Hoping those who attend can post some observations. So many questions about the lineup.
Here’s one I’ll have…how will Dupes impact this team?
Here’s one I’ll have…how will Dupes impact this team?
Volleyball weekend (Sat and Sunday)
- Thread starter Fk_Pitt
- Start date
Set 1: Pitt 25, OSU 14
Pitt was leading 13-12. Then Olivia Babcock went on a 9-0 service run!
Pitt was leading 13-12. Then Olivia Babcock went on a 9-0 service run!
Set 2: Pitt 25, OSU 14
With the scored tied 2-2, Emery Dupes went on a 5-0 service run and Pitt was off and running!
With the scored tied 2-2, Emery Dupes went on a 5-0 service run and Pitt was off and running!
Set 3: Blaire Bayless has started the 3rd set with a 7-0 service run!
Final score: Pitt 25, OSU 9
Final score: Pitt 25, OSU 9
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Emery will have a BIG impact on this team. As good as Emmy Klika was, Dupes may be better.
I was really impressed with Bayless today. It’s almost like she was out to prove something. And she did. She was dominant. Dalia Virlan had a really nice game as well. She is going to have a big role in this year‘s team. Gregoire and Emsch fit in very well as well.
Nice crowd for a day when they’re competing with the spring game and lacrosse hosting (and beating!) Notre Dame. Maybe 1,200-1,500.
Looking forward to going again tomorrow for the Michigan game at 1PM.
Liv taking a little off her serve and seeing huge results? I wonder.
Can you comment on Liv’s serve ? She was using more of a float serve vs PSU . Was she using the same today ?
Nice summary......I do have a few things on my mind.....
- we have to bear in mind that Cat and Nisa are only playing because the roster is depleted at the moment.....Cat in particular is an asset in these exhibition matches.
- I have no idea what is going on with Dinn and Griffin.....again neither were in uniform today. Griffin was in the stands in street clothes and showed no sign of being injured. Both are on the roster....but this is a mystery nevertheless
- OSU is not a good volleyball team. They have deteriorated significantly in the last few years. They were loaded with top talent in '21 and '22.....no more.
- I will underscore Marty's comment about Dupes....she is impressive.
She was, didn’t once use the power jump serve. And her serves were very good, as was mentioned she had a 9-0 run in the first set.
It was as though Bayless used Babcock’s serve from last year. And she was ON. Dupes is a very good server as well. She’ll surprise teams, kind of like what Mallory did against Kentucky in the regional final.
My daughters both played soccer, and if you were an underclassman, you played in these spring friendlies. And if you were hurt, you were still on the bench with your teammates. Only the graduating seniors would be out and about in the bleachers. This is odd. Griffin strikes me as a portal player. Maybe her papers are in the compliance office waiting for the portal to open?
Interesting…..one of the guys sitting near me….had the same speculation.
She had 19 assists today and looked very comfortable in her setter role. Below is a nice write up by Dominic Campbell. The entire team looked very good. I have to confess I spent most of my time watching Dupes and Bayless.....and I came away feeling very good with their game. Babcock has played almost effortlessly......as she has become so experienced letting the game come to her rather than making unforced errors. Tomorrow is the last spring game against Michigan......more to say about Haiti after that match. I feel badly for OSU. Their coach is a class act......but their once formidable program has fallen far in the last 2 to 3 years. It was painful watching them.
Pitt Volleyball Sweeps Ohio State in Spring Scrimmage
PITTSBURGH — The Pitt Panthers showcased their talents in their recent spring scrimmages vs. Ohio State, winning in a sweep at Fitzgerald Field House. This make
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Their coach is unintentionally responsible for a lot of the rebuild at PSU. When she was hired, she recruited six highly-rated frosh. Problem was they didn’t have scholarships available and she allegedly had promised some of the freshmen starting minutes. So she urged many of her returning players, including two AAs, to enter the portal. Three of them ended up at PSU and two were key players in their run last year. Meanwhile, the year at tOSU wasn’t very good and two of the touted freshmen transferred to PSU, including Sellman who was their best player against us. Sellman hit close to .400 against us. The rest of the team hit under .100, including Jurevicious who hit .000.
I remember that....Padroza to PSU....Gonzales to Oregon....and Muir to Minnesota....and others I think but those 3 were their standouts. I didn't follow OSU much after that....but I never quite understood why the freshman transferred. Oldenburg seemed to be indicating to her freshmen....our all stars are gone...now it's your turn.
