Dissecting The Decisive 4th Set

[vantheman1976]

I had a bird's eye vantage point at the Fitz yesterday....my seats had been changed to Row S from my regular season tickets. Row S is the last row.....I could stand up and lean against the back wall without obstructing anyone' view.....and I stood a lot. Needless to say.....sets 1 and 2 took the steam out of the Pitt crowd. Then came set 3 when a flicker of light started to get the crowd into it. The 4th set was a thing of beauty and this is why it was the turning point....

• Pitt 5 service aces....Louisville 6 service errors
• Net points to Pitt...11
• Luper/DeBeer attack errors....5
• Luper/DeBeer kills....5
• Net points to Louisville....0
• Stafford/Babcock attack errors....1
• Stafford/Babcock kills....6
• Net points to Pitt....5
• TOTAL NET POINTS TO PITT....16

I've said this before....but it's worth repeating. When Pitt starts hitting on all cylinders they are a juggernaut. They can completely wear the other team down to where demoralization sets in. By the end of the 4th set....DeBeer was gassed....you could see it. Luper was a non factor. Pitt had neutralized Louisville's 2 heavy hitters and our 2 freshman were on fire. Louisville's entire team was in a state of disbelief as the 5th set started. The 5th set was a punishing display of complete submission by Pitt on Louisville....punctuated by Monks' missile into Scott's face. Don't ever forget how they humiliated us last year in set 5 of the semi finals. We have been vindicated.

A couple of shout outs....

• Don't underestimate the contribution of Klika. Ever since the fiasco at Florida State her digs and nearly flawless receiving errors have been transforming for this team.
• Louisville is no longer our kryptonite....in fact I think we now enjoy the sight of it
• The crowd was electric....subdued at first and then dejected after set 2....but slowly and steadily came to life....by the 5th set the noise was reverberating through the Fitz...with each point by Pitt the noise became deafening. The team fed off that energy....you could feel it and see it. Louisville's fans were slouched in their seats...heads looking down.
• For those of you that live in the area and didn't attend....please consider seeing these ladies in the future in person....you won't regret it.

And this one is for laughs....

• Dani Busboom Kelly's outfit as described by @FreeportPanther.....the Velvet Elvis.....you had to be there to appreciate this
• Tyler Palko.....wherever he is....is yelling...."I'm so proud of our 'effing' volleyball team".....

 

[Chairman Moe]

Great recap. As I don't live in the area (full-time Arizona resident) I sadly have never watched the girls perform "live". As I commented in the game-time post, I muted the announcer's sound after the first two sets. Both of them seemed pro-Louisville.

After our Lady Panthers won the 3rd match I turned the sound back on. Olivia's service aces in the 4th set were beyond spectacular. As the fifth set began the noise level at FFH could be heard quite clearly on the broadcast.

I wish that ESPN+ could have continued airing after the match as they "promised" that they would get a few comments from Fish and a few of the girls. I know that Nebraska is going to be another tough match. Maybe we can "return the favor" and revenge the 2021 loss to them in the semi's.

 

[vantheman1976]

Great recap. As I don't live in the area (full-time Arizona resident) I sadly have never watched the girls perform "live". As I commented in the game-time post, I muted the announcer's sound after the first two sets. Both of them seemed pro-Louisville.

After our Lady Panthers won the 3rd match I turned the sound back on. Olivia's service aces in the 4th set were beyond spectacular. As the fifth set began the noise level at FFH could be heard quite clearly on the broadcast.

I wish that ESPN+ could have continued airing after the match as they "promised" that they would get a few comments from Fish and a few of the girls. I know that Nebraska is going to be another tough match. Maybe we can "return the favor" and revenge the 2021 loss to them in the semi's.

I know that Nebraska is going to be another tough match. Maybe we can "return the favor" and revenge the 2021 loss to them in the semi's.

If you have ever seen Nebraska this year.....we will need to be hitting on all cylinders from the 'get go' to beat them. Fisher knows that....fingers crossed he'll have them ready.

