Pitt Volleyball Ranked No. 2 in ACC Preseason Poll

The defending ACC co-champion Pitt Panthers are expected to be second best in the conference.

Dec 18, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA;  Pittsburgh Panthers right-side hitter Olivia Babcock (5) celebrates in a 2025 NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championship semifinal match at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: Kylie Graham-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The ACC has relased it's preseason Coaches Poll for the upcoming volleyball season, and the Pitt Panthers are in second place.

Pitt received 277 points and seven first place votes, three votes shy of Stanford who is expected to be the best team in the conference.

2026 Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll and All-ACC Team announced.

🔗 read more: https://t.co/5Smxqge4m1 pic.twitter.com/iOIId3Icgj

— The ACC (@theACC) July 30, 2026

The top two makes sense, as the Panthers and Cardinal shared the title of the 2025 ACC Championship after both finishing ACC play 18-2. The Panthers had a slightly better regular season, finishing 30-4 overall while the Cardinal finished 29-5.

Pitt also made it further than Stanford in the NCAA Tournament. The Cardinal lost in regional semifinal to Wisconsin while the Panthers made it all the way to their fifth straight semifinal, before losing to Texas A&M.

Can Pitt Break the Streak?

Making five straight semifinal appearnces is no easy feat, but the Panthers haven't been able to make the National Championship game in any of their tournament runs. Time is running out, as this could be star player Olivia Babcock's final season.

In Babcock's time at Pitt, she has stacked records and awards, but is still chasing the national title that would strengthen her resume as one of Pitt's best atheltes of all time.

Though some seniors have graduated, Pitt has done a good job of maintaining their 2025 roster. They even added some more talent with setter Izzy Starck from Penn State. Starck was AVCA National Freshman of the Year at Penn State and instantlly helped the team succeed her freshman season. While she didn't play much as a sophomore, she has the proven skill.

Dec 18, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers right side hitter Olivia Babcock (5) celebrates with middle blocker Abbey Emch (20) after a point during the first set against the Texas A&M Aggies in a 2025 NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championship semifinal match at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Already, Pitt has been getting recognition as Babcock, Starck and senior Blaire Bayless have made the 2026 Preseason All-ACC team. While three players projected to be All-ACC is a decent amount for a team to have, it actually lags behind Louisville and Stanford.

Louisville, who is projected to be the third best team in the Coaches Poll, has four players on the Preseason All-ACC list. Stanford has the most with five of their own players making the list.

With SMU ranked at the fourth spot, the Preseason Poll doesn't look too much different than how the standings ended up at the end of last season. While it's expected of Pitt to make at least the national semifinals every year now, nothing is a given in a tough conference like the ACC. But, with the returning players and transfer additions the Panthers have now, this could be their best shot of winning it all.

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