in Pitt Football 1,947 Words

The Lady Panthers Take on the Cornhuskers in VB

Ed: Here is another million word women’s volleyball article – especially welcome because, as John states below, WE ARE IN THE FINAL FOUR!! Enjoy reading this as I have...

For the first time in history, our #3 seed Pitt Women’s volleyball team has made it to the Final Four in the NCAA tournament.  It is also a first for any Pitt women’s team making it to a Final Four.  This is the third occurrence of a Pitt team making it to an NCAA Final Four.  Pitt men’s soccer team made it this spring.  Our men’s basketball team made it way back in 1941.  There is an old saying:  “The third time is a charm!”

Pitt will be playing #10 seed Nebraska at 9:30 PM on Thursday, December 16th.  The match will be televised on ESPN.  The match will take place in Columbus, Ohio.  Prior to Pitt’s match, #1 seed Louisville will take on #4 seed Wisconsin at 7:00 PM.  Root for Louisville and the ACC in that one.

Pitt got here by defeating Purdue 3-1 on Saturday.  The match started out pretty much as I thought it would.  Pitt and Purdue battled it out in the first three sets.  Pitt won sets one and three by identical 25-20 scores after Purdue managed to eke out a win in set 2, 30-28.  In the 4th set Pitt went on two 4-point, and one 5-point runs to pull away with an easy 25-15 set and match win.  This was Pitt first win ever over Purdue in 12 attempts.

Pitt made life difficult for Purdue’s two main weapons.  Newton had 16 kills on 56 attempts for a 0.107 hitting %.  Cleveland had 9 kills on 28 attempts for a 0.179 hitting %.  Pitt actually out blocked Purdue 9-8 which took away one Purdue’s best method of scoring.  Purdue’s setter had zero kills on 10 attempts with a hitting % of -0.200.  Serena Gray stuffed several of her attempts at the net.

Pitt lost the 2nd set due to 11 attack errors and 3 service errors.  Overall Pitt served well. They kept Purdue out of system, in general, even though the stats show only 5 aces to 8 error for the match.  Overall Pitt hit 0.311 versus 0.156 for Purdue.  Pitt’s hitting % for the 4 sets were 0.571, 0.122, 0.310, and 0.379.  Purdue hit a very good 0.476 in the first set.  In the next three sets they hit 0.143, 0.132, and 0.000.  That last number is not a typo!

Leketor Member-Meneh was the MVP of the Pittsburgh Regional.  Joining her on the All-Regional Team were Serena Gray, Rachel Fairbanks, and Chinaza Ndee.  Keep in mind that Rachel is a freshman and only became a starter in the second to last match of the season.

For all the other stats and info about the win here is the link to Pitt’s article about it.

https://pittsburghpanthers.com/news/2021/12/11/womens-volleyball-columbus-bound-no-3-pitt-volleyball-advances-to-first-ncaa-national-semifinal-in-program-history.aspx

Now for an analysis of Nebraska.  The Nebraska Cornhuskers are from the Big Ten conference.  They finished second in the Big Ten behind Wisconsin this year.  Their overall record for the year is 25-7.  Pitt will now have faced three of the eight Big Ten teams in the tournament.

Nebraska’s common opponents with Pitt were Louisville, Purdue, Penn State and Florida State.  Louisville swept them at Nebraska.  They defeated Purdue 3-1 both home and away.  They swept Penn State at home 3-0.  They swept Florida State in the 2nd round of the tournament this year at home.  Nebraska has made significant lineup changes since their sweep by Louisville.

Pitt lost to Louisville, home and away, 3-2 and 3-1 respectively.  They defeated Purdue, 3-1 at home as well as Penn State, 3-1.  Pitt beat Florida State, 3-1 away.  Kayla Lund did not play in the second Louisville match and Rachel Fairbanks was a fairly new starter.

Basically, Pitt and Nebraska are closely matched.  One would consider them even based on the schedule comparison.  Nebraska has gotten better as the season has gone on.  Their biggest win was against #2 seed Texas at Austin in the regional tournament final.  They lost twice to Wisconsin, home and away, with the last loss being the next to last match of the regular season.

