The AVCA (American Volleyball Coaches Association) has named Olivia Babcock as the 2024 AVCA National Player of the Year, announced on Friday. Babcock is the first Panther in program history to earn the award and recognized as this season’s most dominant athlete.
Babcock adds AVCA National Player of the Year to her long resume in only her sophomore campaign. This season, she has notched First Team All-America, ACC Player of the Year, First Team All-ACC, AVCA East Coast Region Player of the Year and East Coast Region Team honors. She was named the Pittsburgh Regional Most Outstanding Player last weekend after recording 44 kills in the two wins over No. 14 Oregon and No. 11 Kentucky. Her 33 kills against Louisville in the National Semifinal are a career high and the most kills registered by a Panther since 2007.
She leads the Pitt offense and averages 5.94 points per set, 4.72 kills per set, 1.82 digs per set and 0.62 aces per set. Babcock won two AVCA National Player of the Week and three ACC Offensive Player of the Week awards this season.
Babcock’s 71 aces this season is a program record, passing Dee MacAulay who recorded 67 aces in 1989. She is fifth in program history for most kills in a single season with 538 and first in the rally scoring era.
