The Pitt women's volleyball team had to be remastered. After making a fourth consecutive trip to the national semifinals of the NCAA Division I Tournament last season, the Panthers were hit hard by graduation and the transfer portal. Most pressingly, Pitt had to find another outside hitter to support Olivia Babcock.

The Panthers' second hitting option, Torrey Stafford, transferred to Texas. The quarterback of Pitt's attack, All-American setter Rachel Fairbanks, graduated. It would have been natural for Pitt to take a step backward.

Instead, the Panthers knocked off Purdue in the quarterfinals in four sets Saturday at Petersen Events Center and to reach the final four for the fifth consecutive season. After Texas A&M sprung a stunning upset over previously-unbeaten Nebraska Sunday night, the Panthers should have a similar attitude as last year: title or bust.

Babcock, a junior right-side hitter who was the American Volleyball Coaches Association Player of the Year last season, believed they would be back. She always has faith in Fisher.

"Yes," said Babcock during the press conference following the Purdue match. "I would say that Fish is going to figure it out and he did."

Fisher interrupted to say "we" would figure it out. Babcock quickly amended her comment.

"We are going to figure it out together and we did," Babcock said.
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Pitt did so while handling the increased expectations that come with sustained excellence.

Pitt has fallen in the semifinals in four consecutive seasons. The most painful crash out happened last year when the Panthers were the favorites to win. After being upset in the semifinals by host Louisville, the Panthers had to watch a Penn State team they swept earlier in the season win its eighth national title.

But Fisher was able to shake off the disappointment and reload his roster.

The Panthers replaced Fairbanks by bringing in transfer Brooke Mosher, who previously played at Illinois. Junior outsider hitter Blaire Bayless took a major step forward and finished second on the team with 310 kills. Freshman Marina Pezelj, a native of Monaco, provided a strong third hitting option with 174 kills.

Meeting championship expectations isn't just about being the most skilled. There is also plenty of luck that comes along with having banners raised. The pressure Pitt volleyball finds itself under may come from a collective desire for the Panthers to win a team title.
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The school hasn't raised a championship banner since 1976, when Pitt football went undefeated and won its last title. The volleyball team moved through their region this year without hitting too much turbulence. Pitt swept UMBC, Michigan and Minnesota before taking down Purdue.

"The past few matches we've had make me feel more confident," Babcock said. "I feel like we aren't playing our best volleyball right now. We're able to find solutions in the time that it matters. I'm exciting to continue getting better and reach our level next week."

Texas A&M is the next step in the journey. Can Pitt break the curse or are the Aggies the team of destiny Pitt seems to run into every December.

The Panthers (30-4) showed more vulnerability, battling back from an 0-2 start to the season to reach a familiar place. With Nebraska out of the way, Pitt should be full of confidence it can finish the job.

​Will the Panthers deliver?

Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be sent to [email protected] or on X @J_oshRizzo.

Matt Sieg's college commitment should create some interesting local ripples in the recruiting scene. Sieg was one of many recruits who had previously chosen Penn State who wanted to take a look at other options when James Franklin was let go. While Nittany Lions interim coach Terry Smith is a legendary local recruiter, there are no guarantees what his future will be.

Sieg announced that on Dec. 3 he will choose between Pitt, Penn State, Indiana, Virginia Tech and Notre Dame. Franklin recently took over as the coach at Virginia Tech, so there is a Franklin connection there.

Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi has also recently turned up his pursuit of the Rangers' star quarterback/safety. Sieg helped Fort Cherry win two WPIAL titles and set the school record for rushing set by Mike Vernillo. Sieg is second all-time in WPIAL history in rushing yards behind former Hopewell start. Rushel Shell.

The Pitt women's volleyball team has continued to rack up wins after a difficult start. The No. 5 Panthers beat the defending national champions and 13th-ranked Penn State Wednesday night at Rec Hall.

Pitt only committed 19 errors and hit .299 during a 25-23, 25-17, 23-25, 25-17 win over the Nittany Lions. Olivia Babcock led the Panthers with 16 kills, while Dagmar Mourits and Rylan Jones contributed 13 and nine, respectively.

