Pitt's Olivia Babcock Named National Award Finalist

PITTSBURGH — Pitt Panthers' superstar outside hitter Olivia Babcock has been named one of four finalists for the AVCA National Player of the Year award.

Babcock won the award in 2024 as a sophomore and has the chance to become just the fifth player ever to earn the honor in consecutive years.

The other finalists for the AVCA National Player of the Year award are Wisconsin's Mimi Colyer, Kentucky's Eva Hudson and Nebraska's Bergen Reilly.

Can't argue this one!

Liv is an @AVCAVolleyball National Player of the Year Finalist 🫡 pic.twitter.com/VpGxGyErOR
— Pitt Volleyball (@Pitt_VB) December 15, 2025

Babcock's Career-Best Season

The best argument Babcock has for winning the award is that she has better numbers this year than when she won the award last year.

Babcock has tallied 624 kills, 5.11 kills per set, 721.5 total points and a .330 hitting percentage. She also had 36 aces, 29 assists and 258 digs. She has 86 more kills than her 2024 total and both her hitting rate and kills per set rate are career-highs.

Babcock's ranks fifth in kills per set in the nation, fourth in points per set and ranks third in total kills and total points.

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This season also saw Babcock's name etched in the Pitt record book.

Babcock now holds the Pitt single-season (624) and single-match (45) kills records. She also broke her own single-season record for highest kills per set rate, is now fifth in program history in career kills, tied for seventh in hitting percentage, second in aces and is the 20th player to enter the 1,000 kills club.

Babcock Leads Pitt to Final Four

The Panthers are on their way to their fifth consecutive final four appearance. This time, it will be against No. 6 Texas A&M at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 18.

Although Pitt has made the Final Four every year since 2021, it has no national championship appearances to show for it. To achieve that goal this year, Babcock will need to be an integral part of the game plan.

After starting the season 0-2, the Panthers ripped off a 12-match win streak, with Babcock leading the way by averaging 15.9 kills per match during that stretch.

A 3-2 loss to Miami ended the streak, but another started right back, with Pitt winning the next nine. This streak featured Babcock's two record-setting games against Louisville and North Carolina, where she totaled 41 and 45 kills, respectively.

The Panthers are now nine-match winning streak that has featured more ranked wins and more elite play from Babcock. She has averaged 19.8 kills per match in the NCAA Tournament as Pitt has dropped just one set in four matches.

Should the Panthers defeat the Aggies, it would be their first-ever national championship appearance in program history.

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