Pitt vs Michigan:
Set 1: Pitt 25, Michigan 17
Set 2: Pitt 25, Michigan 17
Set 3: Pitt 18, Michigan 25
Set 4: Pitt 25, Michigan 18
Olivia Babcock: 20 kills, 6 Digs, .357%
Haiti Tautua'a: 38 assists, 6 digs
Blaire Bayless: 12 kills, 3 digs, .458%
Emery Dupes: 16 digs
Abbey Emch: 3 kills, 1 block, .750%
Bre Kelley: 7 kills, 1 assist, 4 blocks, .636%
Ryla Jones: 6 kills. .500%
Sophia Gregoire: 4 kills, 6 digs, 3 blocks
Set 1: Pitt 25, Michigan 17
Set 2: Pitt 25, Michigan 17
Set 3: Pitt 18, Michigan 25
Set 4: Pitt 25, Michigan 18
Olivia Babcock: 20 kills, 6 Digs, .357%
Haiti Tautua'a: 38 assists, 6 digs
Blaire Bayless: 12 kills, 3 digs, .458%
Emery Dupes: 16 digs
Abbey Emch: 3 kills, 1 block, .750%
Bre Kelley: 7 kills, 1 assist, 4 blocks, .636%
Ryla Jones: 6 kills. .500%
Sophia Gregoire: 4 kills, 6 digs, 3 blocks
Babcock reverted back to her power jump serve, with poor results.
Couple observations:
First time watching them post-Fairbanks/VVG/Klika was WEIRD. In that vein, it was encouraging to see Babcock taking on a subtle but active vocal leadership role with the younger players. She’s always been a good teammate, but I think she realizes the responsibility of where she is at in this stage of her career and is seizing it.
Dupes is a talker! She was calling out reads, particularly when their setter was front row, was clear about calling others off when she wanted the dig, and retained her film study because, at one point, she accurately called out an opponent float serve to her teammates. As someone else said earlier, I can’t imagine her not serving even though Klika virtually never did.
As far as the middle’s go: it was Bre & Ryla heavily in set 1. Ryla & Emch mostly in the second. Virlan got the most run in the 3rd set - including a nice service run that not only helped us grab a mid-match lead back but also forced a Michigan timeout. They reinserted Bre in set 4, which I thought was vital in calming everyone down. I said it last year & double down now - Virlan can serve it. I don’t see a pathway to her ever starting, short of 2023 level injuries, but I’ve taken a shine to her. Emch also scored some, which was nice to see.
Both Haiti & Gregoire looked healthy & moved well. Gregoire is an athlete - and while she was awkward at times, including a collision with Dupes at one point, I expect her to improve with four more months of molding under Fisher.
We have not fully replaced the defensive grit Fairbanks/VVG/Klika provided in recent years, nor have we fully replaced the serving of Fairbanks/VVG/Flood. I don’t know enough about Mosher to comment on how she may impact either of these deficiencies. Also, there is the imminent portal window for potential reinforcement.
Blaire has improved - not only her play but her conditioning, also - HOWEVER, the sooner we all accept that we aren’t getting a .350+ hit percentage out of that spot like we got last season, the more of our sanity we will retain. Blaire was .158 last year (surprised it was that high, tbh) and if she were to jump to .250 by fusing her obvious power with an improved court sense of where defenders ain’t, I think we can still be a Sweet 16 type team (with a portal splash upping our ceiling). I did not see a Final 4 team on the floor today. Obviously, things can change.
Haiti has enormous shoes to fill & I do not envy her, at all. I think she’s better at net defense than Fairbanks and has a gorgeous setting touch, but she doesn’t serve as well (did have a pair of aces, to be fair), lacks Fairbanks’ creativity, and is nowhere the near class of defender away from net. I see the talent there and think her calm demeanor can be a plus for the group. How she steps up to the challenge ahead of her I think will go a long way in explaining how far we advance come December, unless Mosher unseats her.
As others have said previously, no Griffin or Dinn today. Everyone who dressed played. Unrelated, but seeing the 4th Final Four banner up was neat.
Not concerned with dropping the third set. They were experimenting with Virlan in the middle + experimenting with playing Dupes & Meyer out there at the same time + Michigan was digging Babcock in a way that they were not able to sustain.
