Pitt is the best women’s volleyball team in the country, so it only makes sense that a few Panthers have been added to the AVCA Division I Player of the Year watchlist.
Right-side hitter Olivia Babcock, outside hitter Torrey Stafford and setter Rachel Fairbanks have been named to the watchlist. All three have been pivotal in a 7-0 start for the Panthers, not dropping a single set in the process.
Pitt is one of two schools with three players added to the watchlist, along with Wisconsin, and trails only Nebraska (four) with players on the list.
Stafford has been a standout for Pitt this season, hitting an outstanding .393% with a team-leading 5.38 points/set and 4.75 kills/set. She also has 38 digs and 12 blocks.
Babcock leads Pitt with 106.5 points, with 82 kills (4.10 per set) on a .287 hitting percentage. She also has a team-high 12 aces, 37 digs and 24 blocks — forming a wall with Ryla Jones.
Fairbanks leads Pitt — and the ACC — with 11 assists/set (187 total). She’s a maestro in the middle, setting up the powerful outside hitters. She also has six kills, six aces and 46 digs.
The trio was electric against No. 3 Penn State earlier this week, leading the Panthers to a dominant sweep of the Nittany Lions. Stafford was magnificent in attack, hitting .571 with 17 kills. Babcock racked up 13 kills of her own, hitting .281, adding four blocks and five digs. Fairbanks set a season-high with 42 assists — helping her ACC-leading totals.
There are 36 players from 21 schools on the list, which will be narrowed in November. The list of finalists will be revealed by the AVCA Convention, and the winner will be announced on Friday, Dec. 20 in Louisville, Kent.
Pitt is back in action tonight against East Carolina at the Fitzgerald Fieldhouse, wrapping up non-conference play against Marquette and UMBC over the next week.
