Pitt women's volleyball eyeing fifth straight NCAA Tournament final four run
For the fifth straight year, Pitt's women's volleyball team is eyeing a final four run in the NCAA Tournament.
It all starts tonight at the Petersen Events Center in Oakland.
Pitt's volleyball team finished their regular season with a 26-4 record, going 18-2 in conference play, and earning their fourth straight ACC Championship title.
"I feel like this tournament is different, this team is different," Olivia Babcock said.
Pitt made it last year's semifinal match of the NCAA Tournament and then, like most college teams nowadays, had a huge roster turnover.
When the team got together for the first time in August, no one really knew each other.
"I'm proud of these team," Bre Kelley said. "It took a lot of grit and a lot of hours, tears, sweat, just doing mini groups with each other, getting to know each other. I just think everyone has put in 110% and that's why we're where we're at."
Once again, Pitt has earned the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament -- but a few of the Panthers players are younger and have never played in the tournament before.
The team's leaders, like Olivia Babcock, say they just remind those teammates that it's one point at a time.
"That is something we really try to instill, especially because a lot of people are new to this team and it's really easy to get insecure," Babcock said. "I feel like that's a normal thing in volleyball, so if we tell everyone to stay engaged, its really easy for this team to stay together in hard moments."
Head coach Dan Fisher says the biggest difference from his first year with the team to now is that the expectations are higher. Another big difference is the talent level.
"This team, when we're playing our best is incredible," Fisher said. "There's practices where no question, we're the best we've ever been so our top end is really high."
Because Pitt has earned the No. 1 seed, they will host the first two rounds of the tournament.
Today's matches begin at 4 p.m. when Xavier faces Michigan and then Pitt will face UMBC in the second match of the night.