📍 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
🏐 Home of Pittsburgh Panthers volleyball

Built in 1951, historic Fitzgerald Field House sits at the corner of Allequippa St & Darragh St on the hilly campus of the University of Pittsburgh. Once the long-time home of Pitt basketball, this multi-purpose venue now hosts three university sports – wrestling, gymnastics and volleyball.

Panthers volleyball is definitely the biggest thrill at the Fitz, drawing the largest crowds and the most fanfare. The arena holds a touch over 4,000 fans on gameday, with the team often seeing that many folks turn out for any given match.

Originally the home court of Pitt basketball for more than 50 years, the venue saw many great moments in Panthers history, including Jerome Lane’s memorable backboard-shattering dunk in 1988. Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams went next door to the newly-opened Petersen Events Center in 2002, leaving volleyball as the primary tenant of the Field House.

Renovated on multiple occasions, most recently in 2008, Fitzgerald has a lot of excellent modern touches. Gigantic scoreboards hang on either end of the floor and give fans great close-ups of the match – as if the view from the seats wasn’t close enough. With chairback seating on both sides at court level and some wooden bleachers up above, there’s certainly not a bad spot in the house. Eye-catching “Hail to Pitt” signage silhouetted by the iconic Pittsburgh skyline also hangs from the rafters, perpendicular to banners celebrating the successes of the Panthers’ volleyball and wrestling programs.

The energy from the crowd during volleyball matches is just as good as you’ll get at any college basketball game, if not better. The band in particular really shows up, blasting tunes and unleashing chants upon whichever team is the unfortunate opponent that day. The classic Pitt rendition of Sweet Caroline is also a staple sing-along at games, with everyone yelling “Let’s Go Pitt” in place of the typical “ba ba ba.”

There’s never really a dull moment at the Fitz, and it’s a true gem of a building. Catching a game at what might just be the coolest volleyball arena in the ACC cannot be more highly recommended.