KANSAS CITY, MO ― Upon arriving at last year’s NCAA volleyball Final Four in Louisville, Kentucky, Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Dan Fisher received several commemorative Louisville Slugger bats.
Throughout the 2025 season, they would sit in his office in special holders, serving as a reminder of what could have been. Last December, Pitt’s title push ended shy of the championship game. After making four consecutive Final Four appearances without winning a trophy, the No. 1 overall seed fell short ― again. The Panthers lost 3-1 to the Louisville Cardinals in the semifinals and went home empty-handed.
On Wednesday, Fisher, well aware that Pitt let a potential chance at a championship slip away, reflected on the disappointment he felt.
“I can simultaneously be proud of making the Final Four and disappointed we didn’t advance,” he said. “I can hold those two thoughts at once.”
The balancing act of holding space for pride and disappointment has likely been something the Panthers coach and his team have been silently juggling all season. At some point, it probably had to become a small part of what fueled them to get back to volleyball’s biggest stage and return for a fifth straight Final Four ― even if they may never admit it out loud. Multiple opportunities to win a championship don’t happen often, and when a team can’t bring home any hardware, the questions about winning inevitably become louder.
Will Pitt ever be the “bride” and not the “bridesmaid”? Is this the year the Panthers finally put it all together?
Six total players at the 2025 Final Four have experience playing at this level. Fisher’s roster has five of the six Final Four veterans. Pitt opposite Olivia Babcock and middle blocker Bre Kelley have been to two prior Final Fours. Several other Panthers players have been to at least one. Wisconsin Badgers middle blocker Carter Booth, with one appearance, is the remaining player. With so many young and new faces on all four tournament rosters, Pitt’s experience could prove valuable if it wants to reach the national championship on Sunday. Babcock addressed the potential advantage during Wednesday’s Panthers press conference.
“Since so many people have been here before, we were able to prepare the newer players coming into this experience what to expect,” Babcock said. “We’re also able to just remind them constantly that even though there will be a lot of media ― things there wouldn’t typically be ― stay locked in at the goal at hand. It is very easy to get distracted. I think those players are going to help our newer players be able to hone in on the task.”
Babcock stressed that it’s an honor to be on the Final Four stage. Still, she says the Panthers are focused. Their preparation has been better, including how they practice and scout opponents and visualize matches. Kelley shed a bit more light on how the Panthers are staying grounded as they approach Thursday’s semifinal match.
“In the past, I feel like we’ve always made it a point that we have to win the Final Four. This year, we have really emphasized, especially with our sports psychologist, to play ball,” Kelley said. “Obviously, we’re trying to embrace this moment and be where our feet are. This game is supposed to be fun. It’s not supposed to be severely taxing on your mind and body.”
The Panthers revealed that the team has broken down every intense matchup, as far back as a September regular-season sweep against the No. 1 Kentucky Wildcats, to just one point at a time. The team said even in a dominant 3-0 win like that one, the focus this year has been on being “good” after getting to 20 points in a set. Once the Panthers get to that point, Babcock says they are “able to flip a switch”. Then, it becomes a matter of which team gets to 25 first. She believes that if Pitt is playing “the best points of (their lives)”, they’ll find a lot of success. Fisher seemed to be in lockstep with that thought process.
“The main message is just to stay in the moment,” he said. “Along with that, we were touching on it earlier about what’s different about this team, and I think when we’re playing our best, we’re really good. So just knowing that we don’t know what the outcome will be, but we certainly know how good we can be…”
Pitt takes on No. 3 Texas A&M during the 2025 NCAA volleyball Final Four at 6:30 p.m. ET Thursday on ESPN.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pitt volleyball reaches Final Four again but can it win championship?
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