Takeaways: Pitt Volleyball Falters in Final Four Again

Pitt Panthers Volleyball faltered once again in the Final Four.

Dominic Campbell | Dec 20, 2024

Dec 15, 2022; Omaha, Nebraska, US; Pittsburg Panthers head coach Dan Fisher watches action against the Louisville Cardinals in the semi-final match at CHI Health Center. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images / Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The Pitt Panthers lost to rival Louisville in four sets in the Final Four at the KFC Yum! Center, making it another defeat at the biggest stage of the season.

Pitt Volleyball Blows Big Leads in the Second, Third Sets

Pitt would win the first set and took a 9-4 lead in the second set, as they looked to gain a two set advantage in a raucous environment.

Louisville came back on a 9-2 run and took the lead 13-11, taking advantage of Pitt errors and getting their block going.

The Panthers then came back and would take the lead, getting a 23-22 advantage, but Cardinals senior outside hitter Charitie Luper made three straight kills and they lost the second set.

Pitt then started out the third set with leads of 6-2, 8-4 and 10-7, but Louisville again went on an 8-2 run, including five straight, taking a 12-10 lead.

The Panthers, once again, would comeback and built a sizable 23-19 advantage, but gave up four straight points to the Cardinals, who tied it at 23-23.

Pitt then got three kills and a block, forcing four set points, but Lousiville graduate student outside hitter Anna DeBeer made three kills to keep them in it.

Luper tied it up at 27-27 and then Cardinals sophomore libero/defensive specialist Kamden Schrand got set point off a service ace. The Cardinals would win the third set on a block, giving them the momentum that took them into the fourth set, which they also win.

"We were just one play short in this," Panthers head coach Dan Fisher said after the match.

Pitt struggled starting strong throughout this NCAA Tournament, but bucked the trend in this match, but also failed to hold on to those leads.

They needed great play throughout and those moments when they faltered early and lost their leads hurt just as much as at the end of those sets too. Allowing Louisville to make comebacks gave them momentum, which their "home" crowd used to their advantage.

The Panthers could've won this match in a sweep, or in four sets, but instead end their season in a disappointment once again.

Pitt Falters Again in the Final Four

Making the Final Four for any program is incredibly important, even for Pitt volleyball, but when you make it four times in a row, generally, fans expect you to win at least one match.

Pitt has not won once in these past four trips to the semifinals, losing to Nebraska in four sets in 2021 and in a sweep in 2023 and also to Louisville in five sets back in 2022.

The losses to the Cornhuskers were difficult, of course, but they were the better team in both matchups and their victories weren't incredibly surprising.

Losing twice to your biggest rival in the Cardinals, which included a 15-2 defeat in the fifth set in 2022 and then blown leads this year on their home court, is harder for fans to deal with.

Pitt had come into this matchup with four straight wins vs. Louisville, which included two reverse sweeps last season in the regular season and the Elite Eight last season, plus a five-set win at the Petersen Events Center on Oct. 25 and a four-set win at the KFC Yum! Center on Nov. 27, three weeks prior.

Still, they didn't make it through this stage and will end 2024 in the Final Four for the fourth straight season.

Louisville Plays Incredibly in Win Over Pitt

Louisville needed a great peformance from their entire team and got it in this victory over Pitt.

They hit .320 as a team, the highest Pitt allowed all season, as they came into this matchup allowing a nation low opponent hitting percenatage, at .127.

The Cardinals are the only team to hit over .300 against the Panthers the past two seasons, doing so twice in 2023, and also did it in 2022. The only team to hit over .300 the past three seasons outside of the Cardinals is the Florida Gators, who did so in the loss to Pitt in the Sweet 16.

DeBeer and Luper played well, with 14 kills and nine digs each, and senior libero/defensive specialist Elena Scott had an incredible passing performance, but Louisville got great play from their lesser known players.

Senior outside hitter Sofia Maldonado Diaz, who transferred in from Arizona, made 14 kills too and hit .355 in the win over Pitt.

Redshirt junior middle blocker Cara Cresse finished with nine kills, hit .438 and made six blocks too. Fellow middle blocker in graduate student Phekran "PK" Kong made seven kills and hit .778.

Freshman setter Nayellis Cabello has been a great addition for the Cardinals and she made 44 assists in the victory, along with eight digs and three blocks.