I don’t see a scenario where they are not involved with the impending portal window. At minimum, I can see them targeting a serving specialist to replace what they lost with Flood (& potentially Griffin, if that’s how it shakes out.)
All told, going 3-0 against 3 Big 10 teams is a forceful statement by the program after a turbulent Summer.
Here’s to the Fall!
First time watching them post-Fairbanks/VVG/Klika was WEIRD. In that vein, it was encouraging to see Babcock taking on a subtle but active vocal leadership role with the younger players. She’s always been a good teammate, but I think she realizes the responsibility of where she is at in this stage of her career and is seizing it.
Dupes is a talker! She was calling out reads, particularly when their setter was front row, was clear about calling others off when she wanted the dig, and retained her film study because, at one point, she accurately called out an opponent float serve to her teammates. As someone else said earlier, I can’t imagine her not serving even though Klika virtually never did.
As far as the middle’s go: it was Bre & Ryla heavily in set 1. Ryla & Emch mostly in the second. Virlan got the most run in the 3rd set - including a nice service run that not only helped us grab a mid-match lead back but also forced a Michigan timeout. They reinserted Bre in set 4, which I thought was vital in calming everyone down. I said it last year & double down now - Virlan can serve it. I don’t see a pathway to her ever starting, short of 2023 level injuries, but I’ve taken a shine to her. Emch also scored some, which was nice to see.
Both Haiti & Gregoire looked healthy & moved well. Gregoire is an athlete - and while she was awkward at times, including a collision with Dupes at one point, I expect her to improve with four more months of molding under Fisher.
We have not fully replaced the defensive grit Fairbanks/VVG/Klika provided in recent years, nor have we fully replaced the serving of Fairbanks/VVG/Flood. I don’t know enough about Mosher to comment on how she may impact either of these deficiencies. Also, there is the imminent portal window for potential reinforcement.
Blaire has improved - not only her play but her conditioning, also - HOWEVER, the sooner we all accept that we aren’t getting a .350+ hit percentage out of that spot like we got last season, the more of our sanity we will retain. Blaire was .158 last year (surprised it was that high, tbh) and if she were to jump to .250 by fusing her obvious power with an improved court sense of where defenders ain’t, I think we can still be a Sweet 16 type team (with a portal splash upping our ceiling). I did not see a Final 4 team on the floor today. Obviously, things can change.
Haiti has enormous shoes to fill & I do not envy her, at all. I think she’s better at net defense than Fairbanks and has a gorgeous setting touch, but she doesn’t serve as well (did have a pair of aces, to be fair), lacks Fairbanks’ creativity, and is nowhere the near class of defender away from net. I see the talent there and think her calm demeanor can be a plus for the group. How she steps up to the challenge ahead of her I think will go a long way in explaining how far we advance come December, unless Mosher unseats her.
As others have said previously, no Griffin or Dinn today. Everyone who dressed played. Unrelated, but seeing the 4th Final Four banner up was neat.
Not concerned with dropping the third set. They were experimenting with Virlan in the middle + experimenting with playing Dupes & Meyer out there at the same time + Michigan was digging Babcock in a way that they were not able to sustain.
I don’t see a scenario where they are not involved with the impending portal window. At minimum, I can see them targeting a serving specialist to replace what they lost with Flood (& potentially Griffin, if that’s how it shakes out.)
All told, going 3-0 against 3 Big 10 teams is a forceful statement by the program after a turbulent Summer.
Here’s to the Fall!
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My observations from the Michigan match and thoughts into the off season:
* our middles are well ahead of where we were this time last year. Bre / Ryla / Dalia is pretty rock solid with Emch in the wings
* i liked what I saw from Dupes - she gets to a lot of balls and always seems to take the right step — never looks ‘stuck ‘. — she showed a good service game too
*if there’s an Ed Conway equivalent for the volleyball spring most improved played- I’d give it to Bayless. She seems a bit more athletic - looks ready to step up with the opportunity Stafford has left her . I suspect she has a very good season and becomes the next in line of really good OHs under Fisher —
*Gregoire looked her best today. Solid player. Excellent service , good in the back row .. she will be a very good player.
* Babcock is at another level - just enjoy watching her . Although I’d like her to go to her float serve more
*Haiti probably has a pretty steep climb as she gains confidence and gets back physically after missing all of last season. She can certainly be a really quality setter — but you can see she just needs to keep building from her injury - at times she seems unsure of getting to a difficult pass and causes confusion as to who is talking the 2nd hit —
*with that in mind - really hope Mosher gives us quality depth at setter and maybe OH.
