California Golden Bears Athletics
California
10-2,0-1ACC
Pitt
11-0,1-0ACC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 19 | 16 | 20 | 0 |
| Pittsburgh | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Cal Sees Eight Game Winning Streak Ended By No. 2 Pitt
9/25/2026 6:07 PM | Volleyball
The Golden Bears Were Unable To Pull Off The Upset
The California Golden Bears had a tough task of opening ACC play with a road matchup against the No. 2 Pittsburgh Panthers at Victory Heights Arena.
The Panthers came into Friday's matchup, having knocked off five top-25 teams through their first 10 games, sporting a spotless record at home and having not dropped a set in their home arena. The latter two trends continued, as they walked away with a 3-0 sweep of Cal, but the Golden Bears put up an extremely strong fight.
Cal opened the match with a 2-0 lead and was able to stay within a point or two throughout. Unfortunately for the Bears, Pitt was feeding National Player of the Year Olivia Babcock at will throughout the night. She finished the night with a match-high 18 kills and frequently showcased her power. The Panthers went on to win 25-19, 25-16 and then fended off the Bears in an intense third set by a score of 25-20.
With the loss, Cal's win streak came to an end at eight in a row, but the Golden Bears more than hung in there with the perceived national title contenders.
KEY FIGURES
11 — The number of kills Abby Zimmerman racked up, posting what was her eighth double-double of the season.
31 — The number of assists freshman Anna Zimmerman recorded.
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