Pitt volleyball got a key asset back with the program on Friday, as fan favorite and serve specialist Cat Flood announced her departure from the transfer portal and her return to her team for one final season.
Flood has played the past four seasons for the Panthers since 2020, with four consecutive Elite Eight appearances and three straight Final Fours. She is one of only four players in outside hitter Valeria Vazquez Gomez, middle blocker Chiamaka Nwokolo and setter Lexis Akeo to have been a part of every Elite Eight and Final Four team over the past four years
She reportedly entered the transfer portal back in December, looking to increase her playing time from just solely functioning as a serve specialist. Her return will keep her in that role, but also bolsters Pitt Volleyball and their quest for a first National Title.
Despite not featuring much her first two seasons at outside hitter, she started as a serve specialist the past two seasons, growing her popularity with the Pitt volleyball fan base and her importance on the team.
She played in 65 out of 69 games as a junior in 2022 and a senior in 2023, with 16 service aces to 11 service errors in 2022 and 17 service aces to 16 service errors in 2023.
Flood excelled in both Elite Eights in 2022 and 2023. She had three service aces against reigning National Champions Wisconsin in Madison, Wis. in 2022, with a long service run to help her team win in five sets, propelling her to Pitt volleyball stardom. She also had two service aces and a dominant service run in the fifth set to help Pitt reverse sweep Louisville this past season.
Her six service aces in the 2023 NCAA Tournament tied her for fifth most in program history. Her three service aces against Washington State in the Sweet 16 also tied her for fifth most in a match in an NCAA Tournament.
She also had her career-high of three service aces against Virginia last season, doing so three times with Wisconsin and Washington State.
Flood has one season left of eligibility thanks to the COVID-19 year given to student-athletes who competed during the 2020-21 academic calendar. She joins Vazquez Gomez as the last two players from the first Pitt team to make it to the Elite Eight in 2020.
She will resume her duties as primary serve specialist, with rising junior libero/defensive specialist Dillyn Griffin coming in as a strong secondary to her. First-year libero/defensive specialist Mallorie Meyer is prolific on the service line herself and may see some chances in 2024.
The only player from Pitt volleyball in the transfer portal is outside hitter Juliana Dalton, who has two years of eligibility wherever she chooses to go.
The Panthers also added one more player to their roster in January in Argentinian middle blocker Bianca Garibaldi.
Pitt Volleyball 2024 Roster Outlook + Eligibility
Graduate Student (One Year)
Outside hitter Valeria Vazquez Gomez
Outside hitter/serve specialist Cat Flood
Senior (One Year)
Setter Rachel Fairbanks
Libero/defensive specialist Emmy Klika
Redshirt Junior (Two years)
Middle blocker Bre Kelley
Junior (Two Years)
Middle blocker Rachel Jepsen
Libero/defensive specialist Dillyn Griffn
Sophomore (Three Years)
Outside hitter Torrey Stafford
Outside hitter Blaire Bayless
Right side hitter Olivia Babcock
Setter Haiti Tautua’a
Freshman (Four Years)
Middle blocker Ryla Jones
Middle blocker Bianca Garibaldi
Setter/right side hitter Kiana Dinn
Libero/defensive specialist Mallorie Meyer
