The national semifinals have been both familiar territory and an insurmountable obstacle for Pitt volleyball every year dating to 2021.
Over four consecutive seasons, the Panthers have advanced to and fallen in the Final Four, their seasons ending just short of a shot at a national championship.
Thursday night in Kansas City made it five straight years of making the Final Four, as No. 1 Pitt took on No. 3 Texas A&M at T-Mobile Center with yet another title game within reach.
But heartbreak again accompanied Pitt’s trip to the national semifinals, as the Panthers were swept 29-27, 25-21, 25-20.
Pitt (30-5) suffered its first sweep of the season, with Texas A&M (28-4) set to face either Kentucky or Wisconsin on Sunday in the title game.
An elongated first set went to Texas A&M, and Pitt enjoyed an 8-0 run in the second set but still fell by four. That set up the decisive third set, with the Panthers surrendering five straight points to the Aggies to end things.
Olivia Babcock led Pitt with 22 kills, followed by Blaire Bayless with eight. As a team, the Panthers posted a .344 hitting percentage.
Texas A&M was powered by 16 kills from Kyndal Stowers and 14 from Logan Lednicky.
The Aggies quickly took a 2-0 lead in the opening set, thanks partially to a service ace by setter Maddie Waak, but the Panthers recovered quickly, going up 3-2 on two kills from Bayless and one from Babcock.
Pitt and Texas A&M stayed neck-and-neck early in the set, with the Aggies taking a 9-7 lead following a service error on Babcock and a kill courtesy of Stowers.
The Aggies took their biggest lead of the set shortly thereafter, as coach Dan Fisher called timeout with his team trailing 12-9.
Having trailed the majority of the opening set, Pitt took a 17-16 lead on back-to-back kills from Babcock and Marina Pezelj.
The Aggies challenged successfully for a net fault on Brooke Mosher and rode kills from Ifenna Cos-Okpalla and Stowers to take a 21-19 set lead.
But Pitt then tied things up at 21 on a service error by Waak and a kill from Bre Kelly, leading to an Aggies timeout by coach Jamie Morrison.
Coming out of the break, Texas A&M quickly went up 23-21 on two straight kills, prompting Fisher to call timeout again.
When Texas A&M took a 24-22 lead, the Panthers fought back out of four set points, which included a challenge by Fisher that, when overturned in favor of Pitt, tied things at 24.
Pitt’s first opportunity to close out the set came with a 27-26 advantage after a Babcock kill, but Texas A&M soon tied the set.
After an Aggies service ace, Texas A&M won the set 29-27 on a Stowers kill.
Bayless and Babcock combined for 13 kills.
Early in the second set, Texas A&M lost one of its challenges because of inconclusive video evidence, but the Aggies jumped out to a 7-4 advantage on three straight points with Lednicky serving.
Another successful challenge from Fisher, overturning a call that initially ruled an attack from Babcock out of bounds, made it 8-6 Aggies, but they soon took a 10-6 lead.
With Pitt facing its largest hole of the night, Fisher called timeout.
Consecutive service errors by Pitt and Texas A&M made it 11-9 still in favor of the Aggies, but the Panthers were within one point moments later thanks to an ace by Izzy Masten.
Then, Babcock erased the deficit with her 12th kill of the match, tying things at 11.
When Pitt scored its fifth straight point to go up 12-11, Morrison opted for a timeout.
Post-timeout, the Panthers kept rolling, taking a 15-11 lead to continue an 8-0 run.
However, Texas A&M recovered, tying the set at 15 after two kills from Lednicky and a service ace from Stowers.
The Aggies proceeded to take an 18-16 lead, with Lednicky and Morgan Perkins recording kills, which prompted Fisher to take another timeout.
The Panthers got a kill from Abbey Emch to get within one, but Texas A&M managed to take a 20-17 lead thanks to two straight kills from Emily Hellmuth.
Capitalizing on a Lednicky attack error, Pitt tied things at 21, but the Aggies ended the set with four straight points to put the Panthers away 25-21, setting up a chance for a sweep.
Pitt took a 2-0 lead in set three. Ryla Jones, after not playing in the opening two sets, was inserted by Fisher and responded with two kills, as Pitt built an 8-6 advantage.
But two service aces by Waak helped the Aggies storm back, and when Fisher called timeout, his squad was trailing 12-10.
From there, Texas A&M racked up three straight kills to take a 16-12 lead.
With his team on the ropes, Fisher burned Pitt’s final timeout.
Bayless and Babcock then notched kills, while an Aggies attack error got the Panthers back within 17-16.
Back-to-back kills from Babcock tied it at 18, as the Panthers searched for some late-set momentum.
Texas A&M managed to get ahead 22-20 on a kill from Cos-Okpalla.
Pitt then found itself down 23-20 following an attack error by Sophia Gregoire.
The relentless Aggies took a 24-20 lead on a Lednicky kill before Cos-Okpalla punched Texas A&M’s ticket to the national championship with a kill, completing the sweep.
