While she was being recruited by Pitt volleyball coach Dan Fisher four years ago, Rachel Fairbanks informed him she was able to jump and touch as high as 10 feet. Fisher admitted he was skeptical.
Besides, he was recruiting the Los Angeles-area native for a setter, not an outside hitter.
Then, during a practice exercise in her freshman season, the 6-foot-tall Fairbanks touched 10 feet, 3 1/2 inches.
“They were surprised,” said Fairbanks with a laugh as she recalled the incident.
If that didn’t prove to Fisher the type of athlete and competitor he had in Fairbanks, he would find out soon enough. By the end of that season, Fairbanks, who had seen only spot duty through the first half of the schedule, was sharing setting responsibilities in Pitt’s 6-2 offense.
Coincidence or not, with Fairbanks as a lineup regular, Pitt reached its first final four. Then another in 2022. And another last fall, when Fairbanks was named ACC Setter of the Year and American Volleyball Coaches Association first-team All-American.
Now she and the Panthers are hoping for a fourth national semifinal. And beyond.
Pitt (31-1), the top seed in the NCAA Tournament, resumes its quest for an elusive national title Thursday at 3:30 p.m. against Oregon at Petersen Events Center. The Panthers opened their regular season by sweeping the Ducks (24-7) on Aug. 30 in Eugene.
Kentucky (22-7) and Missouri (22-8) play Thursday’s other match at the Pete at 1 p.m. The winners meet Saturday for a spot in the national semifinals in Louisville.
Pitt was knocked out in the national semis in each of its three trips. While most programs would kill to have three straight final fours on their resume, Fairbanks said she has had enough.
“The first final four was like, ‘Oh my gosh! That was amazing! Pitt has never done that!’ ” she said. “Second one, it was like, ‘Dang it,’ but still an awesome achievement. But then the third one, I feel like it was, ‘OK. I’m over this. We want more.’”
Several of her teammates also are getting their final shot at a national title. Fairbanks said they came back early from summer break to start training, determined to finish what they couldn’t in previous years.
His setter, Fisher said, has set the tone.
“I would put it this way: Rachel has been locked in,” he said. “She’s been leading the charge with how competitive she is and how much she wants to win.”
Fairbanks is putting together arguably her finest season, averaging a personal-best 10.56 assists per set. She also has 35 aces, contributed 2.20 digs per set and used that 10-foot reach to be in on 37 total blocks. She garnered another ACC first-team honor, another AVCA first-team All-American honor and is a semifinalist for AVCA National Player of the Year.
But perhaps more importantly, Fairbanks’ setting has helped the Panthers develop a strong attack from the middle. That was the lone area of concern for Pitt at the outset of the season after all of 2023’s middles — save Bre Kelley, who was injured most of last season — graduated.
With Fairbanks running the show, Kelley and true freshman Ryla Jones were able to round out Pitt’s already-formidable attack. Kelley is hitting .516 (1.83 kills per set) and Jones .393 (1.18).
“She’s hit for a really high percentage as a freshman,” Fisher said of Jones. “She’s kind of that final piece where we maybe don’t set her as much, but I don’t think another team can forget about her.”
Pitt seems to have the complete package: skill, chemistry, athleticism, experience, depth. And at the center of it all, one of the nation’s best setters.
Fairbanks said she and her fellow seniors have been single-minded in how they want to end their college careers.
“I think business-like is a good way to describe it,” she said. “I feel like from the first moment, we were on a mission.”