Preview | Pitt volleyball faces off against Oklahoma in second round

Following No. 1 Pitt volleyball’s sweep of Morehead State, the Panthers face Oklahoma in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Oklahoma had to defeat UTEP via a reverse sweep in the first round. The Miners dominated the first and second set, winning 25-19 and 25-22, respectively. But it was all Sooners in the third, fourth and fifth sets, winning 25-19, 25-21 and 15-9, respectively.

Junior outside hitter Alexis Shelton’s play in the final three sets is what made the difference for Oklahoma. 

“Shelton decided to go to another level, and she decided to be the First-Team all-SEC player that she is,” UTEP head coach Ben Wallis said after the Miners’ first-round matchup against Oklahoma.  “She went five kills in the third, five kills in the fourth, five kills in the fifth. And some of those kills were spectacular [from] the back row and just painting balls on sidelines.”

Shelton carries the Sooners. When the Sooners beat No. 3 seed Texas on the road, the junior outside hitter led her team to victory. Shelton had 27 kills and earned a .365 hitting percentage, she was a clear issue against the defending National Champions.

Shelton was also efficient against the Longhorns in the rematch. The Charlotte, North Carolina native hit .324 and tabbed 14 kills. But her team got swept by the Longhorns with ease in the rivalry rematch in Norman, Oklahoma.

Why? 

Middle blockers graduate student Lydia Martin and sophomore Kelli Jo Burgess both hit a porous .167 against Texas and earned six kills in the match. When Shelton is at her best, she needs the middle blockers to support her because she attracts a lot of attention on the left pin. 

Martin and sophomore middle blocker Hannah Pfiffner gave that support to Martin against UTEP in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Martin earned 12 kills and hit .688 against the Miners and Pfiffner tallied six kills and hit .556. 

“You got to pay attention to Lex,” Oklahoma head coach Aaron Mansfield said. “And when you do that, it kind of opens up the middle of court a little bit.”

Shelton gives the Sooners an advantage and it’s apparent. Mansfield also believes that his setter senior Payton Chamberlain makes a big difference too. 

“I’ve said this all season long. I think we have the best setter in the conference in Payton,” Mansfield said. “It speaks to her skill set to be able to set the middle from off the net. And so our passers don’t ever feel like they need to be perfect in order to run our offense.” 

Oklahoma’s offense is fast, very fast. It was one of the first things Pitt head coach Dan Fisher noticed when scouting the Sooners this week.

“Oklahoma plays very, very fast,” Fisher said. “…So that they’ll pose a unique defensive challenge with it’s probably the fastest offense I’ve seen this year.”  

Mansfield gives his setter all the credit for making his offense as fast as it is even if the passes aren’t perfect for his setter.

“Payton’s ability to set [quickly] from anywhere from eight to 14 feet off,” Mansfield said. “…It really opens up our offense.”

The Panthers will face off against the fast-paced Sooners offense tonight at 7 p.m. for the second round of the NCAA Tournament. If Pitt wins it will square off against Oregon in the Sweet Sixteen, who it defeated in the first game of the regular season.