When first-year outside hitter Dagmar Mourits went down with an ankle injury in the second set against Florida State, Pitt fans were understandably worried. Whether it was digs, kills or blocks, Mourits was doing it all for the Panthers, and after her standout match against Penn State, it was hard to imagine this Pitt squad without their Dutch heavy hitter.
With Mourits out of the picture and tough ACC opponents on the horizon, it seemed like there was a gaping hole on her side of the court, until fellow first-year outside hitter Marina Pezelj entered the picture.
Pezelj’s recent emergence isn’t a fluke. The Monaco native brings extensive experience to the courts in Pittsburgh, having played at AS Monaco, IFVB 2, France Avenir and RC Cannes. Even more impressively, she competed at the CEV Volleyball European Championship from 2021 to 2024 with France as an outside hitter, and she was on the French Senior National Team’s roster at the Volleyball Nations League this past summer.
“Since coming back and Dagmar’s injury, I don’t think I could’ve asked her to do any better,” head coach Dan Fisher said. Coming off the bench hot in her first match as a starter against Notre Dame, Pezelj earned a double-double in kills and digs — 12 and 17, respectively — and hasn’t let up on the gas since.
While her offensive feats are impressive — like earning eight or more kills nearly every game she’s started in — her defensive performance is doubly impressive.
“Back in Europe, we weren’t doing so much defense,” the French national, Pezelj, said. “But now, we’re working a lot of defense [in] any style. I’m really proud of it.”
Pezelj’s improved capabilities are shining through — in the last four games that the first-year has started in, she’s set four new career-highs in kills, digs, aces and blocks.
It feels like everything is falling into place for Pezelj.
“Right around [Dagmar’s] injury is when she was peaking,” Fisher said. “Marina [was] jump-touching as high as she has all year. And just like we’ve talked about with her defense, she’s not just peaking physically, but I think she’s getting better [at volleyball].”
This peak physicality was on display during Pitt’s recent match against NC State, where Pezelj netted five blocks, 15.5 points and 12 kills — setting a new career high in each category.
With the Panthers currently ranked No. 4 in the nation and projected to maintain this position heading into the NCAA tournament, Pezelj’s continued development becomes even more crucial. Pitt is chasing its fifth consecutive Final Four appearance and its first national championship.
The lengthy international resume Pezelj brings isn’t just helping the Panthers win matches — it’s elevating her game at the perfect time. As the Panthers gear up for the postseason, they’re discovering that sometimes the answer to adversity can come from an unexpected source — like a first-year from the French Riviera who touched down in the 412 ready to compete at the highest level.
“She’s come in and just been kind of a light on the court,” graduate student setter Brooke Mosher said about her teammate. “She’s just a really good person to be around, which shows in her on-the-court presence, too. You can tell that we all trust her to just go out there and do her thing.”