More on next page…

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128 thoughts on “The Lady Panthers Take on the Cornhuskers in VB”

  2. Kayla Lund was named to the AVCA All American 1st team. She was the first Pitt volleyball player ever to be named first team! Leketor Member-Meneh was named to the 2nd team. Chinaza Ndee was named to the 3rd team. Serena Gray was named as an honorable mention. Pitt’s players getting national recognition!

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  5. Great write-up John! I’m a bit worried about Kayla’s health. If she’s hurting we might be better off playing Vasquez-Gomez in her place. Kayla’s leadership on the floor cannot be underestimated though. H2P! Beat Nebraska!

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    1. Lund had a great game against Penn State. I would start her and see what happens in the first couple of sets.

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  6. Wisconsin wins the first set over Louisville 25=23. Louisville need to win the next set. Not even Louisville can come back down 2-0 to Wisconsin.

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  7. Louisville up 15-8 at the media break in set 2. Louisville had to use one of their three challenges to overturn a bad call.

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  8. Louisville wins the 2nd set 25-15. First set lost by Wisconsin in the NCAA tournament. Best of 3 sets now!

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  9. Louisville up 15-13 at the media break in set 3. Wisconsin has the tallest double block of anyone in the world including the national teams of China and Russia per the announcers.

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    2. Of course not, and PN will be soooo disappointed.

      After all a bowl game and a shot at a top 10 or higher final ranking isn’t what Pickett and Narduzzi really meant when they spouted all that crap about “team” and “being in it together” in the preseason and throughout the regular season.

      Can’t wait to read Pickett sling his empty words about how very grateful he is is for Pitt, Narduzzi and his teammates…up until he’s needed by them of course. Then he’s waving goodbye over his shoulder. I guess a five year scholarship isn’t worth playing in Pitt’s most important game in decades, is it?

      If anybody in cfb uses the phrase “going into war with my teamates, etc”…” I swear I’ll puke.

      Liked by 2 people

      2. It’s an exhibition game, Reed. The game is as empty as the words that you’re accusing Kenny of spewing. The playoff killed the poll positioning. Coaches and players don’t care about the top 10. They care about the ACC championship and/or a playoff birth. And, yes, some kids do care. Most enjoy the bowl game experience over the actual game, however. It’s a trend that started with the BCS and that is coming to full realization with the playoff. Why risk an injury over an arbitrary poll positioning that has no impact on the actual final standings. Since they didn’t make the playoff, what else does Kenny have to prove?

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  12. Louisville up 15-11 at the media timeout. Pitt match is not going to start at 9:30 PM. There is a 30 minute minimum between matches. If this match goes to 5 sets, Pitt may be starting at 10:30 PM.

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  14. surprised but considering the business of sports today I should not be

    disappointed I couldn’t read KP as I thought he’d play

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  16. I think when Walker opted out it gave Kenny cover for his decision.
    I certainly can’t quarrel with it. You can’t play football if you are worried about getting hurt.
    Big money has done this to the game. Way too much on the line.
    He achieved what he came back for at Pitt and now will get rewarded at a whole nuther level.

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  18. The Peach Bowl committee can’t be very happy that the 2 best players won’t be playing in their bowl game.

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  22. I have no problem with Pickett’s decision. Disappointed? Of course! It would be amazing to watch him play in the Peach Bowl and see what winning it could do for the program. But it isn’t a playoff game and nobody’s goal before the season was to win a Peach Bowl.

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  27. OT – Seems quite strange that it’s being reported that Davis Beville will start the bowl game for Pitt. But would love to see him have a solid game…

    Go Pitt.

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  31. I’d like to see the ACC team win this but Pitt has a better chance (if we win) to beat Wisconsin. Would hate an all B1G final though if we lose… (shudders)

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  37. QB Zach Calzada of Texas A&M following 18 Pitt players now on social media. Must be a big fan of the Panthers!

