Pitt Panthers Help US Win Gold At Pan American Cup
PITTSBURGH -- Dan Fisher has led the Pitt Panthers to unprecedented heights during his nine-year tenure as head coach of the volleyball program and just this weekend, he added an international gold medal to his resume. Fisher and Rachel Fairbanks USA Volleyball's U21 women's team won Pan American Cup with a 3-1 victory over Argentina on Sunday at the La Paz Arena in Baja California. This is the second time that the USA has won the title, with the first coming in 2017.
The Panthers' head coach took on this role coaching the American team in May and brought sophomore setter, Rachel Fairbanks, along with him. Fairbanks started and helped the Americans nearly double Argentina in hitting efficiency - the U.S. held a .234 to .123 advantage.
The US won the first set and, after withstanding a loss in the second and furious opening rally in the third from Argentina, secured the victory with wins in sets three and four.
"I think the players were feeling a little tense for a while, but we worked through it and settled down in our reception," Fisher said. "We also got some nice energy from players coming off the bench and ended the fourth set playing good volleyball. Argentina is very good and put a lot of stress on us with their serves, but that's what good teams do."
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