Heather Lyke was recently fired as Pitt’s athletic director, a role she had held since being hired in 2017.

Rumor has it that one reason Lyke was dismissed was her eagerness to grow all of the sports under her umbrella, not just football and men’s college basketball—the cash cows of most universities.

Among those “other” sports that have grown in recent years thanks to Lyke’s influence is the Panthers’ women’s volleyball squad. Coming off three straight appearances in the national semifinals (the Final Four), great things were again expected from the program in 2024. After beginning the season ranked fourth in the nation, Pitt quickly rose up the charts to the number one team in the country heading into Wednesday’s epic showdown with instate rival, Penn State. A  powerhouse program, complete with seven national titles and 13 appearances in the Final Four, the Nittany Lions arrived at Petersen Events Center ranked third in the nation with an 8-0 record.

The Panthers, whose top ranking was a first in program history, came into the evening with a 6-0 mark and hadn’t even lost a set in any of their matches.

The result? A blowout by the home team, as Pitt dominated from beginning to end, sweeping in three sets by scores of 25-15, 25-19 and 25-18. As for the atmosphere at the Pete? I don’t know if the women’s volleyball program will ever be a cash cow for the university, but a record 11,800 faithful crammed into the venue to watch the Panthers take on one of their big rivals.

You might say, “Well, so many people showed up because of the history between Pitt and Penn State.” Maybe you’re right, but over 8,800 folks were on hand at the Pete late in the 2023 season to witness the Panthers come back from being down two sets to none and complete the reverse sweep to defeat a juggernaut Stanford program, 3-2.

Fans love a winner, and women’s volleyball is a fairly big brand in this country right now, thanks to the success of college programs like Penn State, Stanford and a Nebraska squad that drew a record crowd of 92,000 fans to Memorial Stadium to watch them take on Omaha in a match in August of 2023. Along with the college programs, members of the Olympic women’s volleyball teams–particularly the two-player sand teams–have become household names over the years thanks to the gold medal achievements of Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh.

There isn’t a better time to be a juggernaut in women’s college volleyball, and the Panthers are that right now.  The only thing missing is a championship, something the program has never been able to achieve throughout its history. But the Panthers are still infants when it comes to being a national power and didn’t go to their first Final Four until 2021. Things continue to head in the right direction under head coach Dan Fisher, who is in his 11th year with the school. A national title would be the cherry on top, but it could also make Pitt a destination spot for women’s volleyball for many years to come.

The men’s basketball program appears to be getting healthy again and headed for promising years under head coach Jeff Capel. As for the football team? It is 3-0 and has one of the most exciting offenses and quarterbacks in the country. After a nightmarish 3-9 campaign in 2023, Pat Narduzzi seems to have his program back on track for at least another bowl appearance this December or January.

But the women’s volleyball team is still the best thing in Pitt athletics these days.

Pitt Is It in women’s volleyball.