Jones also added a team-high nine blocks. Pitt is now 8-2 on the season.

The Pitt women's volleyball team has shown it is still a force to be reckoned with over the previous two weeks. The No. 7 Panthers won their fifth consecutive match Wednesday night at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. Pitt swept No. 3 Kentucky, a team it beat in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournament last season, 25-19, 25-22, 25-23 during the Shriners Childrens Showdown at the Net.

Olivia Babock led the Panthers with 15 kills. Dagmar Mourits contributed 13 kills for Pitt. 

Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] or on X @J_oshRizzo.

PITTSBURGH - Pitt women's volleyball coach Dan Fisher hopes that as the sport continues to grow in popularity that teams won't be afraid to meet in tough non-conference matches. The Panthers, who fell from third to ninth over the weekend in the rankings, bolstered their resume by beating No. 25 TCU and No. 7 Arizona State.

Both TCU and Arizona State got a boost from knocking off defending NCAA champion Penn State. The Horned Frogs knocked off the Nittany Lions in five sets before the Pitt-Arizona State match.

PITTSBURGH - Becca Kelley and Bre Kelley exchanged plenty of talk heading into the matchup between the Pitt and TCU women's volleyball teams Sunday at the State Farm Volleyball Showcase.

The two sisters from Rockwall, Texas, were opponents for the first time. Bre and the third-ranked Panthers came away with a four-set win over the Horned Frogs. TCU, which was ranked No. 25, entered the season ranked for the first time in program history.

"Honestly, it fun," Bre Kelley said. "But also intimidating. The smack talk leading up to the game was intense. I just knew with the work being done and the way we were blocking that I would do good against her."

Bre ended up blocking Becca three times during the match. Becca, who is 6-foot-3, knew hitting over her sister, who is 6-4 wouldn't be easy.

"Brie's a giant," Becca said. "She's really, really good at volleyball, so there was definitely some high pressure there, but also just a lot, a lot of excitement to like go out there and be a dragon. That's one of our main things as a team, is to play as dragons and so a couple of those balls, I was really going for her hands to hit really hard and so, I mean, it was a great battle. She got those three step blocks on me, but there's always another opportunity to play her deeper into the season, so I'm excited for that."

Bre and Becca Kelley earned up being like a lot of athletes during the current climate of college sports. Both went far from home to different colleges after their time in Rockwall, Texas. Each chose to migrate to other programs.

Becca went to Oregon and didn't appear in any matches. She chose to come close to home and play at Texas Christian University, which is 59 miles from her hometown. Bre chose to head southeast and play for Florida. Once Bre left the Gators, she migrated north to Pittsburgh, about 1,590 miles from home.

​Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] or on X @J_oshRizzo

SHALER TWP - Carlo Prati watched the Fox Chapel girls soccer team, with six new starters, go through the learning process together Monday night at Biles Field.

In the first half, Fox Chapel learned the importance of variety in the attack. During the second half of the Foxes' 2-1 Section 1-3A win over Shaler, Fox Chapel worked on situational awareness. The Foxes played the last 24 minutes down a player after Caylie Wilkinson was issued a straight red card for an aggressive foul.

Prati said after the match he was told Wilkinson had slapped a Shaler player on the follow through to an attempted tackle.

Prati was happy with how the Foxes (2-0, 1-0) handled things down the stretch. If anything, Prati was worried they were too aggressive. Emily McKee, who recently gave a verbal commitment to Pitt, scored both of the Foxes' goals.

"I thought they did really well," Prati said. "At times, I had to keep telling them to hold back a little bit because they wanted to attack. We wanted to try and play the ball in the corner and run out of here with a win."

Shaler (0-1, 0-1) was happy to see progress against Fox Chapel. The Titans made the WPIAL playoffs for the first time in four decades last season. During their two meetings with Fox Chapel, Shaler was outscored 10-2.

Naudia Zotter scored the Titans' goal Monday night to cut the deficit to one goal in the 70th minute. 

Titans coach Bill Ament watched the film of the second match with Fox Chapel last season -- a 5-1 defeat -- before the teams met again. What stood out to Ament was how his players had grown physically. Sophomore defender Lily Trgovic was one of the many players that stood out to Ament.

