Pitt Volleyball Places Program Record Seven on All-ACC Teams

Pitt volleyball placed a program record seven players on All-ACC teams on Monday, as the conference announced its player awards and First, Second and Freshman Teams.

First-years in right side hitter Olivia Babcock and outside hitter Torrey Stafford, along with junior setter Rachel Fairbanks all made the All-ACC First Team, with Babcock and Stafford also making the All-ACC Freshman Team. Graduate student middle blockers in Chiamaka Nwokolo and Emma Monks, redshirt senior outside hitter Valeria Vazquez Gomez and junior libero/defensive specialist Emmy Klika made the All-ACC Second Team.  The previous record for All-ACC players at Pitt during a season was five, set in 2022 and 2019.

Babcock earned ACC Freshman of the Year honors, while Fairbanks earned ACC Setter of the Year honors. The duo become the first two Panthers to win either award in program history, and the second and third Panthers to ever receive ACC Individual Awards, along with former outside hitter Kayla Lund, who won ACC Player of the Year in the 2019 and 2020-21 seasons.

Babcock led Pitt with 349 kills, 40 service aces and 441.5 points in the regular season. She was also second with 100.0 total blocks and finished fifth on the team with 124 digs. Across the ACC, her 4.51 points per set ranked second, her 0.41 service aces per set ranked third and her 3.56 kills per set ranked fifth. Her points per set finished second best for any first-year in Division I as well.

She earned six ACC Freshman of the Week honors, while also receiving ACC Offensive Player of the Week and AVCA National Player of the Week honors for her performancein a sweep against then ranked No 8 Georgia Tech on the road on Nov. 11. She led Pitt with 15 kills and had an incredible .652 hitting percentage, while also finishing second with four total blocks, three digs and tied sophomore libero/defensive specialist Dillyn Griffin for two services aces, best on Pitt.

Fairbanks led Pitt with 748 assists, 9.12 per set, ranking fourth best in the ACC. She was also third on the team with 19 service aces, fourth with 152 digs and fifth with 53 kills and 40.0 total blocks. This is the second All-ACC honor for Fairbanks, as she made the Second Team in 2022.

Stafford second with 310 kills and 357 points, third with 162 digs and fourth with 65.0 total blocks. She played solid in the back row and at the front, earning three ACC Freshman of the Week honors. She also earned ACC Offensive Player of the Week after setting career highs with 21 kills and 11 digs in the reverse sweep win over then ranked No. 4 Louisville in front of a record crowd at the Petersen Events Center on Nov. 18.

Monks and Nwokolo stepped up for the Panthers at middle blocker with injuries to Florida transfer in junior Bre Kelley and sophomore Rachel Jepsen.

Monks transferred from Michigan State and has played some great volleyball. She leads Pitt with 140.0 blocks and the ACC with 1.56 blocks per set, while ranking second on the team and fifth in the ACC with a .405 hitting percentage.

Nwokolo chose to come back for her fifth season, which has led to her serving as one of the best at her position in the ACC once again. She leads the Panthers and is third best in the ACC with a .433 hitting percentage and is third on the team with 88.0 total blocks and is sixth best in the ACC with 1.17 blocks per set. Nwokolo makes it back-to-back All-ACC Second Teams with her first placement last season.

Vazquez Gomez has demonstrated her versatility on the court this season, as she finished second on Pitt volleyball with 28 service aces and 173 digs and third with 206 kills. This is her second All-ACC team, as she made the First Team in 2022.

Klika makes her first All-ACC team and lead Pitt with 297 digs and 100 assists, both career highs. She one of the best passers on the team with a .943 reception percentage and saves many matches for Pitt with her great defense.

Pitt volleyball earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and has the chance to host through to the Final Four. They host Coppin State in the First Round, 7 p.m. Friday night at the Petersen Events Center.