Pitt volleyball impresses against Ohio State, showcases depth without new additions

Immediately after Pitt volleyball’s 3-1 spring game victory against Ohio State, head coach Dan Fisher took an extra minute to admire the postgame atmosphere. 

Even though the contest had no implications on standings — or really anything meaningful besides competitive reps, for that matter — a devout following of fans filled nearly 75% of the Fitzgerald Field House Saturday afternoon. 

To Fisher, it signified the growth his program has gone through since he took over a decade ago. 

“I thought it was a really nice crowd,” Fisher said. “I think like 10 years ago this would have been our biggest crowd of the season and now it’s just spring ball so I appreciate that. Nice to see the fan base showing up to see how we look.”

Besides the victory, the Panthers gave their fans plenty of exciting glimpses into the 2023 season. For the most part, the team looked sharp, playing with energy and skill that only got better as the game went on. 

But in the first set, there were clear issues. Perhaps the players were rusty, or just weren’t used to playing in Fisher’s new personnel combinations — but the Panthers made missteps uncharacteristic of their two Final Four teams.

Overall, the performance showcased more pros than cons from Pitt’s potential lineup. It’s also worth noting that the team Fisher put on display on Saturday will look drastically different when the new season starts next fall considering their six new first-year and transfer portal additions. 

Pros: Fairbanks is still elite, Flood is more than just a serve specialist

Last year, sophomore setter Rachel Fairbanks was arguably Pitt’s best player, or at least second best behind graduate student right-side hitter Courtney Buzzerio. She’s a tremendous all-around athlete who plays every rotation at an extremely high level.

But ACC foes beware — somehow Fairbanks has already made another tremendous leap just four months into the offseason. 

On top of elite setting skills, Fairbanks looked solid as a right-side hitter against OSU. Her attacks looked stronger, more calculated and left the Buckeye defenders to dive for air the entire match. 

What’s most remarkable about her development is that she fills one of Pitt’s biggest needs — a player who can give Pitt the same right-side threat Buzzerio did last season. Instead of going to the transfer portal, the Panthers have their answer right in front of them — an even more improved offensive weapon in Fairbanks. 

With how impressive she looked on Saturday and with even more weapons around her come fall — Fairbanks very well could find herself in AVCA National Player of the Year contention before she graduates. 

On the other side of the court, junior outside hitter Cat Flood finally got to show her attacking prowess away from the service line, playing every rotation against Ohio State. For her entire career at Pitt, Fisher has used Flood purely as a service specialist, removing her after every side out. 

On Saturday, Flood finally got an opportunity to showcase her skills as an outside hitter and thrived at attacking from the left side. She’s powerful and accurate, working at her best when sending strikes down the left sideline. 

At the very least, Flood will give junior outside hitter Valeria Vazquez Gomez some serious competition for a starting spot this offseason.

As a whole, Pitt’s passing game anchored by Fairbanks and senior setter Lexis Akeo looked the strongest of the team’s phases. Both worked well together and will again be a force in the 2023 season. 

Cons: Replacing Gray is a tremendous task, defense is a concern

Against Ohio State, Pitt featured both first-year Rachel Jepsen and student Serena Gray at middle blocker. The Panthers thrived with Gray on the floor, going on runs and maintaining a strong net attack thanks to her unbelievable athleticism and court awareness.

Unfortunately for Pitt, Gray isn’t on the 2023 roster and Jepsen is the most logical replacement for her. But the gap between the two middle blockers is a bit wider than people may have anticipated. 

Replacing Gray is nearly impossible. She’s an AVCA First-Team All-American who not only gives Pitt a tremendous advantage in attack and on the block — but is an emotional leader who drives her teammates and gets inside her opponents’ heads. 

While very projectable, Jepsen looked uncomfortable against Ohio State, especially early on in the match. Oftentimes she was out of position in attack or on blocks and just couldn’t get her timing right with either Fairbanks or Akeo. 

Still, she hasn’t had much in-game experience and according to Fisher, Jepsen is making significant strides in offseason practice. 

“With Jepsen, she’s much improved with how much range she hits with and we’ve been just really working on her blocking to get in front of the attacker as much as possible,” Fisher said. “She’s getting better and so we’re really excited by the strides she’s made this spring.”

Jepsen and Michigan State transfer graduate student middle blocker Emma Monks will compete for the starting spot over the rest of the offseason.

For the entire team, defense was Pitt’s weak point against Ohio State. The Buckeyes did a great job targeting weak points in the Panthers’ back line, especially on serves, but the Panthers must do a better job at digging returnable attacks. 

On the bright side, sophomore libero Emmy Klika played very well toward the end of the game and likely won’t miss a rotation for Pitt this season. 

With so much change still in the works, Fisher and the coaching staff are still incredibly far off from solidifying their 2023 lineup — but at least they now have a sense of what’s in front of them and are focused on solidifying their returning core for the rest of the offseason. 

“Next year we have very good players coming in and the players we have here keep getting better,” Fisher said. “We’re just focused now on personal development and we’ll figure it out in the preseason. But I think we’ll have an exciting team.”