PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Pitt women’s volleyball continues to create history, last year making it to the Elite 8, just inches from a Final Four. This year, the Panthers broke through beating Purdue in four sets (25-20, 28-30, 25-20, 25-15) Saturday at the Fitzgerald Field House.
Finishing the regular season as the third ranked team in the nation, the Panthers hosted the first four rounds of the NCAA Tournament. Pitt swept UMBC December 3 and won 3-1 against Penn State at the Petersen Events Center a day later.
The games moved this week to the more intimate Fitzgerald Field House for the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 matches, but the same result for Pitt. Sweeping Kansas and then beating the Boilermakers 3-1.
“I knew the talent level we had coming into this year,” said Pitt head coach Dan Fisher. “I knew we could do it this year. We’ve stayed committed to this goal. It’s great to be here.”
Panthers did it before a sellout crowd at the Field House. Often erupting in chants and creating an atmosphere rarely seen in that building over the last 20-30 years.
“Crowd was amazing,” said senior Kayla Lund. “I don’t think I realized how packed it was until there was one point where they started cheering ‘Let’s Go Pitt’. I was like ‘whoa’.”
“I don’t know if I’ve felt the energy in the Field House quite like that. I was really grateful that not only were they here, they were loud and on their feet. It was surreal, super cool.”
Panthers led in the match Saturday by a pair of transfers. Leketor Member-Meneh, formerly of Missouri, had 21 kills and nine digs. Penn State transfer Serena Gray had 14 kills.
“I prayed a lot before I decided to enter the portal,” Member-Meneh said. “I told God I wanted a good, supporting, loving coaching staff that would get me to my potential. I wanted teammates that were amazing and would embrace me. I got exactly what I wanted at Pitt and I’m so grateful to be here.”
“I wanted to develop myself as a player, wanted to be around teammates and a coaching staff that would facilitate that,” Gray said. “So this is beyond more than I could have really imagined.”
It was like that in the early part of Fisher’s nine-year Panthers career. The former Concordia head coach lost 14 matches his first year at Pitt, reached his first NCAA tournament three years later. It’s kept growing every season since. He said he allowed himself the rare moment to sit back and take in the atmosphere as the match Saturday was ending.
“When I first got here I was coming from a NAIA school,” Fisher said. “I never dreamed of being in this moment. I was just focused on getting us in the NCAA Tournament, first. I’ve far exceeded by own expectations and this group has really been an amazing group to work with.”
In the last four years, Pitt has won 110 matches and lost 12. Now they are two more wins from a national championship.
“I think this team believes,” Fisher said. “We’ve had a tough schedule. We’ve been in tough moments this year. I think our experience has a lot to do with it and our belief in each other. It’s a gritty team.”
“The real goal has been to win a national championship.”
Fisher won a national title at Concordia, he’s on the doorstep of what would have seemed improbable when he came to Oakland.