The Pittsburgh Panthers are tacking on transfer Alex Rosignol a middle blocker from Southern Illinois for the 2017 season. Rosignol will be a senior in the fall and play out her final season in a Panthers’ uniform.
A 5’11” middle blocker originally from Mount Carmel, Illinois, Rosignol started 10 matches right off the bat as a freshman at Southern Illinois and led the Missouri Valley conference at 1.21 blocks per set. As a sophomore she was a part of a Salukis squad that earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament as she ranked 10th in the nation in blocks per set (1.51). Then, as a junior in 2016, she appeared in 28 matches and ranked 26th in the country with a .376 hitting percentage to add on to her 177 kills, 22 aces and 1.14 blocks per set.
“Alex is an explosive player who can help us as both an attacker and blocker,” Pittsburgh head coach Dan Fisher said in the team’s release of the transfer. “We not only expect her to help on the court, but are excited by her leadership skills as well. With this addition, Pitt volleyball will have talent, depth and experience at every position.”
Including Rosignol, Pittsburgh now has four middle blockers on its roster for 2017. Layne Van Buskirk was on the ACC All-Freshman Team at the position in 2016 and figures to occupy one of the two primary middle blocker roles. Beyond that, Rosignol would likely be the favorite as Emily Horner played sparingly in 2016 and Chinaza Ndee is a freshman.
Pittsburgh is coming off of one of its best seasons in years, as they went 25-9 (15-5 ACC) last season en route to an NCAA Tournament appearance. They even added a win in the tournament, as it was their first trip to the big dance since 2004 and first win in the event since 2003.
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