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  39. I know this opinion is unpopular here but I don’t blame him at all. I and others here have long maintained just how meaningless most of the bowl games are …. and this one is especially anticlimactic after the ACC title game

    Fact is that with both Walker and Pickett out, the game may be more meaningful for whoever becomes the QB. And it still can be meaningful for the team to become only the 2nd team to reach 12 wins in program history

    Sent from my iPhone

    >

    Liked by 2 people

  43. The bowl season has been losing its luster for about 20 years. The BCS hurt the bowl games and the playoff has rendered them meaningless. It’s literally an exhibition game. No one cares about final standings anymore. Before the BCS and playoff, the standings were how you measured a season. Now you measure it on league titles and/or a playoff birth. The polls only mean something now as a jockeying for poll positioning for the playoffs. Once the playoff is set, the rankings are empty and arbitrary. It’s an archaic stamp on the season. The nostalgia is strong with some of you. As long as college football acts as a minor league to the NFL, empowered players will make business decisions in the best interest of themselves. Can’t pull a scholarship from someone not coming back. You want bowls to mean something, then qualification should be for a first game the next season. How cool would it be for Pitt and MSU to open the season in the Peach Bowl next August? Zero affect on the conference championship but occurring when polling still means something. The top 10 has been replaced with the top 4 in this era.

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  46. How many bowl games are there now? 30? Thats what made them meaningless. They’re like participation trophies.

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  48. Nebraska calls a timeout down 21-14. They are out of timeouts in this set. Kayla Lund with the last kill.

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  51. Pitt takes the first set 25-16. Pitt played very fast. They received Nebraska serve as well as could be expected. I expect Nebraska to make a lineup change in second set.

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  57. Pitt calls its last timeout down 18-11 in 2nd set. Need to slow down Nebraska’s momentum before the end of this set.

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  66. Pitt needs to serve tough to negate Nebraska advantage when they are in system. Agree 6 service errors a bit high.

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  78. Great serve by Nebraska. That is how they beat the #2 seed from Austin. Pitt calls a timeout down 18-19.

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  79. Pitt calls it last timeout down 18-20. Nebraska’s defense is something else. Keep hitting Pitt!

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  81. Well Nebraska win the third set 25-20. Pitt is in a world of trouble. This would be an epic comeback if they win this match. Keep swinging Pitt!

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  83. Fairbanks back in after Levers replaced her at the end of the last set. Nebraska off to fast start.

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  86. Pitt calls a timeout down 9-5. Klika, a freshman defensive specialist, is playing back row for Pitt presently. Two true freshman on the court for Pitt.

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  87. Nebraska has had #1 recruiting classes several times in the last several years. Pitt is not even in the top ten in their best year. Pitt doing a lot with what they have!

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  90. I’ve been in this frustrating situation as a basketball coach many x where you’re just getting beat by a better team. Nothing you can do as a coach but try to limit the damage!

    Great guts by Pitt. Thank you Coach Fischer and beautiful tough ladies!

    What a great year we’ve had! H2P

    Liked by 3 people

  94. OT: a psuX acquaintance called me yesterday to rouse me about KP8’s opt-out. He thought it was ridiculous and I reminded him that the MSU RB Walker opted-out too.

    He then made a snide comment like “I guess winning the ACC championship as a 15th ranked team is the high water mark” – I quickly reminded him that it beats a 7-5 record with your unranked players sitting at home watching the championship games.

    He changed subjects to something about Alabama –

    Another reason to hate penn state…

    Liked by 2 people

  95. Another OT: The Peach Bowl without KP8 can be a sneak peak at what next season could be like – an opportunity to showcase the talent coming back in 2022 to help bolster season ticket sales as we may only lose 12 seniors.

    The issue is not having a confirmed OC (that we fans know of). It may be, based on Twitter posts by Marion and Addison that the OC decision has been made and is sealed until Duzz wants to release the news.

    Marion is rumored to be a candidate for the open Colorado OC job.

