Pitt
NC State
No. 4 Pitt Plays Host to NC State and Wake Forest This Weekend
10/23/2025 11:05:00 AM | Volleyball
PITTSBURGH – The No. 4 Pitt volleyball team (15-3, 7-1 ACC) returns to the Fitzgerald Field House this weekend to play NC State (10-8, 3-5 ACC) on Friday night at 7 p.m. and Wake Forest (9-10, 3-5 ACC) on Sunday at 1 p.m. The Panthers are currently coming off back-to-back five set wins against Notre Dame and Louisville as they look to add two more ACC wins to their resume.
Pitt holds a 16-2 record against NC State and is currently on an eight-match win streak. Bre Kelley had a career day against the Wolfpack last year, hitting a personal best .800 with eight kills and six blocks.
The Panthers also dominate the series against Wake Forest 13-1 and have won ten straight matches. Ryla Jones impressed on the defensive end against the Demon Deacons in 2024, notching six blocks. The Panthers have not lost to NC State or Wake Forest since 2017 and 2016, respectively.
PLAYED OUR CARDS RIGHT
• Pitt came back from being down two sets to one to defeat rival Louisville in the L&N Federal Credit Union Arena on Sunday.
• Olivia Babcock set a new program record with 41 kills while hitting .423, and Brooke Mosher recorded a career-high 60 assists to pace the Panthers to a .313 team hitting percentage.
• Mallorie Meyer notched a personal best 10 digs and seven assists, and Blaire Bayless also registered a career-high eight digs.
• Babcock made an appearance on NFL Countdown to help preview the top-10 rivalry match.
SURVIVED IN FIVE
• The Panthers earned a gritty five-set win over Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. last Friday night.
• Olivia Babcock had a match-high 29 kills, and Marina Pezelj enjoyed a career day with 17 digs and 12 kills.
• Pitt is currently 3-2 in five set matches this year.
HISTORY MADE, AGAIN!
• Olivia Babcock was named the AVCA National Player of the Week after setting a new program record with 41 kills in the five-set victory over then No. 4 Louisville.
• She became just the second player to earn four weekly national awards in a career, tying Minnesota's Stephanie Samedy for the all-time mark.
• Babcock rewrote the previous record of 37 set by Ann Marie Lucanie against Auburn on 9/13/91.
• She is the only player in the NCAA to record at least 40 kills in a single match this season and the fourth to reach that milestone since 2019.
STAT STUFFER
• Olivia Babcock is currently second in the nation in points per set (5.94), fourth in total points (410), sixth in kills per set (5.14) and seventh in total kills (355).
• Bre Kelley is 16th in blocks per set (1.42).
• Brooke Mosher is 26th in the country in total assists (709) and 35th in assists per set (9.99)
RECORD WATCH
• Redshirt senior libero Emery Dupes is four digs away from 1,000 for her career.
• She recorded 872 digs at Florida State and sits at 124 this season as a Panther.
ACC AWARDS KEEP ROLLIN' IN
• Olivia Babcock earned her fourth ACC Offensive Player of the Week award of the season on Monday.
• This marks the 14th ACC weekly honor of her career (8 Offensive Player of the Week and 6 Freshman of the Week)
DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE
• Olivia Babcock has recorded a team best eight double-doubles so far this season.
• Six of them have come in the last nine matches, including a career-high 17 dig performance against No. 11 SMU in the Petersen Events Center.
• Her 2.28 digs per set this season is a personal best, improving upon her 1.82 digs per set her sophomore year.
30 KILL OUTING
• Olivia Babcock recorded 30 kills on a .519 hitting percentage with only three errors on 52 swings against No. 18 Miami.
• This marked her third 30+ kill match of her career and the first since the National Semifinal last season.
SILENCED THE SEMINOLES
• Pitt swept Florida State in Tallahassee behind Olivia Babcock's 18 kills.
• Emery Dupes led the match with 12 digs, and Babcock and Bre Kelley shared the match high with six blocks.
HOTTEST TICKET IN TOWN
• The Panthers played in front of two sellout crowds against Clemson (10/3) and Georgia Tech (10/5) at the Fitzgerald Field House.
• These marked the first sellouts of the season.
