Things looked all but over for the Pitt volleyball team once Notre Dame took the first two… Things looked all but over for the Pitt volleyball team once Notre Dame took the first two games of the Panthers’ senior day.

Why not? This was, after all, an Irish team ranked No. 5 in the country, the highest-ever ranking for a Big East team, and that was on a 15-match winning streak, disposing of previously unbeaten Louisville along the way. What’s more, it was even on the same floor where Notre Dame topped Pitt for the Big East championship last year.

But head coach Chris Beerman challenged his team’s early reluctant play before the critical third game, one that Pitt won, and used as a springboard to a 3-2 comeback win on senior day in a match that was every beat as stunning as it was exciting and emotional.

“I told them they were better than that,” Beerman said about his talk to the players. “I told them they were intimidated for no reason and to relax. They came back out here and turned this match around in three games.”

“What a way to go out,” senior libero Megan McGrane said. “You can’t ask for anything better than that.”

Prior to the match, the Fighting Irish were the conference’s lone unbeaten team and appeared to be in cruise control, riding the program’s second-longest winning streak in school history.

The Panthers, however, shook off early errors and an aggressive Irish defense to rally from the early 2-0 deficit and win their seventh-straight home match. The win also ensures Pitt a spot in the upcoming Big East tournament, which will be held in Louisville on the weekend of Nov. 18-20.

Even with a sluggish start, the Panthers looked as though they could have pulled awaywith a victory in the first game, keeping the score close until late in the set. Notre Dame used a series of blocks and kills from its front three to close out the first game 30-23 and pull ahead in the match.

The second game was nothing short of terrible for the Panthers. Their attack errors outnumbered their kills, service errors and mental mistakes were frequent and Pitt soon found itself in a hole it could not climb out of. The Fighting Irish (22-2, 11-1) coasted to the 30-15 win to extend their advantage.

The 10-minute break between the second and third games ensued as usual, but what followed was anything but.

Pitt’s front row used a series of blocks and kills early on to set the pace for the third game. Notre Dame kept it close, but the Panthers pulled out an emotional 30-27 win in the third game behind strong play from its outside-hitters.

“Everybody played for the seniors,” senior outside-hitter Gini Ullery said. “I think that a big part of senior night is playing as a team and showing the seniors that you have their backs.”

Seniors Ullery and Ashley White, along with freshman Allie Cherven, contributed to Pitt’s strong play at the net in the final three games, something Notre Dame controlled early on. Pitt had to rally to win the fourth game 30-28, setting up the deciding fifth game. Suddenly, this match bore an eerie resemblance to the last time Notre Dame visited Fitzgerald Fieldhouse for a regular-season game.

That came in 2003, when Pitt topped the Irish in five games to deny Notre Dame a perfect 12-0 Big East season. The Panthers went on to defeat the Irish for the conference championship only weeks later.

Pitt sprinted to a 7-3 lead in the final game, but the Irish rallied to take a 10-8 lead behind strong offensive play. The Panthers responded, however, to take six of the next seven points for a 14-11 lead. Beerman’s team had to stave off a late Notre Dame rally, one that ended when an Irish serve landed out of bounds. The 15-13 score was identical to the deciding frame of the 2003 contest.

“This is a real proud moment,” Beerman said. “Our team is young, and they’ve been through a lot this year. I’ve always thought we were good, but this just solidifies what we are.”

Ullery recorded a double-double with 15 kills and 13 digs for the match, with each kill stronger than the last. She wasn’t the only powerful force that drove the Panthers to the upset victory, however. Sophomore outside-hitter Diana Andreyko and McGrane also posted big numbers.

Like Ullery, Andreyko finished with a double-double of her own, putting down a match-high 23 kills and adding 11 digs. McGrane worked tirelessly for a match-high 32 digs. Play after play, she was somehow able to come between the ball and the court. Whether it was using both arms to return a bullet from the other side of the net or sliding two fingers under a tipped ball, McGrane popped them up time and time again, keeping points of the Notre Dame side of the scoreboard.

Pitt will take its momentum on the road as the Panthers finish out the regular season with away conference matches against Connecticut and St. Johns this weekend. Even though the team must now move on and look to what is ahead of them, the memory and momentum of Sunday’s match will linger with the team for a long time to come, especially for the seniors.

“You can’t ask for more from your seniors on their day,” Beerman said. “This is a beautiful moment, and this is why you coach.”

– Sports Editor Geoff Dutelle contributed to this report.