NEWS: Pine-Richland's Isabelle Hoppe Jumps to Wisconsin

I didn't expect to send out another update, but this one was a surprise.

Incoming freshman setter Isabelle Hoppe, a star at Pine-Richland High School who has long followed in the footsteps of Pitt players, late Tuesday night announced a "change of plans... On Wisconsin!!"

It would have been naïve to think every other Pitt setter would stick around in the wake of 2024 National Freshman of the Year Izzy Starck joining the Panthers. Still, while Starck's move to the 'Burgh was an open secret for the past week, Hoppe's plans were held close to the vest.

Seven hours after Starck's commitment became official, Hoppe was free from her Letter of Intent to Pitt and off to join the Badgers.

This is ultimately a fan blog/newsletter above anything else, so I'll just say as a fan... I'm bummed about this one.

Hoppe's Journey

A story in the Post-Gazette in October 2024 relayed Hoppe's tale: Isabelle, who could be seen shagging balls for the Pitt Volleyball team during their rise to prominence, was all set to wear the blue and gold that she had grown up to admire.

Her father was the Associate Athletic Director in charge of the program, but this was no case of nepotism. Isabelle was consistently ranked among the nation's best setters and could've played college ball almost anywhere in the country.

“I always said that everything [about Pitt] was perfect. I just didn't know if I wanted something different,” she told the Post-Gazette in the closing quote of that 2024 story. “But I think what it came down to at the end of the day was I have been around this program for so long. Why would I go anywhere else when everything I have and need and love is right here?”

(Note: The story was published amid a strike. That strike has since ended but is now in a tough spot for the workers thanks to a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court. I don’t know the proper etiquette for this situation, but here's the link.)

After spending her younger years palling around with Pitt players, one of them became her high school coach: former Pitt libero Angela Seman. Everything was lined up for Hoppe to commit to Pitt, and she eventually did – giving the Panthers one of the top stars of the Class of 2026, a member of the U19 World Championship Team for the U.S., an Under Armour All-American and by one outlet's reckoning the #7 overall high school senior in the country.

Even after her father lost his job at Pitt amid reshuffling by new athletic director Allen Greene, Hoppe's commitment never appeared to waver – and she could be seen in the stands for many of Pitt's matches this past season. On November 12, she signed on the dotted line, and the Panthers had their setter of the future.

Well, how the carousel turns.

Pitt's coaching staff, with one year left of the greatest player in program history, is taking a swing for the fences in 2026 by bringing in a National Champion setter in Izzy Starck. Along with the big-game experience, Starck has five inches on Hoppe and proven ability to score and block among the nation's best setters.

There's some question as to how many years of eligibility Starck has remaining – Pitt's release says she took a redshirt for 2025, which would give her three years left, but Post-Gazette reporter Abby Schnable cites a spokesperson who says the third year remains up in the air.

Regardless, Hoppe saw the writing on the wall, reportedly asked to be released from her Letter of Intent, Pitt granted it, and now she's off to Wisconsin – a school that she visited as a camper a couple years ago. Hoppe won't start ahead of the Badgers' superstar QB Charlie Fuerbringer, but she'll be the top backup after setter Addy Horner bolted from Wisconsin to TCU.

A Tough Business

For Isabelle Hoppe, this is all pretty understandable. Hell, if I were heading to college and someone offered me a pretty penny to attend the University of Wisconsin – one of our country's most underrated cool universities – and play for a volleyball program that's a perennial contender and consistently in the Top 3 in attendance? After I just got pushed back on the depth chart? Sign me up, coach Kelly Sheffield.

However, there's something sadder here, almost a loss-of-innocence story. Pitt wasn't just Isabelle's hometown team, she was there as a young girl befriending the players, "front row for really all of Pitt volleyball’s success" as her dad put it. This was like a Major League batboy getting drafted by his team in Round 1, then not signing.

But the team Isabelle Hoppe grew up watching no longer exists – not just the players who have long since graduated, the whole vibe.

Her dad was hired by Heather Lyke, who, for all her faults, gave Dan Fisher the resources to build the volleyball program into a powerhouse. Lyke's replacement let her father go. Fisher, now seemingly desperate for a National Title that has eluded him, cast his lot with another setter instead of Hoppe. If there were a family feeling around Pitt Volleyball, well, it didn’t bring home the hardware so nuts to that. That's the business, at least now it is.

Go back up and read that quote from Hoppe I dropped in earlier: "Why would I go anywhere else when everything I have and need and love is right here?" Come on... what are we doing here when that kind of dream goes unfulfilled?!

So all of that is why I'm bummed. I wanted to root for the kid who has been a fan of Pitt Volleyball even longer than I have. I wanted to cheer on the best local high school volleyball player that Western PA has seen... maybe ever? I wanted her to be the one firing off sets to other members of the star class with whom she was recruited. Maybe I'm more jaded to these kinds of moves on the college football side, but for volleyball it's still a disappointment.

I'll still cross my fingers for Hoppe's success. Hey, she gets to go make a family dream come true in attending her dad's alma mater – even I'll admit that's not too shabby. She'll be an amazing setter, no doubt. I just won't be rooting for her Badgers on August 30, when Wisconsin plays its first ever match at the Petersen Events Center, itself a significant money-making event for both schools. I can only imagine what kind of out-of-body experience that day will be for Isabelle Hoppe.

This really is the way college volleyball operates now. You’ll forgive me for having stars in my eyes when I say: I just wish it weren’t.

BTW My apologies that yesterday's report contained a section header reading "Middles Jones, Emch Hit the Portal" My own typo, as I meant Middles Jones, Virlan Hit the Portal. Sorry for any skipped heartbeats. Jones and Virlan both remain in the transfer portal, and neither has announced any commitments at the time of publishing.