"They looked like little babies last year," Ament said. "Lilly Trgovic looked liked one of the smallest people on the field. She was ready to go (on Monday). We are bigger, faster and stronger than they were last year." 

Fox Chapel controlled most of the possession in the first half, but had a hard time generating chances. McKee created the spark in the 25th minute. She beat Shaler defender Zoey Cieslak in the race for a 50-50 ball. From there, McKee was able to get the ball inside the box and sneak a shot past Shaler keeper Paige Querio.

"I thought we did OK," Ament said. "We have a lot of the same girls from last year. We were hoping to be more competitive and thankfully we were. We made two mistakes and unfortunately it found Emily's foot both times. I can't say how proud I am of these girls. I've been waiting for this feeling when we go against elite competition and almost pull one off."

Fox Chapel wasn't able to generate much else in the attack during the first half. The Foxes would get the ball forward, but weren't able to get the last connecting pass to put the shots away.

"We were very predictable," Prati said. "I told them that at halftime, you can't be so predictable every time going to the same person over and over again, making the same runs. With six new starters, it's going to take time with them getting used to each other."

In the second half, McKee doubled Fox Chapel's lead on a shot from 25 yards out in the 58th minute. She launched the ball from outside the box into the top corner that went above the leaping Querio.

McKee nearly scored again in the 63rd minute, hitting a looping shot that bounced off the crossbar.

"In the pregame, she hammered one in the upper corner," Prati said. "I said 'Emily, let's see if we can do that tonight.' The second goal she scored was a laser. After that, she hit that one off the crossbar. She helped us for sure today."

Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] or on X @J_oshrizzo.

The Pitt women's volleyball team hasn't shied away from playing a demanding non-conference schedule as the program's prestige has grown in the past half-decade. But the Panthers suffered heavy roster losses from their team that reached their fourth straight NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournament semifinal last season.

No. 3 Pitt lost to No. 16 Florida in five sets Sunday as part of the American Volleyball Coaches Association First Serve Showcase in Lincoln, Neb. The Panthers also lost to No. 1 Nebraska on Friday night. Pitt is off to its first 0-2 start since 2020.

The Panthers only lost two matches last season. Pitt's schedule won't lighten up soon. The Panthers' next two matches will be played at PPG Paints Arena on Labor Day weekend. Pitt will play No. 23 Texas Christian on Sunday, and have a matchup with No. 13 Arizona State on Labor Day.

The Panthers were hit hard with losses, including seeing one of their top hitters, Torey Stafford, transfer to Texas. Pitt also lost all-American setter Rachel Fairbanks to graduation. Olivia Babcock, who was named AVCA Player of the Year last season, leads the Panthers with 46 kills.

Dagmar Mourits, a freshman from the Netherlands, is second with 19.

Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] or on X @J_oshRizzo.

Lola Abraham, a Riverview graduate, had her freshman season with the Pitt women's soccer team cut short. Abraham started seven of Pitt's first 10 games last season, but suffered a season-ending injury against North Carolina. 

Abraham made the most out of the start of her second collegiate season. She scored in the 83rd minute to help the Panthers open with a 2-0 win over Xavier. Pitt's other goal was scored by Katie Ellermeyer, who was making her debut with the program.

During Abraham's freshman season, she took six shots on goal and registed an assist for Pitt.

The Pitt women's volleyball team fell short of its goal last season. The Panthers, seeded first overall in the NCAA Tournament, were upended by ACC rival Louisville in the Final Four. Pitt, which finished the season 33-2, won the ACC Championship on the way to its fourth consecutive national semifinal appearance.

The Panthers were selected as the No. 3-ranked team nationally by the American Volleyball Coaches in a preseason poll behind Nebraska and defending champion Penn State. The Panthers took a hit in the offseason when junior outside hitter departed for Texas.

Pitt does return plenty of talent, led by standout outside hitter Olivia Babcock. Babcock was named the AVCA National Player of the Year and ACC Player of the Year, among many other honors, last season.

Pitt will be tested right away this season. The Panthers will take on top-ranked Nebraska Aug. 22 at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Neb.

Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Prep and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] or on X @J_oshRizzo.