Take 5: New blood Pitt volleyball team set to face blue blood Nebraska in Final Four
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For the third straight season, Pitt women’s volleyball will compete for a shot at the national championship.
The Panthers (29-4) won the ACC Tournament for the second straight year and ran the table in the Pittsburgh regional of the NCAA Tournament, culminating with a quarterfinals victory over second-seeded Louisville on Saturday.
That win avenged a five-set loss to the Cardinals in last year’s semifinals.
On Thursday at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla., the Panthers are set to face No. 1 overall seed Nebraska (32-1), which also earned the end-of-regular-season No. 1 ranking by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
The Cornhuskers and Panthers met in this same scenario back in December 2021, with Nebraska winning in four sets before losing in the national final to Wisconsin.
Thursday’s contest begins at 7 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN.
The winner will take on the victor of No. 1 Wisconsin (30-3) and No. 2 Texas (26-4) — who play at 9:30 p.m. Thursday — in Sunday’s national championship at 3 p.m.
Here are some things to watch in the NCAA semifinals:
1. Historically speaking
Looking at Pitt and Nebraska, a pre-match billing of “blue blood vs. new blood” might not be entirely fair.
To be sure, Nebraska has firm credentials among the bluest of the blue bloods, with its volleyball team competing at an elite level since the program’s launch in 1975.
The Huskers have earned a No. 1 ranking in 108 polls all-time, the most in NCAA history.
Nebraska’s 557 top-10 rankings also are most in NCAA history, while the Huskers ride a 618-week streak of being ranked, the longest active streak in Division I sports.
John Cook has been at the helm in Lincoln since 2000 and is a four-time (2000, 2006, 2015, 2017) national champion.
His predecessor, Terry Pettit, coached the Huskers for 23 of their first 25 years of existence from 1977-99 and won a national title (1995).
From the old Big Eight Conference, to the Big 12 and now the Big Ten, Nebraska volleyball has been a force.
That’s not to say the Panthers are bereft of pedigree.
Shelton Collier’s teams (1980-88) were a regular power in the Big East, as were Sue Woodstra’s teams (1989-92).
But deep runs into the NCAA Tournament largely eluded the Panthers dating to the program’s inception in 1974 until Dan Fisher took over as coach in 2013.
Over the past six years, Fisher’s 168 wins with Pitt mark the most across D-I volleyball programs.
The Panthers have made the NCAA Tournament in eight straight seasons.
“Their volleyball team is very athletic, very well-coached. This is their third Final Four in a row, so obviously coach Fisher has figured out a way to get that team there,” Cook said. “They’ve rebuilt through the transfer portal, he’s got two fabulous freshmen and he’s been able to recruit the whole country.
“They’re playing at a really high level. Statistically, they’re one of the top teams in all categories, not just one or two. They’re up there everywhere. They’ve done a great job, and they’re going to be a great challenge.”
2. Familiar foes
Nebraska and Pitt have met 13 times, with the Huskers winning them all.
Most recently was the NCAA Tournament semifinals showdown in Columbus, Ohio, on Dec. 16, 2021.
This year, the Panthers advanced to the semifinals with wins over Coppin State, Southern Cal, Washington State and Louisville.
The Huskers dispatched LIU, Missouri, Georgia Tech and Arkansas.
There are several players from each team who were on those 2021 teams.
Setter Lexis Akeo; outside hitters Rachel Fairbanks, Cat Flood and Valeria Vazquez Gomes; libero Emmy Klika; and middle blocker Chiamaka Nwokolo remain for Pitt.
For Nebraska, Lindsay Krause, Ally Batenhorst, Kennedi Orr and Lexi Rodriguez are back.
“I think we try to treat every opponent the same,” Fairbanks said. “Obviously, every opponent is different, but we just focus (on) preparing really well and not letting all the outward noise get to us — just focusing on who we are as a team and playing our best volleyball.”
3. Star-studded casts
Five Pitt players earned All-American honors from the AVCA.
Fairbanks, whose .308 hitting percentage ranks third nationally, was named a first-team All-American. The junior from Tustin, Calif., also took home ACC Setter of the Year, AVCA East Coast Region Player of the Year and first-team All-ACC honors.
Right side Olivia Babcock, who recently became the first Panther to win AVCA National Freshman of the Year, was also named a first-team All-American.
She also earned first-team All-ACC and AVCA East Coast Region Freshman of the Year accolades while leading the ACC in kills with 408.
Babcock is Pitt’s team leader in both points (519.5, which also led the ACC) and kills (408).
In addition, freshman outside hitter Torrey Stafford earned third-team All-American honors, while Monks and Klika took home honorable mentions.
On top of the All-American awards, last week seven Panthers were named East Coast All-Region by the AVCA, setting a program record for single-season selections.
“We have very good players that care a lot about their teammates and their team culture,” Fisher said. “We don’t have selfish players at Pitt that are in it for their own reasons.”
Nebraska’s squad took home its fair share of individual accolades this season, as well.
Six players were named to the AVCA North All-Region Team, tying a program record, with Cook winning his sixth Region Coach of the Year Award.
Merritt Beason, a junior outside hitter, won North Region Player of the Year in addition to first-team All-American honors, as did Rodriguez.
Setter Bergen Reilly was named a second-team All-American, and outside hitter Harper Murray won third-team honors.
4. Similar systems
Thursday’s match pits two of the nation’s top defensive teams against one another.
On the year, Nebraska ranked first nationally with a .070 opponent hitting percentage, while Pitt was close behind at fourth in the nation (.186).
During the NCAA Tournament, both teams have locked things down further on defense, with the Huskers holding opponents to an .090 hitting percentage, compared to Pitt’s .095 rate.
“They’re a great team, they’re going to challenge us and they’re going to push us,” Beason said. “We have to be ready for that, and I think it’ll be a really good match. We are very similar in a lot of ways in the style of how we play.”
Pitt’s team hitting percentage of .308 ranks third nationally, while the Panthers’ average of 2.97 blocks per set is second-best nationwide.
“Pittsburgh’s playing a system like we’re playing,” Cook said. “They’re going to hit the ball hard and they’re physical.”
5. Turning pro
On Monday, two Panthers players received word on what the next chapter of their volleyball careers will look like.
In late 2022, the Pro Volleyball Federation was announced, with the seven-team women’s professional league slated to begin play in February 2024.
Nwokolo and fellow graduate middle blocker Emma Monks were chosen in the inaugural draft at Nos. 6 and 29, respectively.
Monks is set to join the Columbus Fury, and Nwokolo was picked by the Atlanta Vibe.
Emma has been drafted by @ColumbusFury !
She’s had an incredible year ???? pic.twitter.com/WHomiicqAJ
— Pitt Volleyball (@Pitt_VB) December 11, 2023
Pitt ✈️ ATL
Welcome, @chiamakaaa__ to the ATL ????#AtlantaVibe | @Pitt_VB pic.twitter.com/2Dfw021lIL
— AtlantaVibeVB (@AtlantaVibeVB) December 11, 2023
Among the PVF’s founding partners is former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer, currently head coach at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Former Florida State coach Cecile Reynaud, who has served as a past chair of USA Volleyball’s board of directors, was tapped as the league’s vice president of operations.
Notably, the PVF plans to attract top talent via its player salaries, which have been floated to be approaching $60,000 per year to start, in addition to bonuses for capturing a championship.
Seven teams will comprise the PVF: the Columbus Fury, Atlanta Vibe, Grand Rapids Rise, Omaha Supernovas, Orlando Valkyries, San Diego Mojo and Vegas Thrill.