PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Three different Pitt sports had players of the week and the women’s soccer team made it to the Elite 8, all within days of each other.
First ever
Keera Melenhorst, Deborah Abiodun and Aliya Gomes with goals and Ellie Breech the shutout as Pitt beat Memphis 3-0 Sunday to advance to the NCAA women’s soccer Elite 8. No Panthers team had ever made it this far. Pitt will take on number one seed Florida State Friday at 5:30p. A rematch of a 3-2 FSU win in the regular season.
The Carrington Award
Panthers Bub Carrington is the only winner of the ACC Rookie of the Week award for men’s basketball so far this season, winning it last week for his opening couple of games including a first-game triple-double. The Baltimore native averaged 18 points, 5.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds in wins over Florida Gulf Coast and Jacksonville last week. Carrington is the first Panthers players to earn conference Rookie of the Week honors in consecutive weeks since DeJuan Blair in the 2007-08 season while part of the Big East.
Local football honor
Westinghouse HS grad Dayon Hayes named the ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week after six tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks and two passes defended in a 24-16 win over Boston College last Thursday. It’s the second time in Hayes’ career he’s won the award, each time in November. The tackle won it last year after three sacks against Miami on November 26.
VB excellence
Pitt volleyball set an attendance record and then had a two-set comeback to beat fourth-ranked Louisville on Saturday. Torrey Stafford named ACC Offensive Player and Rookie of the Week and Rachel Fairbanks named the conference Setter of the Week.
It’s the fourth honor for Fairbanks as she averaged 11.6 assists per set in the Panthers win, finishing with 58 assists and 19 digs. It’s the fourth weekly honor for the pre-season all-conference junior.
Stafford had career-highs with 21 kills and 11 digs while hitting .439 on Saturday. She is the first Offensive Player and Freshman award winner in two seasons in the ACC. It’s back-to-back Offensive Player of the Week awards for the program with Olivia Babcock winning last week. Stafford twice previously was named Freshman of the Week with Babcock honored five times.