 

[Franb]

I had a bird's eye vantage point at the Fitz yesterday....my seats had been changed to Row S from my regular season tickets. Row S is the last row.....I could stand up and lean against the back wall without obstructing anyone' view.....and I stood a lot. Needless to say.....sets 1 and 2 took the steam out of the Pitt crowd. Then came set 3 when a flicker of light started to get the crowd into it. The 4th set was a thing of beauty and this is why it was the turning point....

• Pitt 5 service aces....Louisville 6 service errors
• Net points to Pitt...11
• Luper/DeBeer attack errors....5
• Luper/DeBeer kills....5
• Net points to Louisville....0
• Stafford/Babcock attack errors....1
• Stafford/Babcock kills....6
• Net points to Pitt....5
• TOTAL NET POINTS TO PITT....16

I've said this before....but it's worth repeating. When Pitt starts hitting on all cylinders they are a juggernaut. They can completely wear the other team down to where demoralization sets in. By the end of the 4th set....DeBeer was gassed....you could see it. Luper was a non factor. Pitt had neutralized Louisville's 2 heavy hitters and our 2 freshman were on fire. Louisville's entire team was in a state of disbelief as the 5th set started. The 5th set was a punishing display of complete submission by Pitt on Louisville....punctuated by Monks' missile into Scott's face. Don't ever forget how they humiliated us last year in set 5 of the semi finals. We have been vindicated.

A couple of shout outs....

• Don't underestimate the contribution of Klika. Ever since the fiasco at Florida State her digs and nearly flawless receiving errors have been transforming for this team.
• Louisville is no longer our kryptonite....in fact I think we now enjoy the sight of it
• The crowd was electric....subdued at first and then dejected after set 2....but slowly and steadily came to life....by the 5th set the noise was reverberating through the Fitz...with each point by Pitt the noise became deafening. The team fed off that energy....you could feel it and see it. Louisville's fans were slouched in their seats...heads looking down.
• For those of you that live in the area and didn't attend....please consider seeing these ladies in the future in person....you won't regret it.

And this one is for laughs....

• Dani Busboom Kelly's outfit as described by @FreeportPanther.....the Velvet Elvis.....you had to be there to appreciate this
• Tyler Palko.....wherever he is....is yelling...."I'm so proud of our 'effing' volleyball team".....

By the way, what is a "Busboom?"

 

[vantheman1976]

I believe it is the maiden name of a 'Velvet Elvis'.....

 

[phijo]

Great recap. As I don't live in the area (full-time Arizona resident) I sadly have never watched the girls perform "live". As I commented in the game-time post, I muted the announcer's sound after the first two sets. Both of them seemed pro-Louisville.

After our Lady Panthers won the 3rd match I turned the sound back on. Olivia's service aces in the 4th set were beyond spectacular. As the fifth set began the noise level at FFH could be heard quite clearly on the broadcast.

I wish that ESPN+ could have continued airing after the match as they "promised" that they would get a few comments from Fish and a few of the girls. I know that Nebraska is going to be another tough match. Maybe we can "return the favor" and revenge the 2021 loss to them in the semi's.

Actually they were probably two of the better announcers I have heard for a Pitt game. They seemed pro Louisville after 2 sets because Louisville was playing better.

 

[phijo]

I had a bird's eye vantage point at the Fitz yesterday....my seats had been changed to Row S from my regular season tickets. Row S is the last row.....I could stand up and lean against the back wall without obstructing anyone' view.....and I stood a lot. Needless to say.....sets 1 and 2 took the steam out of the Pitt crowd. Then came set 3 when a flicker of light started to get the crowd into it. The 4th set was a thing of beauty and this is why it was the turning point....

• Pitt 5 service aces....Louisville 6 service errors
• Net points to Pitt...11
• Luper/DeBeer attack errors....5
• Luper/DeBeer kills....5
• Net points to Louisville....0
• Stafford/Babcock attack errors....1
• Stafford/Babcock kills....6
• Net points to Pitt....5
• TOTAL NET POINTS TO PITT....16

I've said this before....but it's worth repeating. When Pitt starts hitting on all cylinders they are a juggernaut. They can completely wear the other team down to where demoralization sets in. By the end of the 4th set....DeBeer was gassed....you could see it. Luper was a non factor. Pitt had neutralized Louisville's 2 heavy hitters and our 2 freshman were on fire. Louisville's entire team was in a state of disbelief as the 5th set started. The 5th set was a punishing display of complete submission by Pitt on Louisville....punctuated by Monks' missile into Scott's face. Don't ever forget how they humiliated us last year in set 5 of the semi finals. We have been vindicated.