Louisville also relied on freshman outside hitter Payton Petersen came in for DeBeer, who suffered an injury in the fourth set. Petersen then made two service aces, helping continue their momentum over Pitt.

The Cardinals got contributions from a variety of players, as they came together for their best performance of 2024 at the perfect time, much to the chagrin of the Panthers.

Pitt Misses Best Chance at National Championship

This was the best chance Pitt had at a National Championship and was the best team in program history.

They had three AVCA First Team All-Americans, on Second Team All-American and all seven starters made the All-ACC Teams.

Sophomore right side Olivia Babcock won ACC Player of the Year and is also a finalist for AVCA National Player of the Year. Fellow sophomore in outside hitter Torrey Stafford and senior Rachel Fairbanks joined her as First Team All-Americans.

Redshirt junior middle blocker Bre Kelley dominated at the net and earned Second Team All-American honors, after a season-ending injury just four matches into 2023.

Sixth year outside hitter Valeria Vazquez Gomez and senior libero/defensive specialist Emmy Klika both had great seasons with back row defense and reception and brought the veteran presence that Pitt needed.

Pitt also had great serving specialist in graduate student outside hitter Cat Flood and junior libero/defensive specialist Dillyn Griffin both had solid seasons.

The Panthers also got good performances out of freshmen in middle blocker Ryla Jones and libero/defensive specialist Mallorie Meyer. Jones earned All-ACC Freshman Team honors and Meyer starred on the service line, especially in wins over No. 4 Oregon in the Sweet 16 and No. 3 Kentucky in the Elite Eight.

Pitt had all of the players they needed in different roles that possessed the experience and talent for a National Championship, but still didn't do it, not even making it to the final game.

When the Panthers will have another chance as good as this is unknown, but this loss hurts the most out of the previous Final Fours, with the sheer talent on this roster.

Olivia Babcock Stars Once Again for Pitt

Babcock had an incredible match for Pitt in the loss to Louisville. showing the nation why's she up for the top award.

She made a career-high 33 kills and hit .385 in the defeat, giving everything she had for the Panthers in her best attacking performance yet.

Those kills rank most in an NCAA Tournament match and in the 25-point scoring era in Pitt history, breaking her previous record of 31 kills vs. Oregon in the Sweet 16. They also rank the seventh most in program history for any match.

Babcock shouldered much of the attack for the Panthers in this match and did what she needed in order for this team to win.

Pitt will still have two years of her talents and will benefit from them going forward, as they try making it past the Final Four with her on their team.

Pitt Volleyball Finishes Greatest Season with Difficult Goodbyes

Pitt volleyball still had the best season in program history, even with the loss to Louisville.

They earned the No. 1 ranking in the AVCA Coaches Poll early on in the season for the first time in program history and held it for 13 straight weeks. They also had 11 ranked wins and finished 19-1 in the ACC, winning their sixth conference title and their third straight.

Pitt would also receive the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever as well

The program also shattered home attendance records, with a sellout at the Petersen Events Center, 11,800 fans watching them sweep rival Penn State on Sept. 18, 11,309 fans watching them defeat Louisville on Oct. 25 and then 9,525 fans watching them sweep Kentucky in the Elite Eight. All three of those matches are the most attended in Pitt volleyball history.

Pitt also sold out the final eight matches at Fitzgerald Field House, as the fanbase continues growing with the performances of the team.

The Panthers will also see Fairbanks, Klika, Vazquez Gomez and Flood move on from the program with the conclusion of the season.

All four players were a part of the four Final Four teams, finishing with an 123-15 record, winning 89.1% of their matches.

Fairbanks finished her career as a three time All-American and twice a First Team All-American. She also made 3,040 career assists, ranked eighth all-time and third most in the 25-point scoring era.

Vazquez Gomez joined the 1,000 kill and 1,000 dig club in her career this season, one of just eight Pitt players in the club. She also started the past three seasons and earned AVCA Second Team All-American honors in 2022.

Flood made big service runs in the fifth set of Elite Eight victories over Wisconsin on the road in 2022 and Louisville at home in 2023, while also bringing her personal flair and die-split hair to national prominence.

Klika played a large role in Pitt's excellent back row defense these past three seasons and her passing made Pitt and incredibly efficient passing team as well.

All four of these players embodied the true spirit of a Pitt volleyball player and helped build the program into what it is today.

Fans will forever remember their contributions and efforts for the team for years into the future.

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Published Dec 20, 2024