'Each moment matters': Pitt rebounds to top TCU in volleyball showcase at PPG Paints Arena
The Pitt women’s volleyball team is working on recapturing its ruthless nature that took the Panthers to the national semifinals of the previous four NCAA Division I tournaments.
Redshirt junior middle blocker Bre Kelley said Pitt is figuring things out. The No. 3 Panthers beat No. 25 TCU, 3-1 (25-23, 22-25, 25-15, 25-21), in front of a crowd of 6,139 people to snap a two-game skid Sunday afternoon at the State Farm Volleyball Showcase at PPG Paints Arena.
Transitioning between eras was always going to result in some growing pains as the Panthers lost one of their top hitters, Torrey Stafford, to the transfer portal and setter Rachel Fairbanks to graduation.
“In the past, our culture has always been to step on them and we’re trying to learn that with this team,” said Kelly, who finished with three kills and eight blocks. “I think we really just have been stressing, honestly, this thing called stressing inoculation, where each moment matters. Each of these moments is gonna put us in a better place at the end of the year.”
Pitt (1-2) lost its first two matches to start the season for the first time since 2020. The Panthers opened the year with losses to No. 1 Nebraska and No. 16 Florida. Things won’t lighten up quite yet for Pitt, as the Panthers will take on No. 13 Arizona State — which beat defending national champion Penn State, 3-1 — at 7:30 p.m. Monday at PPG Paints Arena.
Pitt coach Dan Fisher said this is one of the toughest schedules they’ve put together.
“I think this is the toughest we’ve had,” Fisher said. “We’ve always had good teams in our nonconference, but not this many. I think we’re struggling through some stuff right now, but we’re going to be better off for it by the end of the year.”
TCU (0-1) made the NCAA Tournament during the past three seasons under Jason Williams. The Horned Frogs will play three top 10 ranked teams, including No. 2 Penn State on Sunday night, to open the year.
“If you want to be a top 10 team, you have to beat top 10 teams, right?” Williams said. “We are trying to put ourselves in a position to win the Big 12.”
TCU showed it was ready for a fight. Pitt surged ahead 24-20 in the first set following a 4-0 run that ended with a Jalyn Gibson attack error. The Horned Frogs fought off three set points.
Pitt outside hitter Olivia Babcock delivered a kill to stop the struggle and win the first set.
Three consecutive kills by Lauren Murphy gave the Horned Frogs the edge in the second set. Murphy’s run gave TCU a 12-9 lead it would never lose. Gibson led TCU with 18 kills, while Murphy added 10.
Pitt regained control in the third set. The Panthers limited TCU to a .094 hitting percentage as the Panthers cruised 25-15. The Horned Frogs made 12 or more attack errors in three of the four sets.
Bre Kelley played against her sister, Becca. Bre picked up three blocks.
“It was a great battle,” said Becca, who finished with six kills. “She got those three step blocks on me, but there’s always another opportunity to play her deeper into the season, so I’m excited for that.”
Babcock led Pitt with 19 kills, while Blaire Bayless was second with 14.
“I think this team has up-and-downs and like we’re really working on being steady and putting pressure on the other team constantly,” Bre Kelley said. “I think we just reiterated that every single set and, as the sets went on, I think that showed up a lot more.”
Josh Rizzo is a freelance writer.
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