Like clockwork, Pitt volleyball is headed to the Final Four for a fifth straight year, after it beat Purdue in four sets — 25-22, 25-21, 22-25, 25-17.
“I just think the fact that we keep doing this just shows how strong of a team we are consistently,” junior opposite hitter Olivia Babcock said. “I feel like we put in so much work this season, so I feel like this season means a lot more.”
Pitt making the Final Four for the fifth straight season is just the fourth time ever that a volleyball program has made it to five straight National Semifinals.
In late August, this achievement for the Panthers didn’t seem likely. It lost back-to-back games in the same season for the first time since the 2020 season, and clearly, it had a lot of figuring out to do.
“Starting out with those two losses gave us that extra little bit of fire, just to get that much better,” redshirt senior setter Brooke Mosher said.
In the offseason, Pitt lost its two starting outsides — one of which was an All-American and the other an All-ACC honoree —, an All-American setter and an All-ACC libero. And still the Panthers are headed back to the Final Four.
“We put in a lot of work to bring in this team and to develop it,” head coach Dan Fisher said. “So it feels pretty good.”
The most important thing for the Panthers this past offseason is that it retained Babcock, the favorite to win her second consecutive AVCA National Player of the Year honor. And back in January, when Pitt experienced all that roster turnover, she still believed the Panthers would make it back to the National Semifinals.
The Los Angeles, California native won the Pittsburgh Regional Most Outstanding Player as she nabbed 23 kills and a .333 hitting percentage in her Elite Eight appearance. However, a team doesn’t continually make it this far without an impressive cast of characters surrounding her.
Mosher conducted the Pitt offense at an elite level in the Regional Final. The Panthers hit .349 as a team while she tabbed 47 assists, seven digs, four kills and four blocks. The Illinois transfer truly did it all for the Panthers in the Elite Eight, earning her a spot on the Pittsburgh Regional All-Tournament team.
First-year outside hitter Marina Pezelj played exactly how the Panthers needed her to against the Boilermakers. The first-year from France notched 14 kills, a .323 hitting percentage and 12 digs, garnering her a spot on the Pittsburgh Regional All-Tournament team as well.
And, of course, redshirt senior middle blocker Bre Kelley was also crucial for the Panthers reaching this level of excellence. In the Elite Eight, she tallied three blocks, six kills and a .417 hitting percentage.
Pitt, with another roster full of talent, will compete in its fifth consecutive Final Four on Thursday, Dec.18. The Panthers will face the winner of Nebraska and Texas A&M.
