Pitt volleyball served and set with must-see matchups in 2024

Last fall, Pitt volleyball found itself down 2-0 in sets against the No. 11 team in the country, the No. 4 team in the country and the No. 5 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Panthers reverse-swept their opponent in all three of these games.

The Fitzgerald Field House and the Petersen Events Center hosted all-time classic volleyball games last season. For the 2024 season, Pitt volleyball will host just as intriguing volleyball games that Pitt fans should highly consider attending.

Must-watch classics at the Petersen Events Center:

Pitt’s regular season match in 2023 against Louisville on Nov. 18 set an attendance record for the program with 8,865 fans. The Panthers hope to shatter that number for these two games in their 2024 campaign.

Penn State against Pitt on Sept. 18 at 7 p.m.

This game is the most exciting match in the non-conference schedule for the Panthers. It’s the Keystone State rivalry to decide which team in Pennsylvania is the best. Both teams in all likelihood will come into this match with a top-15 ranking, setting up for a show between the rivals.

Louisville against Pitt on Oct. 25 at 7 p.m.

In recent memory, when these two face off, it’s first-class. Dating back to when the ACC foes met in the Final Four in 2022, three of the last four matches have gone to five sets, including two reverse sweeps by the Panthers in 2023. 

Eye-popping games at the Fitzgerald Field House:

The Fitzgerald Field House may not have the marquee home games this season, but they still have multiple highly anticipated games that should sell out the 73-year-old arena. 

Marquette against Pitt on Sept. 22 at 1 p.m.

The Golden Eagles don’t have the blueblood lure, but they are an up-and-coming team destined to give the Panthers some fits. Marquette earned a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament last season and is destined to only improve its seed in 2024 after retaining its entire starting lineup besides the libero.

Stanford against Pitt on Oct. 20 at 3 p.m.
The Cardinal is the epitome of NCAA women’s volleyball. Stanford has won three National Championships in the past decade in 2016, 2018 and 2019 and has the most championships in women’s collegiate volleyball with nine. 

The Cardinal isn’t just a thing of the past, though. Last season, Stanford was a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and lost to the eventual champions, Texas, in the Elite Eight. This game between the preseason ACC No.1 and No. 2 teams is set up to have high intensity and possibly get nationally televised—based on the fact this game is set to start at 3 p.m. rather than the standard 1 p.m. time slot.

Florida State against Pitt on Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. or Miami against Pitt on Nov. 17 at 1 p.m.

Florida State and Miami are sneaky good teams in the ACC that don’t get the recognition they deserve. Pitt shared an ACC Title with Florida State last season, and Miami made it to the Round of 32 before losing to eventual Final Four team Wisconsin. Both Floridian teams frustrated Pitt in 2023 with the Panthers losing to Florida State in Tallahassee and Miami taking one set from the Panthers in Coral Gables.

Georgia Tech against Pitt on Nov. 30 at 1 p.m.

Pitt volleyball’s last regular season game in the Fitzgerald Field House is Senior Night for one of the most decorated classes in program history and a potential matchup to crown the ACC Champions. It doesn’t get better than this.