A couple of shout outs....

• Don't underestimate the contribution of Klika. Ever since the fiasco at Florida State her digs and nearly flawless receiving errors have been transforming for this team.
• Louisville is no longer our kryptonite....in fact I think we now enjoy the sight of it
• The crowd was electric....subdued at first and then dejected after set 2....but slowly and steadily came to life....by the 5th set the noise was reverberating through the Fitz...with each point by Pitt the noise became deafening. The team fed off that energy....you could feel it and see it. Louisville's fans were slouched in their seats...heads looking down.
• For those of you that live in the area and didn't attend....please consider seeing these ladies in the future in person....you won't regret it.

And this one is for laughs....

• Dani Busboom Kelly's outfit as described by @FreeportPanther.....the Velvet Elvis.....you had to be there to appreciate this
• Tyler Palko.....wherever he is....is yelling...."I'm so proud of our 'effing' volleyball team".....

I think when Pitt's serve/receive are really clicking, we are hard to stop. When we can run in system, hard to beat Olivia and Torrey. When the other team is out of system, they are so much easier to block and our defense is that much better.

 

[Chaos]

Actually they were probably two of the better announcers I have heard for a Pitt game. They seemed pro Louisville after 2 sets because Louisville was playing better.

The analyst played for Louisville, so she was always pro-Louisville. I liked hearing the the guy reign her in every so often lol. I agree though that I didn't think that they were too bad. I've definitely heard worse, lol. H2P

 

[CentPaPittFan]

Great recap. As I don't live in the area (full-time Arizona resident) I sadly have never watched the girls perform "live". As I commented in the game-time post, I muted the announcer's sound after the first two sets. Both of them seemed pro-Louisville.

After our Lady Panthers won the 3rd match I turned the sound back on. Olivia's service aces in the 4th set were beyond spectacular. As the fifth set began the noise level at FFH could be heard quite clearly on the broadcast.

I wish that ESPN+ could have continued airing after the match as they "promised" that they would get a few comments from Fish and a few of the girls. I know that Nebraska is going to be another tough match. Maybe we can "return the favor" and revenge the 2021 loss to them in the semi's.

You always have good comments, however paul sunderland is old school volleyball and knows what he talking about.
i do not think he was pro Louisville at all, but that’s me.
he was on gold medal 1984 Olympic team, and national teams before that. He is highly respected.

 

[CentPaPittFan]

The analyst played for Louisville, so she was always pro-Louisville. I liked hearing the the guy reign her in every so often lol. I agree though that I didn't think that they were too bad. I've definitely heard worse, lol. H2P

Yea, could be a lot worse, like the tool they had for Wisconsin regional. Knows very little, and zero real play by play, and just yells “tools the block” or “terminates” and clearly has some weird affection and obsession with Anna Smrek.

 

[Chairman Moe]

You always have good comments, however paul sunderland is old school volleyball and knows what he talking about.
i do not think he was pro Louisville at all, but that’s me.
he was on gold medal 1984 Olympic team, and national teams before that. He is highly respected.

Thanks for the info on Sunderland. After checking further I discovered the other announcer apparently played for Louisville so that made her bias more understandable

 

[121rum]

Thanks for the info on Sunderland. After checking further I discovered the other announcer apparently played for Louisville so that made her bias more understandable

I honestly thought the woman did a good job being equal. The guy knew his stuff obviously, he was just pretty annoying.

