What if Dan Fisher leaves Pitt to coach the U.S. Women's National Team?

And other follow-up questions for which I don't necessarily have a good answer.

Hello! I was delighted to join Ryan Nanni on the We’re Not All Like This podcast to talk about Pitt fandom, joined by the much more intelligent answers of Jonny Gamble and Obnoxious Pitt Girl.

Now, onto the newsletter, later in the day than usual.

Somehow I’ve never snapped a good photograph of Dan Fisher, so instead you get Pitt's Volleyball Final Four banners in the rafters of the Fitzgerald Field House. Fisher is the only coach to have navigated a team to the last three Final Fours.

I don’t intend to do a lot of speculating or rumor-mongering in this newsletter. For one thing, I’m not good at *finding out* a lot of rumors. For another, it’s just not my bag — I spent seven years gainfully employed in journalism and now two-and-a-half-years in tax district information-disseminating. I find it better to stick with the facts.

Once we get to transfer-portal-rumor season, you’re on you’re own.

BUT! One looming possibility has been hanging over my Pitt Volleyball fandom like a Sword of Damocles (one of the more famous swords) — the possibility that head coach Dan Fisher could be coach-poached to helm the U.S. Women’s National Team.

The rumor mill — in an area zone RM1 for Rumor Manufacturing — started turning as soon as (the surprise) news arrived a month ago that volleyball legend Karch Kiraly would be moving from the Women’s National Team office to the Men’s.¹ Fisher, one of the most successful program-builders in the world of volleyball, quickly had his name tossed around in online volleyball circles as a potential candidate.

You can read the job listing yourself. And hey, if you think you’re qualified… and your name is NOT Dan Fisher, I urge you apply!

As the listing makes clear, this is a full-time job (with an 8% retirement plan match), so it’s not as though Fisher — or any other college coach — could take the helm of Team USA during the NCAA offseason. You run the entire U.S. women’s program.

A Golden (State) Opportunity

The job’s allure is obvious: be the head coach of Team USA. The allure becomes even more alluring when you consider Fisher would be returning home to Southern California (USA Volleyball is headquartered in Anaheim) with the goal of leading the Americans to the top of the podium at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

Fisher has nearly two decades of experience coaching with USA Volleyball on the lower rungs, positions that can be a ‘side gig’ to college jobs, most recently with stints leading the Women’s Collegiate National Team, Junior National Team, and U21 team. They know him well around USA Volleyball.

Maybe this is all a silly thought exercise. Fisher clearly loves it here in Pittsburgh, his home since 2013, choosing to stay and raise two children here with his wife Joni. Pittsburgh loves him back, as his contract extensions have made him one of the highest-paid coaches in college volleyball. He earns a tidy sum somewhere between $520,000 and $615,000 per year — likely dependent on incentives.²

But the question is clear: After the recent firing of athletic director Heather Lyke, who seemingly spared no expense to support the volleyball program and keep Fisher in Pitt’s employ, is Dan Fisher open to another, more prestigious opportunity?

I can’t answer that question. But I can raise another:

Would the Pitt Volleyball program be doomed if Dan Fisher were to depart?

It’s easy to wager that Pitt would take a significant step backward, on and off the court, if the program were to lose one of the best coaches in America. However, the program would be in good hands — and soon in NCAA Volleyball’s newest venue with Victory Heights — in a post-Fisher era.

Fisher’s heir apparent, Associate Head Coach Kellen Petrone, has spent nine seasons alongside Fisher and earned AVCA Assistant Coach of the Year honors in 2023. As the defensive coordinator, Petrone has guided Pitt to a nation-best .113 opponent hitting percentage — one season after a second-best .141 opponent hitting percentage.

Petrone’s recruiting ‘rizz’ has helped Pitt secure some historic classes, including PrepDig’s No. 5 overall class in 2023 (that of Olivia Babcock, Torrey Stafford, Blaire Bayless and Haiti Tau’tua’a) and the current PrepVolleyball No. 1 class for 2026. With Pitt’s winning ways, Petrone has been incredibly successful at securing top players and coaching them to new heights.

The obvious follow-up question is: How many of those recruits (past and present) would stay at Pitt under new leadership?

Okay, this column has seen two many question marks. Let’s end with some statements.

Conclusion

Fisher has earned consideration for the national team job *and then some.* He has transformed a nondescript college program into a national powerhouse. The stats of success — oh, I could pick so many, but how about this from Pitt’s sports information department: he is the only Division I Women’s Volleyball Coach in the 21st century to record a winning percentage over .800 in his first 10 seasons at a school. All of the coaches who did it in the 20th century are in the AVCA Hall of Fame.

Unless USA Volleyball grabs another coach in the meantime, it’s likely all of this will remain unsettled until after the NCAA season is over.

If I were in charge of USA Volleyball, I would do everything I could to make the Women’s National Team job enticing to Fisher. Nothing less than Olympic Gold at home rests on making the right call of the next head coach.

If I were in charge of the University of Pittsburgh, I would make sure that one of my most successful employees (currently under contract through 2027) is satisfied in his current job at his current rate of pay. Nothing less than the possibility of the school’s first team National Championship in decades rests on keeping him around.

Ooookay, sorry if that was all a bit haunting. Here’s a lighter note to end on: you can catch some future volleyball stars at the We Serve First All-Star Classic on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 4 PM at Kiski Area High School. It’s their third year showcasing the top local high school players, and I’m told this year’s class of athletes will be better than ever.

1. The former USA men’s coach John Speraw was promoted after the Olympics to become President & CEO of USA Volleyball. He then hired Kiraly to his former post, opening up the women’s team job.

2. Note: The salary on the job posting for Head Coach, Women’s National Team puts it at $350,000 - $375,000. Keep in mind that California law requires employers to include pay scales on active job postings, and that the listed number is likely on the low end. USA Volleyball would, I would hope as a proud American, be prepared to pay more to land a top head coach that would lead us through the L.A. Olympics.