Volleyball falls short of NCAA tourney

By looking at statistics alone, it would be hard to understand why the Pitt volleyball team… By looking at statistics alone, it would be hard to understand why the Pitt volleyball team was unable to clinch an NCAA tournament berth for the third year in a row.

In almost every statistical category, the Panthers outdid their opponents, in most cases, by large numbers. Total blocks was the only major category in which they fell short, but even in that column, they trailed opponents by just seven. And they finished the season with a winning record, 17-13 overall, 9-5 in the Big East.

But the Pitt team also featured a lineup that was among the youngest in the conference. The Pitt roster featured six freshmen – a few of them starting and most of them seeing a lot of time on the court – and the young team ran out of steam in the closing games of the season, losing four straight matches before winning their final contest.

In spite of the disappointing finish to the year, the overall picture is anything but bleak. Looking back at a year that started out with a lot of uncertainty – namely, who would play where and who would start – but ended up with several positives to move forward with, the Panthers should have a bright future ahead. Several aspects of the season point out that the young team is already showing signs of brilliance.

The highlight of the year, and one of the greatest moments in the program’s history, came late in the season. The juggernaut Notre Dame Fighting Irish came to Pitt ranked fifth in the nation in early November. Any doubts that Pitt was a contender were erased as they came back from a two-game deficit to upset the Irish in an emotional Senior Day victory with the largest crowd of the season cheering them on.

Unfortunately, the young Pitt team could not carry the momentum from this victory into its final games, and after dropping contests to St. John’s and Connecticut, they blew a two-game lead and fell in the first round of the Big East Tournament to Syracuse.

All of this is not to say that the young players did not contribute.

Freshman Nicole Taurence started a majority of Pitt’s games and earned Big East Rookie of the Week honors in October. Over one two-game stretch, Taurence racked up 92 assists. She placed fourth among all setters in the conference.

Freshman Allie Cherven played in 98 of the Panthers 111 games, while Stephanie Ross saw the floor in all but two games all season. Both players contributed at the net for Pitt, tallying 155 and 91 kills, respectively.

Sophomore Diana Andreyko also played well. The defending Big East Rookie of the Year played even better in her second campaign. She was named to the all-Big East first team after compiling a team- and career-high 516 kills.

Not to be outdone, though, were Pitt’s senior leaders, outside hitter Gini Ullery and libero Megan McGrane. In their final season, both players left their mark on a program they helped mature. In their four years, the team earned back-to-back NCAA tournament berths and captured the 2003 Big East Championship.

Ullery ranks third on Pitt’s all-time kills list, joining only three other Pitt players to record 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in a career. Ullery earned a spot on the all-Big East second team list for her performance this season.

There will also be a very unfamiliar gap in the Panthers lineup, one that has never been there before. Ever since the libero position was instated into college volleyball, McGrane has been Pitt’s one and only. After walking onto the team her freshman year, she took control of her job, playing every possible point she could have during her career as a Panther.

McGrane finished in high-class fashion, joining Andreyko on the all-Big East first team. She also concluded her college career ranked fourth on the NCAA’s all-time digs list with 2,424. On top of that, McGrane was named the Big East Libero of the Year for the second time during her career.

With another season behind them, the players of the Panther volleyball team will retire from the court, conditioning and preparing for a season that should have high expectations.