 

[veryrustyred]

A late in the day post-game post -- I flew up for the game with my wife from Florida and just returned home via a stop in Atlanta. A few miscellaneous thoughts to augment those from earlier posts.
-I introduced myself to Coach Fisher and offered my congrats after the game. He was so genuinely appreciative of the feedback and general fan support. I subsequently listened to his press conference comments. He must be a very introspective (and open) guy -- he made a comment, words to the effect that at times, he feels that his players, family, and Pitt fans are more confident in him than he is in himself. I certainly agree with the former, don't know about the latter!
-While I feel bad for those Pitt fans who could not attend given the seating capacity at Fitzgerald, the very tight quarters, vocal support from an almost exclusively pro-Pitt crowd, and the fact that Pitt practices almost daily in Fitzgerald provided a big advantage that would have been diminished if the game was played at the Pete. Every player I heard interviewed earlier in the week said as much.
-1st 2 sets - 'Bottom line: Louisville put far more pressure on Pitt's return of serve than did Pitt. Inevitably, it resulted in far too many out of system or "near out-of-system" (attempted) side-outs. Pitt still kept it close. To me, it didn't appear that Louisville's serves were less effective in sets 3 , 4, and 5; rather Pitt "settled in" and simply handled their serve receive better. Also Fisher went to a number of different serve-receive formations.
-During sets 3, 4, and 5, Pitt definitely upped their service game - across the board, but most notably Babcock.
It was also interesting that starting very late in the 4th when the game was really out of reach, Fisher began substituting Mosley for Stafford on her serve. At first I thought it was to give Stafford a rest (given the scope of her role hitting and receiving). This may have been so, but Mosley's serves were really effective in the 4th and 5th sets - low, deep, and with lots of pace. For whatever reason, Louisville's serve-receive really went downhill in 3, 4, and 5.
-Did anyone else catch the Kelly-Fisher "handshake" after the game? It looked more like an obligatory walk-by to me. And listening to Kelly's press conference, she certainly seemed curt in her answers to questions. Very much of an edge...but under the circumstances, perhaps understandably so.
-During warmups, I spent a few minutes focusing on Bayless. Yes, it's uncontested warmups, but for a freshman, she looked (far) more athletic and powerful than I had previously seen in her limited PT. She was absolutely crushing the ball. 'Need to retain her and find a way to get her more playing time.
On to Tampa.
H2P

 

[CentPaPittFan]

I honestly thought the woman did a good job being equal. The guy knew his stuff obviously, he was just pretty annoying.

If you want really annoying try Sam Gore who did the Wisconsin region.

 

[CentPaPittFan]

A late in the day post-game post -- I flew up for the game with my wife from Florida and just returned home via a stop in Atlanta. A few miscellaneous thoughts to augment those from earlier posts.
-I introduced myself to Coach Fisher and offered my congrats after the game. He was so genuinely appreciative of the feedback and general fan support. I subsequently listened to his press conference comments. He must be a very introspective (and open) guy -- he made a comment, words to the effect that at times, he feels that his players, family, and Pitt fans are more confident in him than he is in himself. I certainly agree with the former, don't know about the latter!
-While I feel bad for those Pitt fans who could not attend given the seating capacity at Fitzgerald, the very tight quarters, vocal support from an almost exclusively pro-Pitt crowd, and the fact that Pitt practices almost daily in Fitzgerald provided a big advantage that would have been diminished if the game was played at the Pete. Every player I heard interviewed earlier in the week said as much.
-1st 2 sets - 'Bottom line: Louisville put far more pressure on Pitt's return of serve than did Pitt. Inevitably, it resulted in far too many out of system or "near out-of-system" (attempted) side-outs. Pitt still kept it close. To me, it didn't appear that Louisville's serves were less effective in sets 3 , 4, and 5; rather Pitt "settled in" and simply handled their serve receive better. Also Fisher went to a number of different serve-receive formations.
-During sets 3, 4, and 5, Pitt definitely upped their service game - across the board, but most notably Babcock.
It was also interesting that starting very late in the 4th when the game was really out of reach, Fisher began substituting Mosley for Stafford on her serve. At first I thought it was to give Stafford a rest (given the scope of her role hitting and receiving). This may have been so, but Mosley's serves were really effective in the 4th and 5th sets - low, deep, and with lots of pace. For whatever reason, Louisville's serve-receive really went downhill in 3, 4, and 5.
-Did anyone else catch the Kelly-Fisher "handshake" after the game? It looked more like an obligatory walk-by to me. And listening to Kelly's press conference, she certainly seemed curt in her answers to questions. Very much of an edge...but under the circumstances, perhaps understandably so.
-During warmups, I spent a few minutes focusing on Bayless. Yes, it's uncontested warmups, but for a freshman, she looked (far) more athletic and powerful than I had previously seen in her limited PT. She was absolutely crushing the ball. 'Need to retain her and find a way to get her more playing time.
On to Tampa.
H2P

