Pitt volleyball clinched its third straight ACC title on the heels of a 29-1 (19-1 ACC) season, and the Panthers have racked up postseason honors.
Pitt has earned seven All-ACC honors (four first-team honors), the ACC Coach of the Year and the ACC Player of the Year. It comes as the Panthers are ranked No. 1 in the country with the No. 1 overall seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
Dan Fisher earned COTY, Olivia Babcock earned POTY (and first-team All-ACC) and Babcock, Torrey Stafford, Rachel Fairbanks and Emmy Klika earned first-team honors, Valeria Vazquez Gomez earned second-team honors and Bre Kelley earned All-Freshman honors.
Babcock leads Pitt with 563.5 points, hitting .328, and she’s racked up 436 kills, 66 aces and 105 blocks. She’s one of three Pitt players in the running for AVCA Player of the Year.
Stafford is leading the way with a .377 hitting percentage, adding 338 kills, 36 assists, 18 aces, 202 digs and 54 blocks, which showcases her all-around excellence. Fairbanks leads Pitt with 860 assists, adding 30 aces and 182 digs, performing as one of the best setters in the conference. They’re also both in the running for AVCA Player of the Year.
Klika has played all 99 sets for Pitt this season, leading the team with 275 digs. Vazquez Gomez is hitting .251 with 197 kills, 34 aces and 186 digs, and Kelley is hitting .571 with 162 kills and 127 blocks.
Fisher is in the midst of his 12th season, leading the Panthers to five ACC titles and three consecutive Final Four appearances. And his performance this season might just be the best of his stellar career.
Pitt has played in just 99 sets this season thanks to 24 sweeps, and the Panthers have been thoroughly dominant on both sides of the net — leading all of college volleyball with a .341 hitting percentage and an opponent hitting percentage of .122.
Head coach Dan Fisher and the Panthers have been ranked No. 1 in the country for almost three months, and it’s come as the Panthers have staved off top-ranked opponents (and NCAA Tournament teams) the entire way.
Pitt is scheduled to play Morehead State at 7 p.m. on Saturday, the first of what could be a long stretch of playoff volleyball at the Pete.
