The Pitt women’s volleyball team can count on the totality of its talent to pull it out of tight situations. The Panthers needed their ability to solve puzzles to sink eighth-seeded Oklahoma during the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday night at Petersen Events Center in front of a crowd of 6,647.
Pitt had to fight off several set points during the opening set before moving on with a 28-26, 25-21, 25-19 win. After Pitt breezed by Morehead State in the first round, Panthers senior setter Rachel Fairbanks was happy to battle through a few unsteady moments.
“I think it was a good moment for us,” said Fairbanks, who handed out a match-high 36 assists. “Any tight match is a good experience. It’s good to have in your pocket. Even though we weren’t playing our best, we found a way to rally it out and take the set.”
The Panthers advanced to the Sweet 16 for the fifth straight season. Pitt (31-1) will host Oregon on Thursday at Petersen Events Center. The Panthers swept the Ducks in a road match Aug. 30.
Added Pitt coach Dan Fisher: “(Oklahoma) came ready to battle. All week long, we’ve been struggling with sicknesses and girls banged up, and we found a way to win when we weren’t feeling our best. I’m proud of this group. I was expecting us to struggle a little bit because they run a fast offense.”
Oklahoma didn’t look the part of a battle-weary squad. The Sooners rallied from a two-set deficit to move past UTEP in the first round. Oklahoma trailed 15-7 in the opening set before producing a strong rally.
The Sooners, led by 6-foot-9 pin Kari Geissberger, utilized their height to trouble Pitt’s attack. Oklahoma finished with 15 blocks in the match, including eight from Geissberger. Geissberger also tied for a team-high 12 kills with Alexis Shelton.
The Sooners (18-16) had two set-point opportunities.
“I think it’s the level of belief,” Oklahoma libero Callie Kemohah said about how the Sooners rallied. “We have the best staff since I’ve been here. Every day, they come and instill that in us.”
Oklahoma led 25-24 after a block by Lydia Martyn. However, the Sooners couldn’t capitalize following a service error by Kemohah.
Oklahoma went ahead 26-25 after a kill by Gibson. But Pitt (31-1) rallied with three consecutive points. Torrey Stafford delivered a kill to even the set, and Pitt won the set thanks to a block by Bre Kelly and a kill by Valeria Vazquez Gomez.
“We ran out of subs in the end,” Oklahoma coach Aaron Mansfield said. “Our DS (defensive specialists) had to play front row. We were taking a chance to use as many serving subs as we did in the set. We were disappointed we couldn’t get our usual position players in the moment.”
Babcock led Pitt with 12 kills, and Vazquez Gomez and Stafford finished with 10 kills each.
“We found a way to hit higher,” Vazquez Gomez said. “Rachel was putting up good sets. It was up to us to hit high. That’s what we did.”
During the second set, the Panthers and Sooners were even at 13-13 when Pitt gained some separation. The Panthers used a 3-0 run, keyed by two kills from Stafford and one from Olivia Babcock.
Fisher said he’s happy to be back in the Sweet 16, and everyone will be happy to get a break.
“I think the girls need to take a day off,” Fisher said. “Finals are coming, and they need to take a day off and not think about volleyball.”