USA Volleyball National Team Development Program (NTDP) selected Pitt incoming first-year duo of right side hitter Olivia Babcock and outside hitter Blaire Bayless for the 2023 Girls U19 NORCECA Pan American Cup from May 9-15 in Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico on Monday.
Bayless stands at 6-foot-2 and earned a ranking of the No. 5 recruit in the Class of 2023. She led her high school team to a District 6-6A Championship this year. Bayless received district MVP honors, earned a spot on the First-Team All-District in 2021, and Newcomer of the Year honors after her sophomore year. She also received the honor of playing in the 2022 Under Armour All-American match.
Babcock earned volleymag.com and AVCA First-Team High School All-American honors, as she led her high school, Sierra Canyon, to their first ever Division I girls volleyball championship. She stands at 6-foot-4, and prepdig.com ranked her at No. 27 her class, while prepvolleyball.com ranked her at No. 43.
The teams that Babcock and Bayless and the USA squad could compete against in the Pan Am Cup are Honduras, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Canada and Mexico.
USA Volleyball will also compete at the 2023 FIVB Girls U19 World Championship, and the federation will determine the roster later this year, prior to the August 1 starting date.
