Pitt makes history with No. 3 seed in NCAA Tournament
Pitt volleyball received the No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, the first time in program history the Panthers have gotten a top-4 seed.
Head coach Dan Fisher’s team has found itself on the short end of the stick of many selection shows in the past. The Panthers were the only unseeded team to make the Elite 8 last year, and they received the No. 6 seed in 2020 despite being ranked No. 2 in the AVCA Coaches Poll for the final six weeks of the season.
Currently ranked No. 2 in the latest edition of the poll, the committee only placed two teams - Louisville and Texas - ahead of Pitt for the NCAA Tournament, likely a reward for the team’s brutal strength of schedule. The Panthers (26-3) beat three of the 16 national seeds - No. 5 Baylor, No. 8 Georgia Tech, and No. 12 Minnesota - and their only losses came to No. 1 Louisville (twice) and Georgia Tech (series split).
Sherene Brantley, chair of the D1 Women’s Volleyball Selection Committee, confirmed on the ESPNU broadcast that quality of victories played a huge role in the seedings.
“We’ve got RPI, strength of schedule is also important,” she said. “Along with those two things, we’re looking at wins against top-ten, top-25, top-50. We’re also looking at results against common opponents, if they’re available.”
Pitt will open the tournament at home against UMBC on Friday, champions of the America East conference. The Panthers’ seed guarantees they will host every NCAA Tournament match until the Final Four, which will be held in Columbus, Ohio.
If Pitt navigates past UMBC, it could meet in-state rival Penn State in the next round. The powerhouse Nittany Lions have had an off-year, missing out on a national seed after racking up 10 regular season losses. They’ve developed a habit of breaking Pitt’s hearts though, eliminating their rivals in the 2016 and 2017 second rounds.
ESPNU broadcasters interviewed Fisher during the selection show, who seemed content with the Panthers’ draw.
“I just want everyone to know that we feel great about the team we have,” he said. “We have experience, we have talent, and we believe.”