For the Pitt volleyball team, familiarity with the path ahead doesn’t mean it’s easy.
It just means the Panthers know what to expect.
They’ve been here before, after all. Today’s 3:30 pm match against Oregon will be Pitt’s fifth consecutive trip to the Sweet Sixteen. And in each of those previous four regional semifinals, the Panthers won to advance to the regional finals.
And in Pitt’s last three trips to the regional finals, the Panthers have won and advanced to the Final Four.
So they’ve been here before.
That means they know what it takes not just to get to this point, but beyond.
“At this point, we’re expecting that every team’s going to play their best against us and give us their best,” senior libero Emmy Klika said Wednesday. “Our seasons are on the line in the Tournament, so just going in knowing that it's going to be hard, no matter who we’re playing.”
The Panthers certainly got the best that Morehead State and Oklahoma had to offer in the first weekend of the Tournament. Playing on back-to-back days, Pitt swept each of its opponents in the first and second rounds, but not without a fight. Morehead State challenged the Panthers in each of the sets before Pitt could pull away, while Oklahoma forced a 28-26 Pitt win in the first set and stayed within four points of the Panthers in the second set before losing the third, 25-19.
The matches were competitive, and they were a good reminder to the Panthers, who entered the Tournament as the No. 1 overall seed, that nothing comes easy at this time of year.
“I think essentially at this stage in the tournament every team is so talented I don't think we're going into it expecting anything,” Klika said. “I think we're just going into it, like, we're gonna hold our high standard on the court and if we're holding our standard playing the way we train then hopefully that ends up in a win.”
There are dueling mentalities for the Pitt team this season as it looks for its fourth consecutive Final Four and, ultimately, its national championship. On one hand, the Panthers see themselves as hunters; led by powerful hitters, a magician at setter, nearly-impenetrable defense at the net and timely success from the service line, Pitt takes the fight to its opponents, rarely content to react and preferring to be the “aggressors,” as sophomore outside hitter Torrey Stafford said.
On the other hand, the Panthers know they have a target on their backs. They have been ranked No. 1 in the nation since the fourth week of the season. They won a remarkable 12 consecutive sweeps to open the schedule and have lost 10 sets total in 32 matches all year.
They have the ACC Coach of the Year (Dan Fisher) and Player of the Year (Olivia Babcock). All seven of their starters were named to the all-conference teams, including four players on the All-ACC first team. And they earned the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.
Pitt has been peerless in its dominance this season, the clear best team in the country - which makes them the team everybody wants to beat.
For the Panthers, who focus on mentality and mindset almost as much as hitting and setting, that translates to a different approach.
“I think we try to go into every game as the underdog,” Stafford said. “We always say underdog mentality: you never want to be too confident. I think with the number-one seed, obviously, it could bring the pressure, but, like, underdogs.”
So Pitt entered the Tournament prepared to be both hunters and underdogs, if such a duality is possible.
However they choose to think about it, the Panthers know there’s a certain expectation for them - and an expectation they have for themselves. That expectation, of course, is to win the national championship. Every team has that goal, but only a few can realistically do it and only one ultimately will do it.
After three years of failing to reach the title game, Pitt’s core - seniors like Klika, Rachel Fairbanks and Valeria Vazquez Gomez, junior Bre Kelley (who transferred from Florida after losing to Pitt in the Sweet Sixteen), sophomores like Stafford and Babcock and sensational freshman Ryla Jones - feel like they’re more ready than ever to be on the big stage again.
“I would say there’s always nerves but it’s more because I’m just excited to be in these big moments again,” Klika said, “and I think the experience from the past three years definitely helps going in, just knowing the way it feels to be on the court in a Sweet Sixteen. But I don’t think - I mean, for every game, there’s always those nerves, but in a good way.”
Pitt’s opponent this afternoons is one that’s fairly familiar. The Panthers faced Oregon in Eugene for the regular-season opener nearly three months ago. Pitt won that match with a sweep, led by 13 kills from Stafford and a double-double from Fairbanks (34 assists and 10 digs). But the Ducks hold a unique distinction: they were the last team to beat the Panthers in Pittsburgh, getting a 3-2 victory at the Fitzgerald Field House last September.
Oregon arrived in town this week after posting a pair of wins in the opening two rounds of the Tournament: they swept High Point and beat TCU 3-1. Now the Ducks are coming across the country to face Pitt under the bright lights of the Petersen Events Center. That’s not the Panthers’ regular home - the Fitzgerald Field House is - but Stafford said she likes the bigger venue.
“That’s actually a debate on the team: Fitz or Pete? I think the Pete brings out a different level in all of us. I feel like it’s bigger lights and bigger crowd, and I think to play in the Pete in a big moment is just really fun. Obviously, we’re adjusting practice-wise, but I’m excited. I think we're all very excited to be here and have the fans come out to support it.”
