Pitt volleyball team reaches NCAA Final Four by beating Louisville

In the past six seasons, Dan Fisher’s teams at Pitt have won more women’s volleyball matches than any other Division I school in the country. Trouble is Fisher’s Panthers haven’t won the big prize of an NCAA championship.

Perhaps that trend is about to end.

For the second time this season, Pitt spotted Louisville a two-games-to-none lead before rallying to win a best-of-five match, overcoming the Cardinals in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals for a 3-2 victory to win the Pittsburgh regional Saturday at Fitzgerald Field House.

“I’ve said this before: I think when we’re at our best, this is the best team we’ve ever had,” Fisher said. “We’ve had incredible players here, but when … our blocking game is going, we put a lot of pressure on teams.”

Torrey Stafford registered 18 kills, and Olivia Babcock added 16 for Pitt. Rachel Fairbanks assisted on 48 points for the Panthers, who will be making their third consecutive trip to the Final Four.

Pitt (28-4), which ended Louisville’s two-year run to the national semifinals, will face overall No. 1 seed Nebraska in the semifinals Thursday in Tampa, Fla. The Cornhuskers defeated Arkansas, 3-1, on Saturday to capture the Nebraska regional championship.

In the rivalry between ACC powers, Louisville defeated Pitt in the 2022 semifinals before bowing to Texas in the championship match. In 2021, the Cardinals suffered their only loss in 33 matches, falling to Wisconsin in the semifinals.

Will the Panthers have enough firepower to go all the way this year?

“First off, I want the girls to do it,” Fisher said. “Then, after that, it’s probably for the city of Pittsburgh and then, it’s probably for the ACC, in that order.”

Down to its last chance Saturday, Pitt stormed back to take the final three sets in convincing fashion.

The Panthers won before a raucous, sellout crowd on scores of 23-25, 20-25, 25-16, 25-19, 15-7.

“We were playing on such a big stage,” said Louisville’s Cara Cresse, who matched Phekran Kong with 13 kills each to lead the Cardinals (27-4).

When Pitt, sparked by a string of powerful, vicious serves by Babcock, rolled to a nine-point victory in the fourth set to tie the match and set the stage for a deciding fifth, the pro-Pitt crowd went berserk.

“A big key to our match today was attack the attack,” Stafford said. “In our first two sets, we were passive at times. But in the last three, every single time, we were attacking.”

Pitt quickly fell behind in the first set, trailing by as many as six points before rallying to close within a point.

It wasn’t enough, though, after the Panthers trailed by only 24-23 before Louisville held on.

In the second set, neither team led by more than two points until Louisville seized a 10-7 advantage.

Pitt used a 7-3 run to take a 14-13 lead before Louisville outscored the Panthers 11-4 and surged ahead 24-18 en route to a 2-0 lead.

But, as it had done in a late regular-season match, Pitt rebounded and came away with a victory, taking control and putting Louisville on its heels.

“They started serving tougher, and our passing just broke down,” Louisville coach Dani Busboom Kelly said. “Congratulations to Pitt for advancing. It was a hard-fought match, and its a bummer after you lose, (but) we’re proud as a team at how far we’ve come and what we’ve done here tonight and the whole season.”

Babcock, the ACC Freshman of the Year, came away as the regional tournament MVP. She also contributed eight digs Saturday. Stafford and Emmy Klika led the way for the Panthers with 11 digs apiece.

Stafford, Fairbanks and Emma Monks joined Babcock as Pitt players named to the all-tournament team.

Fisher took over at Pitt in 2013 after leading Concordia-Irvine to the 2012 NAIA championship and a two-year record of 72-2. He slowly developed the Panthers into a national power.

His teams have won more games (168) in the past six seasons than any other Division I program.

“I’m not surprised because I know we have talent, but I guess I’m just kind of amazed,” said Fisher, 47, a native of Goleta, Calif. “I’m just lucky that I’m around people that maybe believe in me more than I believe in myself sometimes — my players, my wife, the administration, the fans.

“I do have a perspective of coming here 11 years ago and what I thought it could be. It’s been very fulfilling, professionally, to see what it’s become.”

The Fisher years

Pitt women’s volleyball coach Dan Fisher arrived at Pitt in 2013, the same season that the Panthers joined the ACC. He has led them to seven consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament, including three trips to the Final Four. Here is a look at the Panthers’ NCAA Tournament final results in Fisher’s first 10 seasons at Pitt (the Panthers defeated Louisville on Saturday in the NCAA quarterfinals):

2023 — Season not completed

2022 — Louisville 3, Pitt 2, NCAA semifinals

2021 — Nebraska 3, Pitt 1, NCAA semifinals

2020 — Washington 3, Pitt 2, NCAA regional final

2019 — Cincinnati 3, Pitt 2, NCAA second round

2018 — Michigan 3, Pitt 2, NCAA second round

2017 — Penn State 3, Pitt 1, NCAA second round

2016 — Penn State 3, Pitt 1, NCAA second round

2015 — Did not qualify

2014 — Did not qualify

2013 — Did not qualify