The Wisconsin Badgers volleyball team won’t get a chance to defend their NCAA championship after falling to Pittsburgh in the regional final Saturday night at the UW Fieldhouse in a five set thriller, 25-23, 21-25, 21-25, 25-19, 15-13. The match took over three hours to play before a packed, partisan crowd. The Panthers, seeded second in the regional, lost a late lead to drop the first set to the top seeded Badgers but aggressive offensive play earned them wins in the second and third sets. Wisconsin stayed alive with a strong fourth set win. In the 5th, the Badgers fell behind 7-2 but rallied to tie the match at 13 before Pitt scored the final two points to advance to the Final Four in Omaha. Wisconsin was led by Devyn Robinson with a career high 21 kills. The Badgers’ 21 match winning streak came to an end as they finish the season with a fourth straight Big Ten Championship and a 28-4 overall record.
Pitt will face ACC rival Louisville in one national semifinal while Texas will meet San Diego, which upset another top seed with a 5 set victory over Stanford. The semifinals take place Thursday with the championship match Saturday in Omaha, Nebraska.
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