PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – The Pitt Panthers are the first women’s Division 1 volleyball team since 2016, and second since 1992, to advance to a fifth consecutive national semi-final (Final 4) after beating Purdue 3-1 (25-22, 25-21, 22-25, 25-17) at the Petersen Events Center Saturday night.
“We were just better offensively, clearly Liv carried us for a while, Brooke had a great match and then when Liv wasn’t carrying us Blaire and Marina stepped up big,” said Pitt head coach Dan Fisher. “Most of all, thought we were pretty dominant offensively.”
“We’re back.”
The match ended on a pair of aces by senior setter Brooke Mosher.
“In moments like this you have to go for it,” Mosher said of her higher risk-reward top-spin serve. “I just got to do it and whatever happens, happens.”
As for seeing match point off her serve?
“That was insane,” Mosher said. “Ending it on an ace maybe is something I wouldn’t have expected, but being able to see that ball drop and go to the Final Four is just insane.”
Pittsburgh Regional Most Outstanding Player Olivia Babcock had a match-high 23 kills and hit .333. Mosher finished with 47 assists, seven digs, four blocks, three aces and freshman Marina Pezelj had 14 kills and 12 digs. All three were named to the All Pittsburgh Region Team.
It’s the 52nd straight win at home and the third set was the first set the Panthers lost since November 16. It broke a streak of seven straight sweeps. Pitt (30-4) has 18 sweeps on the season.
Reaction to reaching the Final 4
“It’s just surreal,” Mosher said. “It’s something I’ve dreamed of since I was little. To be able to do it with this team is incredible.”
“I just think the fact that we are able to keep doing this just shows how strong of a team we are consistently,” Babcock said. “I just feel like we put in so much work this season, so I feel like this season it means a lot more. I don’t know why, but it just feels even more special this year.”
“Each game and each season has its own story, but if you contrast it with how we felt in January when we were looking at having one outside hitter on our roster, we’ve put in a lot of work to bring in this team and develop it,” Fisher said. “It feels pretty good.”
Respect from Purdue
“Dan Fisher has done one of the most amazing jobs of coaching in the history of the sport of taking a team in Pittsburgh, a program in Pittsburgh that for so many years was just good, and some years not even that, but they were good, but couldn’t get over the hump,” said Purdue head coach Dave Shondell. “Now it’s five years in a row in the Final 4, that doesn’t happen without someone in charge that really knows how to build a program and recruit and train and coach and all the things you have to do. Understand when he goes in and asks for another pay raise, they probably should give him one because he’s really, really special.”