TRIPLE B'S CAREER DAY
• Blaire Bayless added a career-high 16 kills on a .429 clip against the Yellow Jackets.
• She is hitting a career best .296 for the season and has hit at least .400 in six matches.
OLIVIA ON OFFENSE
• Olivia Babcock recorded 25 kills against Georgia Tech (10/5) while hitting .404.
• This marked Babcock's third match of the season where she notched at least 25 kills.
FRIDAY NIGHT SWEEP
• Pitt defeated Clemson in straight sets and hit a season-high .479 as a team.
• Eight Panthers recorded at least two kills on the night, and Olivia Babcock added 12 kills on a .632 hitting clip.
TAMED THE STANGS
• The Panthers completed the home-and-home series against No. 11 SMU with a four-set win on Sept. 28.
• The match was highlighted by Olivia Babcock's explosive double-double of 29 kills and a career-best and match-high 17 digs.
• All five of Pitt's primary hitters recorded at least six kills in the match, and Blaire Bayless followed Babcock with 12 of her own.
DYNAMIC DUO
• For the second time this season, Olivia Babcock and Brooke Mosher have earned ACC Player of the Week honors.
• Babcock averaged 6.06 points per set and 5.67 kills per set while hitting .419 to notch ACC Offensive Player of the Week.
• Mosher had two career matches against SMU, registering 51 assists in Dallas and 52 in the series finale in the Petersen Events Center.
FOREVER PANTHERS IN TOWN!
• Pitt volleyball alumni were honored in Pittsburgh on Sept. 28 as many Forever Panthers were recognized on the floor on Sunday afternoon.
• Pitt volleyball alumni presented the 2024 team with their ACC Championship/Final Four rings before first serve.
• Notable names like Rachel Fairbanks, Emmy Klika and Cat Flood were in attendance along with many others.
PANTHERS RECOGNIZED!
• The Panthers were recognized at the Pitt-Louisville football game (9/27).
• Olivia Babcock was honored with her Honda Award, and the 2024 Pitt volleyball team was recognized for their ACC Championship and Final Four appearance.
REVENGE GAME WON
• The Panthers sought revenge against SMU at Moody Coliseum after dropping their only regular season match in 2024 to the Mustangs.
• Redshirt senior Brooke Mosher recorded a previous career-high 51 assists along with seven digs, five aces, four blocks and two kills.
• Olivia Babcock notched 22 kills on a .400 hitting percentage and added a team-high 12 digs.
KEYSTONE CLASSIC CHAMPS
• Pitt defeated Penn State in Rec Hall on Sept. 17 in four sets.
• This marked the third straight victory over the Nittany Lions and four in the last five meetings.
• Olivia Babcock led the Panthers with 20 points, and Ryla Jones had a match-high nine blocks.
BLOCKS BY BREEZY
• Redshirt senior middle blocker Bre Kelley is currently 16th in the nation in blocks per set (1.42).
• She tied her career high with 10 blocks against Wright State on Sept 12.
CAREER HIGHS
• Multiple Panthers had career days against Ohio.
• Sophia Gregoire recorded 10 kills, and Marina Pezelj notched eight, Dalia Virlan registered five blocks, and Izzy Masten added a personal best seven assists and three aces.
TOP 5 SWEEP
• The Panthers defeated No. 3 Kentucky in the ACC/SEC Showcase in Dickies Arena in Fort Worth.
• This marked Pitt's first top five win of the season and third top 25 victory.
• Olivia Babcock tied a match high with 15 kills while Brooke Mosher recorded 39 assists and 13 digs.
• Dagmar Mourits registered a career-high 13 kills and hit .281 on the night.
400 WINS!
• Head Coach Dan Fisher recorded his 400th career win in the sweep against Kentucky.
• He is 410-74 all time, good for an impressive .847 winning percentage.
BUSINESS AS USUAL FOR BRE
• Bre Kelley was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 8 after three wins over Arizona State, Pepperdine and Jacksonville.
• She averaged 2.10 blocks per set and hit .429 and averaged 1.90 kills per set on the offensive end.
• Kelley notched nine blocks against Jacksonville while combining for 11 blocks in the wins over No. 7 Arizona State and Pepperdine.
