PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Cities bid to host the Final Four years in advance, with Pitt the number one overall seed it ended up having to play another number one seed in its home building, playing Louisville in Louisville. Like two years ago in the NCAA semifinal, the Cardinals ended the Panthers season, Thursday it was in four sets (21-25, 25-23, 29-27, 25-17).
The match shifted in the third set as Louisville fought off four set points to gain a 2-1 advantage. The Cardinals took control of the deciding fourth set early and committed only one error hitting .516.
Net work was a big decider as the Cardinals led in blocks in the match 12-4. They also dominated the serve with an 8-2 lead in aces.
Cardinals won in five sets against the Panthers in the 2022 Final Four.
It was only the Panthers second loss of the season as Pitt was ranked the number one team for the last three months.