No. 3 Panthers Prep for Essential California Highway Swing in Tight ACC Race

PITTSBURGH – The No. 3 Pitt volleyball workforce (21-3, 13-1 ACC) hits the street for an essential swing of matches in California this weekend. The Panthers and No. 5 Stanford (22-3, 13-1 ACC) will battle for sole possession of first place within the ACC on Friday evening at 10 p.m. ET. Pitt concludes the slate in opposition to Cal on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET. Both matches might be streamed on ACCNX.

This mark’s Pitt’s sixth assembly with newly initiated ACC member Stanford, because the Panthers search for their second consecutive victory. Olivia Babcock led Pitt to a sweep over the Cardinal final 12 months with 17 kills on a .361 hitting proportion in entrance of a sold-out crowd. 

Pitt leads the all-time sequence 2-0 in opposition to Cal and defeated the Golden Bears final season at dwelling in three units. Bre Kelley and Ryla Jones mixed for 10 blocks within the match, and Babcock notched 16 kills whereas hitting a blistering .577.

BREAK OUT THE BROOMS!

• The Panthers earned two sweeps over Virginia Tech and Virginia this previous weekend.

• All 15 energetic gamers noticed taking part in time throughout the 2 matches.

• Haiti Tautua’a recorded a career-high 31 assists and 4 blocks in opposition to the Cavaliers.

HISTORIC. AGAIN.

• Olivia Babcock broke her personal program file with 45 kills in opposition to North Carolina.

• That kill complete is essentially the most in NCAA Division I volleyball since Cincinnati’s Jordan Thompson had 50 in opposition to UConn on Nov. 3, 2019.

• Babcock has recorded a minimum of 25 kills seven instances this season and has three 30+ kills to her identify in 2025 and 4 in her profession.

• Her earlier file was 41 kills set in opposition to rival Louisville on Oct. 19.

DYNAMIC DUO 

• Olivia Babcock and Brooke Mosher earned ACC Offensive Player of the Week and ACC Setter of the Week, respectively on Nov. 3.

• The duo has mixed for eight ACC weekly accolades, with Babcock at 5 and Mosher at three.

• Babcock continued her dominance, averaging 7.88 factors per set, 6.88 kills per set, 1.75 digs per set and 1.25 blocks per set in wins over Duke and then-No. 21 North Carolina.

• Mosher paced the Pitt offense by averaging 10.88 assists per set and a couple of.63 digs per set in two wins.

RACKING UP RANKED WINS

• The Panthers earned their eighth ranked win of the season in opposition to then-No. 21 North Carolina.

• They boast an 8-3 file in opposition to high 25 opponents. 

• Pitt is third within the nation with eight ranked wins proper behind Texas and Nebraska, who’ve 9. 

MEYER MAGIC

• Mallorie Meyer had a profession day in opposition to North Carolina.

• The sophomore libero recorded a personal-best 21 digs and 10 assists to steer Pitt’s backcourt protection.

• Meyer and the Panthers held the Tar Heels to a .180 clip.

SWEEPS ON SWEEPS

• The Panthers swept each NC State and Wake Forest.

• Marina Pezelj had a match-high 12 kills on Friday evening in opposition to the Wolfpack, tying her profession excessive. 

• Mallorie Meyer recorded a then career-high 11 digs, her second double-digit dig outing in three matches.

• Olivia Babcock notched a match-high 16 kills on a .560 hitting proportion to spherical out the weekend in opposition to Wake Forest.

MARINA ON A TEAR

• Freshman exterior hitter Marina Pezelj has stepped in because of a Dagmar Mourits damage and is flourishing.

• She tied her profession excessive with 12 kills, a match finest, in three units in opposition to NC State whereas hitting .381 with eight digs, a private finest 5 blocks, an ace and an help.

• Pezelj adopted that up with eight kills on a .286 hitting proportion, 5 digs, a career-high three aces, a block and an help in opposition to Wake Forest.

PLAYED OUR CARDS RIGHT

• Pitt got here again from being down two units to 1 to defeat rival Louisville within the L&N Federal Credit Union Arena.

• Olivia Babcock set a earlier program file with 41 kills whereas hitting .423, and Brooke Mosher recorded a career-high 60 assists to tempo the Panthers to a .313 workforce hitting proportion. 

• Mallorie Meyer notched 10 digs and 7 assists, and Blaire Bayless additionally registered a career-high eight digs. 

• Babcock made an look on NFL Countdown to assist preview the top-10 rivalry match. 

SURVIVED IN FIVE

• The Panthers earned a gritty five-set win over Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind.

• Olivia Babcock had a match-high 29 kills, and Marina Pezelj loved a profession day with 17 digs and 12 kills. 

• Pitt is at the moment 4-2 in 5 set matches this 12 months.

HISTORY MADE!

• Olivia Babcock was named the AVCA National Player of the Week after setting a brand new program file with 41 kills within the five-set victory over then-No. 4 Louisville.

• She grew to become simply the second participant to earn 4 weekly nationwide awards in a profession, tying Minnesota’s Stephanie Samedy for the all-time mark. 

• Babcock rewrote the earlier file of 37 set by Ann Marie Lucanie in opposition to Auburn on 9/13/91.

• She is barely the second participant within the NCAA to file a minimum of 40 kills in a single match this season and the fourth to succeed in that milestone since 2019. 

STAT STUFFER

• Olivia Babcock is high 10 within the nation in 4 statistical classes – third in factors per set (5.97), fifth in kills per set (5.11) and complete factors (525.5) and seventh in complete kills (450). 

• Bre Kelley is tied for 14th in blocks per set (1.46).

• Brooke Mosher is 59th in assists per set (9.68) and seventieth in complete assists (852).

DUPES DIGS IT

• Redshirt senior libero Emery Dupes reached her 1,000th profession dig in opposition to Wake Forest.

• She recorded 872 digs at Florida State and sits at 145 this season as a Panther.

• Dupes is coming off a powerful match in opposition to Wake Forest as she notched 11 digs and 4 assists within the sweep.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE

• Olivia Babcock has recorded a workforce finest eight double-doubles to this point this season. 

• This features a career-high 17 dig efficiency in opposition to No. 11 SMU.

• Her 2.16 digs per set this season is a private finest, bettering  upon her 1.82 digs per set her sophomore 12 months.