Pitt volleyball falls to rival Louisville, comes up short in semifinals again

NCAA Championships Pittsburgh Louisville Volleyball FILE - Louisville's Anna DeBeer, right, spikes the ball against Pittsburgh's Rachel Fairbanks (10) in the third set during the semifinals of the NCAA volleyball tournament Dec. 15, 2022, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/John S. Peterson, File) (John Peterson/AP)

By Nathan Breisinger - Sports Now Group Pittsburgh

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — This article originally appeared on pittsburghsportsnow.com

It’s become a regular occurrence for the Pitt volleyball program to compete in the NCAA Semifinals, but that’s where it has ended in each of the past three seasons for the Panthers.

If top-seeded Pitt was going to break that streak, it needed to come on the home court of their rival counterparts in the Louisville Cardinals at the KFC Yum Center. However, it was the home team that bottled up that energy to defeat the Panthers, 3-1.

Pitt (33-2) secured the opening set before Louisville (30-5) won the final three to advance to its second-ever National Championship. The other appearance came in 2022 when the Cardinals were swept by Texas after defeating Pitt in the semifinals.

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