*I generally think we will be a tick better in service - Meyer , Dupes , Gregoire , Bayless , Haiti , Babcock (when not hitting into the net) , all have plus serves and can move the ball around
*we need at least 2 or 3 transfers/ reclassifications / or whatever to get more players dressed in the fall. Without Nisa and Cat ( neither played much today ) - we only had 3 subs this week. Griffin and Dinn are mia - who knows what their status is.
*Mosher will obviously be a key piece - but we need at least 2 others - an OH and I’d want another D/S or even a 2nd OH.
*the rumors of Izzy Masten reclassifying would be welcome and then let’s hope Fisher pulls his normal portal magic
All in all - this team will keep the Pitt VB train going- top 5 nationally is certainly realistic if they can get a couple of decent depth pieces before the fall.
2026 could be really interesting- that incoming freshmen class is outstanding .
H2P !
* our middles are well ahead of where we were this time last year. Bre / Ryla / Dalia is pretty rock solid with Emch in the wings
* i liked what I saw from Dupes - she gets to a lot of balls and always seems to take the right step — never looks ‘stuck ‘. — she showed a good service game too
*if there’s an Ed Conway equivalent for the volleyball spring most improved played- I’d give it to Bayless. She seems a bit more athletic - looks ready to step up with the opportunity Stafford has left her . I suspect she has a very good season and becomes the next in line of really good OHs under Fisher —
*Gregoire looked her best today. Solid player. Excellent service , good in the back row .. she will be a very good player.
* Babcock is at another level - just enjoy watching her . Although I’d like her to go to her float serve more
*Haiti probably has a pretty steep climb as she gains confidence and gets back physically after missing all of last season. She can certainly be a really quality setter — but you can see she just needs to keep building from her injury - at times she seems unsure of getting to a difficult pass and causes confusion as to who is talking the 2nd hit —
*with that in mind - really hope Mosher gives us quality depth at setter and maybe OH.
*I generally think we will be a tick better in service - Meyer , Dupes , Gregoire , Bayless , Haiti , Babcock (when not hitting into the net) , all have plus serves and can move the ball around
*we need at least 2 or 3 transfers/ reclassifications / or whatever to get more players dressed in the fall. Without Nisa and Cat ( neither played much today ) - we only had 3 subs this week. Griffin and Dinn are mia - who knows what their status is.
*Mosher will obviously be a key piece - but we need at least 2 others - an OH and I’d want another D/S or even a 2nd OH.
*the rumors of Izzy Masten reclassifying would be welcome and then let’s hope Fisher pulls his normal portal magic
All in all - this team will keep the Pitt VB train going- top 5 nationally is certainly realistic if they can get a couple of decent depth pieces before the fall.
2026 could be really interesting- that incoming freshmen class is outstanding .
H2P !
I walked out of the field house today feeling very confident about this coming season. Very different from last year‘s team, but I think the leadership is different this year. I think Dupes has that propensity to just take charge out there. I think Babcock will be invaluable in practice and during timeouts.My observations from the Michigan match and thoughts into the off season:
* our middles are well ahead of where we were this time last year. Bre / Ryla / Dalia is pretty rock solid with Emch in the wings
* i liked what I saw from Dupes - she gets to a lot of balls and always seems to take the right step — never looks ‘stuck ‘. — she showed a good service game too
*if there’s an Ed Conway equivalent for the volleyball spring most improved played- I’d give it to Bayless. She seems a bit more athletic - looks ready to step up with the opportunity Stafford has left her . I suspect she has a very good season and becomes the next in line of really good OHs under Fisher —
*Gregoire looked her best today. Solid player. Excellent service , good in the back row .. she will be a very good player.
* Babcock is at another level - just enjoy watching her . Although I’d like her to go to her float serve more
*Haiti probably has a pretty steep climb as she gains confidence and gets back physically after missing all of last season. She can certainly be a really quality setter — but you can see she just needs to keep building from her injury - at times she seems unsure of getting to a difficult pass and causes confusion as to who is talking the 2nd hit —
*with that in mind - really hope Mosher gives us quality depth at setter and maybe OH.
