There was only so much fuel left for the University of Pittsburgh women’s volleyball team and the gauge read “empty” by the time the Panthers forced a fifth and deciding set of their NCAA Final Four semifinal.
After splitting their two previous meetings in ACC play earlier this season, the University of Louisville beat the Panthers, 3-2 (25-18, 23-25, 25-22, 22-25, 15-2). The Panthers (31-4) were bidding to become the first women’s team in school history to reach a national championship match. Instead, the Cardinals (31-2) advanced to face top-ranked Texas (27-1) Saturday for a chance at the title (ESPN2, 8 p.m.).
“What a season these young women had!” said Panthers coach Dan Fisher after the match. “We weren’t quite up to our standards offensively.”
Forced to come from behind in the fourth set, the Panthers outscored the Cardinals, 8-2, to finish the set and force a fifth. But the Cardinals blitzed the Panthers with a 8-0 start in the final set and never looked back.
“Falling behind didn’t help us, but I think we showed a lot of heart and lot of ability to reset when things weren’t going our way,” said Fisher.
Chiamaka Nwokolo, a senior middle blocker from Columbus, Ohio, has been part of the most successful three-year stretch in Panther women’s volleyball history after reaching a regional final and two straight Final Fours.
“Obviously, we’re struggling to have perspective right now, but we do have some pride in what we did this year.” said Nwokolo.
