When Makayla Jackson and Paige Morningstar committed to their respective volleyball teams, little did they know they would have a front-row seat to history.

Both are redshirting this season – Jackson at Pitt and Morningstar at Louisville – but they have learned valuable lessons as they have watched their teams reach the Final Four. Louisville (32-0) faces Wisconsin (29-3), and Pitt (30-3) plays Nebraska (25-7) on Thursday night at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, for spots in Saturday’s national championship.

For both teams, it is the first trip to the Final Four. Louisville is looking to become the first unbeaten national champion since Penn State in 2009, while its coach, Dani Busboom Kelly, is trying to become the first woman to lead a Division I team to the national title.

“It’s been incredible,” said Morningstar, a North Allegheny grad. “Redshirting, I get a vision of everything. I get to see it from a whole different view than I have the rest of my life.

“And to compete (with) the No. 1 team in the country is just crazy. I could not have asked for anything better as far as making me better as a player and a person.”

Jackson struck a similar note when talking about her experience as a redshirt.

“Just getting to observe and practice hard and get extra reps and extra lifts this past year,” Jackson said, “I definitely will have a much bigger presence next year because I’ve learned so much and just got to see the game from a different perspective. And I think I’ll be ready to step on the court next year.”

But Jackson admitted to some trepidation the first time she stepped on the court with her Pitt teammates. She watched many of the current players, including super-seniors Kylee Levers, Kayla Lund and Chinaza Ndee, throughout her playing days at Plum.

She said she always knew she wanted to be at Pitt, but her initial experience was overwhelming.

“I was terrified. I was absolutely terrified,” Jackson said. “I remember I prepared as much as I could, and I ended up getting there and I stepped on the court and … I saw them starting to warm up, and I thought, there’s no way I’m going to be able to do that.

“But here we are. It’s a lot of learning. I’m finally starting to get the hang of the level, and it’s awesome to be a part of.”

Now those same players Jackson watched are helping her to prepare for a larger role in the future. But it has been one of the new Panthers who has been the biggest influence.

Serena Gray, a transfer from Penn State, also is a middle hitter, and she has helped Jackson with her development at the position.

“She’s been a great role model for me,” Jackson said. “She’s taught me a lot of little things that I wouldn’t have thought to do or coaches would really focus on.”

Morningstar also has a mentor among her teammates. Morningstar, a setter, has had the benefit of learning from Tori Dilfer, the ACC Setter of the Year and first team American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American.

Dilfer is the daughter of former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer. Growing up in a competitive household instilled a nonstop drive in Tori Dilfer, and that, as much as anything technical, has made an impression on the North Allegheny product.

“The thing that comes to my head first is just her composure and demeanor,” Morningstar said. “She’s one of the most competitive people I’ve ever met. She’s so passionate about the game and life in general. She shows that every day in practice and goes 110%. For a fifth-year senior, that’s really impressive to see how hard she goes day in and day out.

“She’s not just one of the best setters, she’s one of the best players I’ve ever played with.”

Morningstar and Jackson are two of four WPIAL players at the Final Four. Levers is a Chartiers-Houston grad, and she is joined on the Pitt roster by Anastasia Russ (Hampton).

Morningstar and Jackson competed against each other in club matches, Morningstar for Renaissance and Jackson for Revolution. Jackson and Russ faced each other on a couple of occasions in high school.

And as the redshirts build toward more significant roles, they hope to see their sport continue to build around the area. They want to see WPIAL players facing each other on big stages more often.

“It is definitely on the come-up,” Morningstar said about WPIAL volleyball, citing Seneca Valley grad and Ohio State freshman Sarah White as another example. “A lot of people I played against went like Division I or Power 5, which is crazy. Just to see your former teammates and competitors and playing against them in college, it’s so awesome to see.”

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