*I generally think we will be a tick better in service - Meyer , Dupes , Gregoire , Bayless , Haiti , Babcock (when not hitting into the net) , all have plus serves and can move the ball around
*we need at least 2 or 3 transfers/ reclassifications / or whatever to get more players dressed in the fall. Without Nisa and Cat ( neither played much today ) - we only had 3 subs this week. Griffin and Dinn are mia - who knows what their status is.
*Mosher will obviously be a key piece - but we need at least 2 others - an OH and I’d want another D/S or even a 2nd OH.
*the rumors of Izzy Masten reclassifying would be welcome and then let’s hope Fisher pulls his normal portal magic
All in all - this team will keep the Pitt VB train going- top 5 nationally is certainly realistic if they can get a couple of decent depth pieces before the fall.
2026 could be really interesting- that incoming freshmen class is outstanding .
H2P !
I’m going to give you two names to watch; Bayless and Virlan. Blaire just seems to be a killer out there, at least in the last five days. She brings a different kind of energy. Dalia will make the most of every second she gets on the court. She provides a depth that they really need this year.
*we need at least 2 or 3 transfers/ reclassifications / or whatever to get more players dressed in the fall. Without Nisa and Cat ( neither played much today ) - we only had 3 subs this week. Griffin and Dinn are mia - who knows what their status is.My observations from the Michigan match and thoughts into the off season:
* our middles are well ahead of where we were this time last year. Bre / Ryla / Dalia is pretty rock solid with Emch in the wings
* i liked what I saw from Dupes - she gets to a lot of balls and always seems to take the right step — never looks ‘stuck ‘. — she showed a good service game too
*if there’s an Ed Conway equivalent for the volleyball spring most improved played- I’d give it to Bayless. She seems a bit more athletic - looks ready to step up with the opportunity Stafford has left her . I suspect she has a very good season and becomes the next in line of really good OHs under Fisher —
*Gregoire looked her best today. Solid player. Excellent service , good in the back row .. she will be a very good player.
* Babcock is at another level - just enjoy watching her . Although I’d like her to go to her float serve more
*Haiti probably has a pretty steep climb as she gains confidence and gets back physically after missing all of last season. She can certainly be a really quality setter — but you can see she just needs to keep building from her injury - at times she seems unsure of getting to a difficult pass and causes confusion as to who is talking the 2nd hit —
*with that in mind - really hope Mosher gives us quality depth at setter and maybe OH.
*I generally think we will be a tick better in service - Meyer , Dupes , Gregoire , Bayless , Haiti , Babcock (when not hitting into the net) , all have plus serves and can move the ball around
*we need at least 2 or 3 transfers/ reclassifications / or whatever to get more players dressed in the fall. Without Nisa and Cat ( neither played much today ) - we only had 3 subs this week. Griffin and Dinn are mia - who knows what their status is.
*Mosher will obviously be a key piece - but we need at least 2 others - an OH and I’d want another D/S or even a 2nd OH.
*the rumors of Izzy Masten reclassifying would be welcome and then let’s hope Fisher pulls his normal portal magic
All in all - this team will keep the Pitt VB train going- top 5 nationally is certainly realistic if they can get a couple of decent depth pieces before the fall.
2026 could be really interesting- that incoming freshmen class is outstanding .
H2P !
Fisher usually maintains a roster of 15 to 16 athletes. The roster sits at 13 with both Griffin and Dinn.....11 if they are both gone. He'll be looking to build this year's team with at least 2 more athletes.....maybe 4. Petrone will be busy with 'PITT IS IT' tweets in the coming weeks!
Appreciate everyone pitching in with thoughts. Glad you guys were there. We were busy finishing up the club season this weekend. Looking forward to a few weeks off from volleyball.
certainly hard to say anything definitive as these were obviously exhibition matches . My impression is that Dupes might be a slight upgrade- she just seemed to get to balls all over the court and take the right first step .
Who knows- she might be a clear upgrade- but hard to make that declaration based on exhibition matches — but she looked the part of a top Libero
Also- have to think she serves which will be helpful as she doesn’t have to come off the court on her service .
I think Dupes will be a significant upgrade over Emmy. That’s not a knock on Emmy, but Dupes just seems to take control out there. She talks a lot, she’s quick, and she has a pretty good serve too. I think the serve is what will give her the advantage over Emmy. I thought clicker brought a lot to the squad, the past few years, but I am really excited for Emery.
