Pitt volleyball sweeps Minnesota, punching ticket to Elite 8

The expectations set by Dan Fisher and Pitt volleyball have made just about every NCAA Tournament match, minus a national championship, a can’t-lose or must-win.

That’s a result of the Panthers riding four straight trips to the Final Four since 2021.

If there was going to be a shot at a fifth straight appearance, the top-seeded Panthers needed to get past No. 4 Minnesota on Saturday at Petersen Events Center in the regional semifinals.

Behind a 3-0 sweep (25-16, 25-23, 25-22) of the Gophers in the Sweet 16, Pitt (29-4) kept those hopes alive, setting up an Elite Eight showdown Saturday at home vs. either No. 2 SMU or No. 3 Purdue.

Pitt won the opening set handily and fought off the Gophers late to pull away in sets Nos. 2 and 3.

“They pushed us. They made us uncomfortable. We weren’t quite as crisp offensively as we normally are, but we found a way and we’re just grateful to still be dancing,” Fisher said.

Back-to-back ACC Player of the Year and AVCA East Coast Region Player of the Year Olivia Babcock led Pitt with 19 kills, posting a hitting percentage of .366 while adding eight digs.

Blaire Bayless and Bre Kelley chipped in eight kills apiece, and Brooke Mosher had 35 assists, seven digs and a memorable lone kill late in the second set that helped the Panthers close the door on Minnesota (24-10).

As a team, Pitt had 47 kills and a hitting percentage of .271.

Minnesota was led in kills by Carly Gilk and Kelly Kinney (nine each).

“Obviously, a great opponent and a great performance by them,” Gophers coach Keegan Cook said. “I thought they showed some incredible fight, especially at the end of sets. Did what you’d expect for an experienced team.”

Minnesota was unable to climb out of an early hole in the first set, as Babcock and Kelley combined for nine kills.

Back-to-back points got Minnesota with 20-15. But from there, Minnesota would manage just one more point, with Pitt comfortably taking the first set 25-16.

“When we’re on the court, we just have great energy in general because we’re close off the court,” Kelley said of her rapport with Babcock. “I feel like I feed off of her all the time.”

Consecutive aces by the Gophers’ Stella Swenson put Pitt behind 5-3 early in the second set.

Following kills by Bayless and Sophia Gregoire, the set was tied 7-7.

Pitt took its first lead, 12-10, on an ace by Mallorie Meyer.

Both squads sought separation as the set continued, but it wasn’t in the cards.

However, a heatseeker of a kill by Babcock, assisted by Emery Dupes, put Pitt up 18-16 and prompted a Minnesota timeout.

Another kill from Babcock, coming on the heels of a service error by Mosher, made it 20-17 Panthers.

Mosher would redeem herself with a superb diving dig, deflecting the ball softly over the net for a kill, putting Pitt ahead 22-19.

“Making a big play, at such a big moment — because we want to focus on being good after 20 — was definitely a momentum shift,” Babcock said of Mosher’s pancake kill. “After that play was made, I was pretty confident, like, ‘We’re going to be fine. We’re going to be able to close this out.’ That definitely was a momentum shift for us.”

However, two errors in a row on the Panthers saw the Gophers nipping at their heels, the set now a 22-21 Pitt advantage.

Fisher called timeout when a kill by Julia Hanson tied the set at 23-23.

But when play resumed, Pitt quickly put the set away on Marina Pezelj’s kill and block assists by Bayless and Abbey Emch.

In the third set, Pitt got off to a 6-3 lead, with Babcock recording three kills and Mosher adding an ace.

But Minnesota, its back against the wall, soon tied the set at 7-7.

Mosher had another solid sequence to put Pitt up 12-9, recording an ace and then assisting on a kill by Kelley.

While Pitt soon took multiple 3-point leads in the set, the Gophers hung around, coming within one after an attack error by Emch.

Minnesota kills courtesy of Gilk and Lourdes Meyers plus a service ace from McKenna Garr then tied the set at 17-17.

When the Gophers went up 19-18, taking their first lead since the opening point of the set, Fisher called timeout to regroup.

Minnesota proceeded to take a 21-19 set lead, but the Panthers tied things up at 21-21 on an impressive sequence to keep a play alive, resulting in an attack error on the Gophers.

Following a 22-22 tie, three straight kills by Babcock dispatched the Gophers, sending Pitt to the Elite Eight and regional final.

The Panthers will face either SMU or Purdue having not lost a set through three rounds of the NCAA Tournament, despite some tough battles in the Round of 32 from Michigan and Saturday against Minnesota.

“Having been in intense moments all year in front of big crowds, it definitely helps,” Fisher said. “I’m trying as a coach to figure out how to not be in so many tight sets.”