Head volleyball coach Dan Fisher given extension

Head volleyball coach Dan Fisher has restored the Panthers’ program to national prominence, and he’s being rewarded for his efforts.

Interim Athletic Director Randy Juhl announced Monday afternoon Pitt has extended Fisher’s contract for another two years. He is now signed on to stay with the Panthers through 2021.

Fisher started coaching at Pitt in 2013, assuming control over a team that hadn’t made the NCAA Tournament since 2004. Since then, Fisher has led the team to a 92-38 record, three straight 20-win seasons and, finally, a return to the NCAA Tournament in 2016. The Panthers advanced to the second round of NCAAs this fall for the first time in 13 years.

“It is an honor to work at Pitt and continue the journey we started four years ago,” Fisher said Monday in a press release. “I am grateful to be at a place that supports volleyball and values what we have accomplished. Pittsburgh has become my home and I am excited about our future.”

Fisher has enjoyed success as a coach on the international stage as well, having led the U.S. women’s national team to a gold medal in the Pan-American Games in Toronto in 2015. The United States hadn’t won the top spot in that competition since 1967.

He then coached the team to a bronze medal finish at the 2016 Pan American Cup in the Dominican Republic last summer.

Before arriving at Pitt, Fisher steered Concordia University in Irvine, California, to the NAIA National Championship with an undefeated 38-0 season. Fisher dropped only two games in his two years at Concordia, both in his first year as head coach.

The Panthers will commence their spring season March 3. After two weeks of practice, the team will play four scrimmages. The schedule for these matchups will be released March 2.