Nice write up!

 

[vantheman1976]

Did anyone else catch the Kelly-Fisher "handshake" after the game? It looked more like an obligatory walk-by to me. And listening to Kelly's press conference, she certainly seemed curt in her answers to questions. Very much of an edge...but under the circumstances, perhaps understandably so.

Busboom Kelly is pretty easy to dislike.....she comes across as irritable, testy, snappish, crotchety, and peevish just to name a few. By the way....kudos to you and your wife for making the trip.....fan support like yours is so important....hope you can do it again someday.

 

[mike412]

Actually they were probably two of the better announcers I have heard for a Pitt game. They seemed pro Louisville after 2 sets because Louisville was playing better.

Bingo! They weren’t pro-Louisville; they just love great volleyball and Louisville was awesome in the first set and only a notch lesser in the second.

If you had listened to them in the latter half of the third set and the fourth and fifth sets you would have heard almost nothing but effusive praise for Pitt. When Babcock had the serving run that turned the third set around, Paul Sunderland couldn’t stop talking about her serve. The fourth and fifth sets were all about how dominate Pitt suddenly had become. Plus praise for Fisher going into Southern California and taking out three of the top talents in the state. It was a verbal lovefest for the Panthers.

 

[latz66]

Love the synopsis thanks. Im guess Busbom Kelly is the heir apparent to the Neb HC job someday? Sunderland is a legend. As a indoor and beach player my whole life the guy is still insightful into his 70s. I feel like Ive watched him play or listened to him as play by play/analyst forever.

Living in NC, Im glad I got to see the ladies play live 3 times this season. Lets break the door down and win this thing!!!! This group is way more ready to do that than the last 2 were.

 

[Chairman Moe]

Bingo! They weren’t pro-Louisville; they just love great volleyball and Louisville was awesome in the first set and only a notch lesser in the second.

If you had listened to them in the latter half of the third set and the fourth and fifth sets you would have heard almost nothing but effusive praise for Pitt. When Babcock had the serving run that turned the third set around, Paul Sunderland couldn’t stop talking about her serve. The fourth and fifth sets were all about how dominate Pitt suddenly had become. Plus praise for Fisher going into Southern California and taking out three of the top talents in the state. It was a verbal lovefest for the Panthers.

Mike, reflecting back you are spot on. Maybe I was being a bit of a yinzer (though truth be told, my only time living in the 'Burgh is when I went to Pitt in the early '70's); I've gotten so used to hearing Bill Hillgrove, e.g., being pro-Pitt ... I did turn the sound back on in the 4th set and Sunderland was clearly giving praise to the Panthers

Speaking of Pitt Volleyball, in the early 1970's it was a club sport. I was dating a gal who played for the Pitt VB team in 1971. I think all of the matches played then were versus what would be now D-II or D-III schools

 

[mike412]

When I went to Pitt in the late 60s, I don’t believe there were any varsity sports for women. My high school had field hockey and women could try out for the swimming team. We had two women divers. Times have changed for the better.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

When I went to Pitt in the late 60s, I don’t believe there were any varsity sports for women.

I think Pitt's first official varsity sport for women was track and field, in 1974.

 

[HOF Coach]

I think Pitt's first official varsity sport for women was track and field, in 1974.

Also (from Wikipedia):

"Varsity basketball for women was reinstated during the 1970–1971 season. Although participants were awarded varsity letters and competed intercollegiately, the program wasn't taken over by the Athletic Department until the 1974–1975 season."