If a team loses in the Final Four, it must overcome the daunting task of getting there first.
The Pitt women’s volleyball players, who have won 31 of 35 games this season, struggled to wrap their heads around the reality early Friday morning after losing their first NCAA Tournament semifinal loss in two seasons. was
Louisville beat Pitt in five sets (25-18, 23-25, 25-22, 22-25, 15-2) to become the first ACC team to reach a national championship game. The Cardinals will face Texas on Saturday night, where he took a four-set victory over San Diego.
Pitt captain Chiamaka Nuwokoro felt sad and proud at the same time.
“Our first stump was getting through Sweet 16, but now our new trial and error is getting through Final Four,” she said. No, we’re having a hard time forecasting right now, but we’re proud of our results this year and last year.”
The dramatic match was hotly contested over four sets until Louisville (31-2) dominated the final set. Pitt recovered from an earlier deficit, but was unable to handle the Cardinals’ defensive effort when it mattered most.
“We weren’t up to par offensively,” said coach Dan Fisher. “Our passes were choppy. So were they.”
When asked about the fifth set, he said: But it’s a tough one when he’s always swinging from 20 feet away from the net. They scored a few points in the fifth, but it didn’t go our way.”
In fact, Louisville were in control of the fourth set and were on their way to a national championship match at that point. But after the Cardinals led 16–10 on him, Pitt employed his play effectively defensively and continued to chip away.
Pitt scored the final three points of the set to win 25-22 on a 15-6 run.
“I was so proud of our hearts in the fourth set. We just persisted and found a way to win,” Fisher said.
But the Panthers couldn’t keep up the momentum until the fifth set.
“Louisville had a very aggressive, high-risk serving plan,” Fisher said. “It definitely worked in the fifth set. It will be interesting to see if it works against Texas.”
Pitt also managed two draws after trailing 6-0 in the first set. But the Panthers never took the lead.
Pitt gained the advantage early in the second set when Louisville’s Amaya Tillman appeared to give her team a 5-4 lead, but the ball stuck too much to her hand, allowing the Cardinals to score a 5–4 lead. A lift was called for
The Panthers never lost their lead after that, played solid defense and went on to win 25-23. Four times in the closing stages of the set, Louisville cut the lead to his one point, last time he was 24-23, but Serena his Gray kill closed out Louisville on the decisive point.
“We went back to playing volleyball and didn’t make a lot of offensive mistakes,” Fisher told ESPN after the second set. “We were a little nervous and made too many mistakes in the first set.”
At the end of the night, Fisher praised the team’s toughness.
“It’s certainly better to start with the lead and the delay didn’t help us. We show a lot of heart and the ability to reset when things don’t go our way.” I did.”
The Cardinals had 19 blocks and 10 service aces, while grad student and All-American and ACC Player of the Year Claire Chaussey had 25 kills and a .429 batting average.
For Pitt, Rachel Fairbanks had 29 assists and 8 each in kills and digs. Courtney Bazelio has 13 kills and Gray has 10.
Bazelio, who moved from Iowa, was grateful for his only season in the pits.
“I learned a lot about myself and about volleyball in general,” she said. I think it starts now. ”
Jerry DiPaola is a staff writer for Tribune-Review. You can reach Jerry by email at jdipaola@triblive.com or on his Twitter. .