    A balanced mix of run & pass wins in Hotlanta.

    Go Pitt!

    Liked by 1 person

  97. Last week, Pitt beat PSU 3 – 1, but PSU scored > 20 in every set. That PSU team finished 6th in the B10 with a record of 13-7

    It appears to me that the B10 was the best league this year. Couple that with the fact that both Wisc and Neb are no strangers to the Final 4 and last night was no fluke

    The good news is that Pitt has many returning players now with F4 experience

    Sent from my iPhone

    >

    Liked by 3 people

  99. Pitt looked like a juggernaut in the first game but after that momentum reversed never regained it

    VB is a huge momentum sport

    service errors are HUGE momentum breakers and Pitt ladies self inflicted far too many

    is Nebraska now our arch enemy?

    I do think watching the first match that we would’ve gotten smoked in the final

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  100. Not to add fuel to the Capel fire, but…

    I always wondered why Terrell Brown showed zero improvement under Capel. Dixon and staff would have made him a decent player as they did with many bigs. So far this season at San Diego State, Brown is pretty much doubling his Pitt stats. Right now, 8 points, 8 rebounds, 3.5 blocks per game and his FT % is up to 75%. Who coaches Pitt’s big men? They stink.

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    1. meh, he’s up in FT for now and maybe the blocks reflects the league

      USanDiego not SDState

      he ALWAYS looked tired like he had no real motor so will be interesting if the San Diego weather rejuvenates and maintains him better than Pgh climate 😉

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  102. Some random thoughts this morning:

    I am laughing at some posters vitriol towards KP on other sites of course.
    As if he didn’t make the only correct decision. As if their desire to see him play outweighs
    a business decision required by the circumstances. As if everyone providing counsel to him wasn’t telling him the same thing. As if he didn’t do more for Pitt Football than any single guy in recent history.

    College Football is broken, probably beyond repair.

    Those of us (most) that wanted a playoff system to determine a National Champion had no idea of the wreckage to the bowl system that would result. The utter meaninglessness of the non-playoff bowl games remaining. The fact that the sports biggest stars can no longer afford to play in them.

    Well, KP will still be a legend, there will be no tarnish on him for his decision. Hopefully like Aaron Donald he will support the program and help it to trend upward. That long term support will mean much more to the program than a bowl game and additions to his career numbers.

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  103. Can’t wait for John’s analysis of MSU.

    So both teams have lost their biggest guns. It really kind of takes the pressure off.
    We are going to get a preview of Pitt sans Whipple/Pickett.
    There will be some real coaching going on for the next two weeks.
    Which team can overcome the loss of their best guy?

    I think fans opting out of going to the game are making a mistake. I think the storylines are compelling.

    Hopefully Narduzzi has learned from the Pitt-Navy Military Bowl and we don’t witness a re-dux of that disaster, where so much program momentum was lost.

    That is what is at stake in this one. End the season on a positive and it will pay dividends.

    Because isn’t it always about overcoming adversity.

    This game is also big for getting ACC MOJO back after last year’s bowl massacre’s. (sorry Reed)

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    1. The only down side I see coming is having to listen to the announcer’s lament about KP and KW and what might have been.

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      1. and they WILL lament, likely endlessly if the game is a dud 😦
        .
        .
        and they WILL NOT discuss how NCAA football is a huge business and that’s all this comes down to

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  104. I turned it off and went to bed when we were down 20-18 in the 2nd set. I knew we had no chance to win this. Pitt needs to work on their defense and mainly their serves.

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  105. Jackagainyou are being way too harsh about the women’s team. Pitt has never had a ranked recruiting class. What coach Fisher has done with these ladies has been incredible. We are lucky to have had them. I will continue to support the volleyball team and coach Fisher and his assistants. They’ve done a great job and made us all proud.

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    1. They have been fun to watch and are something to be proud of.

      I stayed up as late as I could, but when they werent able to capitalize when in the lead, it felt like we may have met our match.

      But nothing to be sad about – only one national champion and great to be in the hunt.

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