Pitt Volleyball Earns Highest Ever Preseason Ranking

PITTSBURGH — The Pitt Panthers head into the 2025 volleyball season with the highest preseason ranking they've ever received in program history.

Pitt comes in third overall in the AVCA Preseason Poll, just behind Nebraska at first overall, who received 40 first place votes, and rival Penn State at second overall, who received 21 first place votes.

This makes it nine consecutive seasons that Pitt has earned a spot in the AVCA preseason poll, coming in at 20th in 2018, 12th in 2019, 19th in 2020, ninth in 2021, seventh in 2022, fifth in 2023 and fourth in 2024, their previous highest ranking and makes it five straight seasons with the highest preseason ranking in program history

Pitt will face a tough campaign, taking on 10 of the 25 teams ranked in the preseason poll and 13 of their 30 matches overall, making for one of the hardest schedules in the country.

They start out against fellow 2024 semifinalists in No. 1 Nebraska on Aug. 22 at 7:00 p.m. (EST) and Florida on Aug. 24 at 1:00 p.m. (EST), both at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Neb. for the AVCA First Serve Showcase.

Pitt then heads back to Pittsburgh and play in the State Farm Showcase at PPG Paints Arena for Labor Day weekend. They'll battle Big 12 foes in No. 25 TCU on Aug. 31 at 2:00 p.m. and then No. 12 Arizona State on Sept. 1 at 7:30 p.m.

They will also head down to Fort Worth, Texas, where they'll face off against No. 7 Kentucky at 6:30 p.m. (EST0 in the Shriners Children's Showdown at the Net at Dickies Arena on Sept. 10, for a rematch of the Elite Eight last season, which Pitt swept at the Petersen Events Center.

Pitt also battles in-state rival No. 2 Penn State at Rec Hall on Sept. 17, getting a chance at the reigning National Champions on their home court. Pitt swept Penn State at the Petersen Events Center last season, which marked the first regular season matchup of the Keystone Rivalry since 2019.