Pitt ousted by Louisville in women's volleyball Final 4, loses 4th consecutive national semifinal match

Pitt’s women’s volleyball team had lived the good life this season, experiencing joy, camaraderie and victory in 33 of its first 34 matches.

But hopes for Pitt’s first team national championship since 1976 — in any sport — crashed to the floor Thursday night at Louisville’s KFC Yum! Center. Louisville (30-5) defeated the Panthers, 3-1 (21-25, 25-23, 29-27, 25-17), in Pitt’s fourth consecutive loss in an NCAA Tournament Final Four.

Coach Dan Fisher, named the AVCA National Coach of the Year earlier in the day, called the outcome “one of the tougher losses of my career.”

“We’re hurting,” he said, speaking slowly, not trying to hide his dejection. “It was tough because it was the best we’ve played since we’ve been in the Final Four. Torrey and Liv (All-Americans Torrey Stafford and Olivia Babcock) played phenomenal. Emmy (Kilka) had 21 digs and passed lights out. We beat them in transition by an enormous margin, but they were absolutely unstoppable on first ball. We couldn’t get enough of those.”

Louisville won despite losing second-team All-American Anna DeBeer to an ankle injury at the outset of the fourth set with the Cardinals up 2-1 in sets and leading 2-0. From that point, Louisville never trailed.

“There was already a letdown to start that set,” Fisher said.

That letdown can be tied to the waning moments of the third set when Pitt squandered four set points to lose 29-27. The second set also will feel like a missed opportunity for the Panthers after leading 10-5 and 23-22.

“We were just one play short,” Fisher said.

Said Babcock: “In the fourth set, we were being a bit passive. Normally, we would have been more aggressive. I feel like their momentum was slowing us down. I don’t think we stopped fighting, but I think those plays we were trying to rely on other people to do it for us.”

Added Stafford: “We were trying to find solutions. We were trying to play to the last point, go all out.”

Babcock recorded a career-high 33 kills in the match, only the fourth time anyone has reached 30 in a national semifinal.

In the end, however, DeBeer’s injury didn’t matter. The Cardinals, who lost to the Panthers (33-2) twice previously this season, have eliminated Pitt in two of the past three Final Fours.

Asked about Louisville’s home-court advantage, Fisher said, without elaboration, “It helped them.”

The match was the last for Pitt seniors, including Rachel Fairbanks and Valeria Vazquez Gomez. Stafford, a sophomore, was emotional talking about her teammates.

“We really talked about putting it out there,” she said. “Just because we didn’t get the result we want doesn’t mean we didn’t do that. I couldn’t have asked them to do anymore. They put their entire heart on the court.”

The first set, won by Pitt, was fiercely contested with several long volleys and nine ties, including seven in a row from 4-4 to 10-10. Pitt held a 15-14 advantage at the first timeout on the way to a 25-21 victory.

Pitt was up 24-17 but hung on to win when Babcock returned a Louisville shot for her ninth kill to seal the decision for the Panthers.

The second set started out as the opposite of the first when Pitt, playing nearly flawless volleyball, took a 7-2 lead before Louisville called timeout.

The Panthers’ lead grew as large as 10-5 before Louisville went on an 8-1 run to pull ahead 13-11. After Fisher called timeout, his team responded by taking a 16-15 advantage on a kill and block by Stafford.

The score was tied at 17, 18, 19 and 23 before Louisville won the next two points to draw even at one set each with a 25-23 victory.

In the thrilling third set, Pitt couldn’t shake the Cardinals after building 6-2 and 10-7 leads. Louisville jumped ahead 12-10, but Pitt created a tie at 14. During that point, Stafford landed awkwardly on her left ankle, was on the floor briefly but did not come out of the set.

Babcock’s kill and a long hit by Louisville gave the Panthers a 17-15 lead and Babcock recorded her 26th kill to give Pitt a 23-19 lead, two points from a set victory.

But the Cardinals scored the next two points, forcing Fisher to call a timeout. The score was subsequently tied at 23, 24, 25, 26 and 27, but Louisville survived the Panthers’ four set points to win 29-27.

Fisher tried to find some good in a tough defeat.

“We failed, but at least we went for it,” he said.