Volleyball: Panthers finish tied for fifth as new ACC members

The Pitt women’s volleyball team wrapped up its first season in the ACC on a high note when it won its sixth-straight match against an ACC opponent Saturday night.

Despite the positive ending, there were many ups and downs in the Panthers’ first season in the ACC and with their new coach, Dan Fisher.

In the preseason, Pitt was expected by many to finish in the bottom half of the conference standings — voted to finish 13th out of 15 teams — but the team exceeded expectations. The Panthers concluded the season with an overall record of 19-14 and a conference record of 11-9, which put them in a four-way tie for fifth with Syracuse, North Carolina State and Virginia.

In the early part of its season, Pitt hosted professional Polish team Tauron MKS Dabrowa Gornicza, which was one of Europe’s best teams last year. The team also competed against more experienced players from Poland, Belgium, the Czech Republic and Italy. One of Dabrowa’s players, Maja Tokarska, was even a member on Poland’s 2012 Olympic Volleyball Team.

“This was a chance for us to see some really good players and some good volleyball,” Fisher said. 

The Panthers struggled to establish a tempo early against Dabrowa, but bounced back to win a game before ultimately falling 3-1.

The following weekend, Pitt went on to play in the UConn Classic, where the Panthers swept all three of their opponents on their way to claiming the tournament title. Junior opposite Kate Yeazel earned tournament MVP honors, while junior libero Delaney Clesen and junior outside hitter Jessica Wynn made the All-Tournament Team.

The Panthers then participated in the Pitt Panther Invitational before embarking on their inaugural ACC slate, but the success they experienced in the UConn Classic the prior weekend did not carry over. The team went 1-2, but saw some positives with Clesen and junior opposite Mechael Guess were named to the All-Tournament Team.

With conference play beginning shortly thereafter, the Panthers began a series of streaks.

Pitt won the first three ACC matches of its season, surprising many teams with how well the Panthers could play. 

“It’s definitely awesome to prove everyone wrong,” Wynn said.

After beginning conference play with their best record since 2008, the Panthers began to falter, losing nine of their next 11 matches — including losses at then-No. 21 Florida State and No. 14 North Carolina. In those nine losses, the Panthers dropped close sets, and if they had limited their errors, they could have finished more favorably.

In this stretch, Pitt did manage to win two matches, both at home against Boston College and Wake Forest. Both opponents battled, but Pitt swept Boston College, 3-0, and defeated Wake Forest 3-2.

But the Panthers were able to right the ship after losing so many matches. Starting with their match at Syracuse on Nov. 15, the Panthers began their final streak, winning six consecutive matches.

In this stretch, Pitt played more confidently and solidly, limiting the errors. Four out of its last six wins were against teams that topped Pitt earlier in the season. Pitt also swept two opponents and beat two teams 3-1, displaying a season’s worth of improvement.

Pitt’s success can be attributed to the team coming together and playing well.

Each match featured different players stepping up. Wynn paced the team in kills with 410, while Clesen led in digs with 542. Redshirt freshman middle blocker Jenna Potts lead the team with 17 blocks. Senior outside hitter Monica Wignot was a close second with 16 blocks.

Two Pitt players also made the ACC stat leaderboard. Freshman outside hitter Maria Genitsaridi placed second in average aces per set with 0.37, while sophomore setter Jenna Jacobson placed fifth with 0.34 aces per set.