When opposite hitter Olivia Babcock arrived at Pitt, she immediately established herself as one of college volleyball’s generational talents, earning AVCA Freshman of the Year honors in 2023 before capturing National Player of the Year as a sophomore in 2024.
But if anyone thought that Babcock had reached her ceiling, the 2025 season has emphatically proven otherwise. The Los Angeles native is putting together a campaign that could go down as one of the greatest individual seasons in program history — and she’s doing it while leading Pitt toward another deep NCAA Tournament run.
A record-breaking regular season
Babcock broke her own program record twice this season, first with 41 kills against Louisville in October, then shattering that record with 45 kills against North Carolina in November. Her performance against Louisville came on a remarkable 0.423 hitting percentage, accompanied by eight digs, five blocks and two aces. The feat made her one of only four players in Division I since 2019 to reach 40 kills in a match, and she did it twice.
Babcock followed that with multiple 30-kill performances throughout the season, including seven matches with at least 25 kills and 12 games with 20 or more kills. But the right side hitter’s dominance hasn’t been limited to kills. Babcock earned ACC Offensive Player of the Week honors four times this season — more than any other player in the conference. In Pitt’s match against Miami, she averaged 6.00 kills per set on a 0.519 hitting percentage, recording 30 kills on 52 swings with only three errors, while adding 14 digs and four blocks.
Rounding out the 2025 season, Babcock was also named ACC Player of the Year. Winning the title previously in 2024, Babcock is now the first player in program history to win the award twice.
Leading in every metric
Through the regular season, Babcock averaged 5 kills per set and 5.84 points per set while hitting 0.331. She leads the Panthers not just in offensive categories, but also defensively, pacing Pitt with 2.18 digs per set and contributing 0.92 blocks per set. Her 545 total kills and 636.5 points ranked among the nation’s leaders, placing her second in the ACC and fifth in Division I in kills per set. Adding to her already impressive junior-year campaign, Babcock earned her 1,500th career kill on Sunday in Pitt’s sweep of Georgia Tech.
Chasing history and another title
Babcock has been named one of 14 semifinalists for the AVCA National Player of the Year Award, positioning her to potentially become just the fifth player ever to win the honor twice. If she captures the award again, it would cement her status as one of the most dominant players in college volleyball history.
She currently sits at 545 kills this season, and is just 10 kills away from the program’s all-time single-season record of 555 kills — a record set by outside hitter Wendy Hatlestad in 2003. With the NCAA Tournament ahead and potentially multiple matches remaining, that record is within reach and will most likely be passed.
Tournament talks
Pitt earned the No. 4 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, marking the third straight season the Panthers received a No. 1 seed, and will host the first two rounds at the Petersen Events Center. The Panthers enter the tournament having reached four consecutive Final Fours.
As the Panthers chase a national championship, they do so with a player who is arguably the nation’s most unstoppable offensive weapon. Babcock’s 2025 season isn’t just about awards or records — it’s about a generational talent building a legacy that will define Pitt volleyball for years to come.
All eyes are on the Panthers for December. If Babcock can lead Pitt to its first national championship, she won’t just be the best female athlete at Pitt — she’ll be remembered as one of the greatest players in college volleyball history.
Honorable mention: Bre Kelley (volleyball)
Redshirt senior middle blocker Bre Kelley has been instrumental in Pitt’s volleyball success, earning AVCA Second Team All-American in 2024, First Team All-ACC honors in 2024 and 2025 and ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 2025.
She set program and ACC records with a 0.497 hitting percentage and tied for second in program history with 144 block assists in a single season. Recently drafted sixth overall by the Orlando Valkyries in the Major League Volleyball Draft, Kelley has been a defensive anchor for back-to-back No.1-seeded teams.
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