Pittsburgh volleyball head coach Dan Fisher noted that the Panthers’ defensive efforts were not enough to dispatch Texas A&M in the NCAA semifinals, as they lost all three sets. The Panthers headed to the Final Four as the top-seeded team after Nebraska exited the title run.
The Semifinal result was more heartbreaking because it was Pittsburgh’s first sweep of the season, falling short of the Championships for the fifth year in a row.
Pittsburgh Volleyball Head Coach Gets Real About Panthers’ Downsides in the NCAA Semifinals
Pittsburgh Volleyball demonstrated its prowess on the court, proving for the fifth consecutive year that consistency can be key in reaching the Last Four, with great efforts from Olivia Babcock, who had a game-high 22 kills.
However, falling short of title contention left a bitter taste, especially for head coach Dan Fisher, who addressed the media in a recent interview and shared that the Panthers were not where they needed to be defensively. He also took accountability for the heartbreak, saying:
“We were nowhere near as good as we needed to be defensively. … I thought we were ready. It’s on me and on us as coaches. We just weren’t good enough defensively.”
He expressed his disappointment, saying:
“I’m proud of being consistently good and consistently in the hunt. But I’m pretty pissed off about it right now.”
In 2022 and 2024, Pittsburgh Volleyball lost to Louisville in the Final Four and was ousted by the Big Reds in the same round in 2021 and 2023.
Pittsburgh Volleyball’s Star Performer Revealed Their Strong Points and Where They Lacked
Babcock was a force to be reckoned with in the 2025 season, becoming one of the 14 players selected to the 2025 AVCA first-team All-American list. The 2024 AVCA Player of the Year, who is chasing the honor for the second time this season, set a program record of 45 kills in a match against North Carolina this year.
She also made significant contributions to the Panthers’ wins over UMBC, Michigan, Minnesota, and Purdue en route to the NCAA Semifinals. However, after the heartbreak at the T-Mobile Center on December 18, she noted that her team did not match its usual standard in the match against the Aggies, despite being good with the offense.
“Offensively, we were great the entire night. Normally, we’re better at getting block touches, and we are making more digs. Today, I feel that we just weren’t up to our standard.”
Under coach Fisher, the Panthers reached the program’s first five NCAA Elite Eight and Final Four rounds and amassed six ACC Championships in eight years.
