Miami, FL
No. 4 Panthers Drop Top 20 Match to No. 18 Miami Friday Night – Pitt Panthers #H2P
Coral Gables, Fla. – The No. 4 Pitt volleyball team (12-3, 4-1 ACC) dropped a tightly contested five-set match (26-24, 25-14, 22-25, 19-25, 13-15) to No. 18 Miami (15-1, 5-0 ACC) on Friday night in Coral Gables despite a season-high 30 kills from Olivia Babcock. This marks Pitt’s first conference loss since Oct. 12, 2024, against SMU.
Pitt and Miami traded points back and forth in set one until a 4-0 run behind the serve of Babcock forced Miami to call a timeout, down 10-6. Babcock scored the next point on ace to extend the lead, but the Hurricanes narrowed the gap to 13-12, causing Pitt to take a timeout. Miami picked up some momentum, propelling the Hurricanes to a 19-17 lead, and the Panthers called their final timeout. Both teams remained tied multiple times throughout the remainder of the set, but Pitt’s Babcock and Ryla Jones delivered back-to-back blocks at 24-24 to secure the set one victory, 26-24.
The Panthers continued to roll in set two as Miami had no choice but to call an early timeout, down 7-3. Miami gave its best effort to narrow the gap but was unable to as the Hurricanes called their last timeout down 20-11. A pair of Miami errors and three combined kills from Babcock, Bre Kelley and Blaire Bayless gave Pitt the decisive second set, 25-14.
Miami used a 7-1 run early in set three to force the Panthers to take a timeout, trailing 9-6. The Hurricanes held narrow leads in the following stretch, but Pitt didn’t go away and tied things up at 20-20 at the Miami timeout. Outside hitter Flormarie Heredia Colon scored four of the following five points for Miami to extend the match with a 25-22 set three win.
Set four was tied 4-4 until another 7-1 run from the Hurricanes led Pitt to talk things over. The Panthers continued to battle back, but Miami never relinquished the lead and claimed set four, 25-19.
The Hurricanes carried over the momentum from set four into the fifth as the Panthers took a timeout, down 6-3. Babcock and Bayless powered Pitt back into the match and helped tie the score at 11-11, but a 4-2 run in favor of Miami led to the five-set defeat for the Panthers.
NOTES
• Olivia Babcock recorded a season-high 30 kills, marking her third 30+ kill match of her career
• Brooke Mosher registered a match-high 48 assists, her fourth 45+ assist match in five outings
• Bre Kelley added a match-best seven blocks
Miami, FL
Urban Meyer, Brady Quinn get in heated exchange during Alabama, Notre Dame, Miami CFP discussion
Let the College Football Playoff debate begin. It did after the Big Ten Championship, when FOX’s Urban Meyer and Brady Quinn got into an argument over the final two at-large spots. Specifically, when it comes to a potential battle between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
“If you set the precedent that you go play Georgia, at Georgia,” Meyer said of Alabama. “Notre Dame, Miami, who would lose that game in that place?”
“Notre Dame beat Georgia last year?” Quinn responded. “Why are we saying that?”
Meyer fired back, saying his opinion forms from watching tape of all the teams out there. His main point remained the same, though. Moving Alabama out of the 12-team field cannot be done in his opinion, just because they played in the SEC Championship.
But another box got opened when mentioning Notre Dame “never, ever” playing in a conference championship game. Quinn did not give many thoughts on that front, instead focusing on the result Notre Dame got in last year’s College Football Playoff in New Orleans.
“Just watching them on tape,” Meyer said. “I’m just saying if you penalize a team that goes to the Southeastern Conference that plays Georgia at Georgia and kicks them out — people are going to say, ‘Why make it to the championship game?’ You can’t do that. You can’t penalize a team. Notre Dame will never play in a championship game. Notre Dame will never, ever play in a championship game. How is that fair?”
“That’s a whole different discussion then about them joining a conference,” Quinn said. “The reality is, they went through the Playoff and ended up playing for a national championship last year. So, we can’t act like those games didn’t happen. I mean, they beat Georgia last year.”
Of course, Quinn spent his playing days in South Bend, meaning he was going to defend Notre Dame. Nobody on the FOX panel represents Miami in any fashion. The statement from Meyer did not receive much pushback from the Hurricanes’ end.
Meyer and Quinn will find out with the rest of us as to who will earn the final two spots in the College Football Playoff. Making a final prediction, Quinn decided to go with Miami and Notre Dame. Meyer kept Miami in there — due to the head-to-head over Notre Dame — but thinks Alabama is deserving due to their participation in the SEC Championship.
Art Basel took over Miami Beach the first weekend of December 2025. The event is the centerpiece of Miami Art Week and features hundreds of global galleries showing art from international artists. Art Basel brings out celebrities, influencers, and collectors in droves for their extravagant parties and more. Rihanna, ASAP Rocky, Larsa Pippen, Alix Earle, and more flew out for the events.
Sweetwater police announced an arrest at Dolphin Mall ahead of the holiday shopping season.
Officers arrested 24-year-old Luis Merchan-Meron on two felony counts related to counterfeit goods. Investigators said they seized more than 150 items worth thousands of dollars from the back of his truck.
According to court documents, an undercover officer spotted a transaction in the mall parking lot from about 10 feet away.
Police moved in after witnessing someone allegedly buying designer bags from Merchan-Meron.
Operation Safe Holidays ramps up security
Sweetwater Assistant Police Chief Frank Fernandez said the department has increased security at the mall with uniformed and undercover officers as part of the city’s “Operation Safe Holidays” program.
“We have eyes, we have drones, we have motorcycles, we have uniforms, we have plain clothes. You can’t get away from us now,” Fernandez said.
Mayor stresses zero tolerance for fakes
Mayor Jose “Pepe” Diaz said the city has zero tolerance for counterfeit sales and has invested heavily in protecting shoppers.
“It’s all here to make sure that we protect those citizens that are coming here to make the purchase,” Diaz said. “Have a good time with your families, but there’s people that try to do illicit things like selling fake merchandise.”
Court records detail alleged profit margins
Court records show Merchan-Meron told police he buys the goods for about $8 each and sells them for up to $60. He said he does not know the supplier, only that the items are shipped from overseas.
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