Olivia Babcock Named ACC Female Athlete of the Year

A Historic First for Pitt Volleyball

Olivia Babcock just made ACC history. The Pitt Panthers standout was named the Mary Garber Award winner as the ACC's Female Athlete of the Year, becoming the first volleyball player ever to claim the honor since the award's inception. That's a big deal in a conference stacked with elite basketball, soccer, and Olympic sport talent every year.

Babcock joins Kenny Pickett as just the second Pitt athlete to win the award, putting her in rare company within the program's history. She shares this year's recognition with Duke basketball star Cameron Boozer, who took home the men's honor.

The Season That Got Her There

Babcock's junior campaign wasn't just good — it was record-shattering. She swept the major national awards: AVCA National Player of the Year, ACC Player of the Year, AVCA East Coast Region Player of the Year, AVCA Opposite of the Year, First Team All-American, First Team All-ACC, and the Volleyball Honda Award. She was also named MVP of the Pittsburgh NCAA Regional and was a finalist for the AAU Sullivan Award, which recognizes the top amateur athlete in the entire country across all sports.

On top of the hardware, she rewrote Pitt's record book. Babcock set the program's single-season kills record with 646, and she broke the school's single-match kills record twice in the same season — first with 41 kills against No. 4 Louisville, then topping herself with 45 kills against No. 21 North Carolina. Those are the kinds of numbers that get circled in scouting reports for years.

What's Next

Babcock spent part of her summer training with the U.S. Women's National Team in Anaheim, California, a clear signal that her ceiling extends well beyond college volleyball. Now she's back in Pittsburgh, gearing up to lead the Panthers into the 2026 season as one of the most decorated players in program — and conference — history.

For Pitt fans, this is another marker of just how dominant the volleyball program has become on the national stage. For college volleyball fans generally, Babcock is quickly becoming a household name, and her senior season is shaping up to be must-watch.