbey Emch combined on a block for the 25-23 Panther win.

With the third set knotted at 9-9, Pitt scored three straight, and Minnesota burned a timeout. The Golden Gophers wouldn’t let the Panthers extend the lead and Minnesota put together a 7-2 run to lead 21-19. Pitt used a momentum shifting scramble to force an attack error and tie the set at 21-21. That play propelled the Panthers forward to the 25-22 victory.

Pitt will host Purdue Saturday night at the Petersen Events Center at 7:30 p.m. with a trip to its fifth consecutive Final Four on the line.

PSU hires new soccer coach

UNIVERSITY PARK — Penn State athletic director Patrick Kraft announced the selection of Rob Dow as men’s soccer head coach on Thursday.

Dow, who owns the nation’s ninth-best win percentage among active men’s soccer coaches with at least five seasons leading a team, comes to Happy Valley after serving as the head coach at Vermont for the last nine years.

“We are excited to welcome Rob Dow as the new head coach of Penn State men’s soccer,” said Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Pat Kraft. “Rob brings a proven record of success and a clear vision for the future of our program. His commitment to developing student-athletes and fostering a culture of excellence aligns perfectly with Penn State’s values. We look forward to the impact he will make on and off the field.”

As the head coach of the Catamounts, Dow boasted a 129-41-21 record. He took the team to five consecutive NCAA Tournaments, including leading Vermont to a national championship in the 2024 season. He coached 55 all-conference honorees and seven major conference award winners.

Dow and his staff were recognized as back-to-back America East Coaching Staff of the Year in 2024 and 2025. He is the first and only America East head coach to win a national title, and to earn the No. 1 overall seed in an NCAA Tournament.

“I am extremely honored to become the 13th head men’s soccer coach at Penn State University,” said Dow. “I would like to extend my gratitude to Dr. Patrick Kraft, Adam Miller, and the rest of the search committee for their faith in me to lead the next generation of Nittany Lions. I am so fortunate to have the opportunity to not only honor the program’s rich history, but to be a part of an athletic department that is focused on developing world class student-athletes on and off the field while pursuing success at the highest levels. I am excited to get to work writing the next chapter of PSU men’s soccer by getting back to chasing Big Ten titles and national championships.”