University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt
#17 Minnesota
Panthers to Host No. 17 Minnesota in Regional Semifinal Thursday Night
12/10/2025 4:00:00 PM | Volleyball
PITTSBURGH – The No. 1 seed Pitt volleyball team (28-4, 18-2 ACC) returns to the Petersen Events Center to host No. 2 seed SMU, No. 3 seed Purdue and No. 4 seed Minnesota on Thursday and Saturday. The Panthers will play the Golden Gophers (24-9, 12-8 Big Ten) in the Regional Semifinal on Thursday night at 7 p.m. on ESPN2. SMU and Purdue take the floor 30 minutes after the completion of the first match. The winners of both matches will play for a spot in the National Semifinal on Saturday.
Pitt and Minnesota play for the fourth time in program history and are 2-1 against the Golden Gophers. The Panthers advanced to their first Regional Final with a 3-2 win over Minnesota in April, 2021. Pitt has since been to five Regional Finals and four National Semifinals. Minnesota advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2024 before losing to Kentucky.
EAST COAST'S BEST
• Many Panthers were honored with All-Region accolades on Tuesday.
• Dan Fisher was named the back-to-back AVCA East Coast Region Coach of the Year. This marks the fourth time Fisher has earned the award.
• Olivia Babcock won the AVCA East Coast Region Player of the Year award for the second consecutive season.
• Six Panthers were dubbed AVCA East Coast All-Region - Olivia Babcock, Bre Kelley, Brooke Mosher, Blaire Bayless, Marina Pezelj (honorable mention) and Ryla Jones (honorable mention).
SIXTH SWEET 16
• The Panthers advanced to their sixth consecutive Regional Semifinal with a 3-0 sweep over Michigan.
• Olivia Babcock recorded 24 kills on a .370 hitting percentage.
• This marks the third most kills in an NCAA Tournament match in program history with Babcock holding the first and second spots as well with 33 and 31.
LIV BREAKING RECORDS AGAIN
• Olivia Babcock broke Pitt's single-season kills record with her 556th of the 2025 campaign against UMBC in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
• Wendy Hatlestad owned the previous record set in 2003 with 555.
• Babcock achieved this milestone a year after setting the 25-point rally scoring kill record, finishing the 2024 season with 538 kills.
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
• Pitt is on a 50 match winning streak at home, dating back to Sept. 14, 2023.
• The Panthers have won 14 straight matches in the Petersen Events Center in the last three seasons.
• Pitt has not lost in the Petersen Events Center since Dec. 7, 2019 when it fell to Cincinnati in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
LAST TIME OUT
• Pitt and Minnesota most recently met in Omaha at the 2021 Regional Semifinal.
• The Panthers defeated the Golden Gophers in five sets to advance to their first Regional Final.
• Since then, Pitt has been to five Regional Finals and Four National Semifinals.
PREMIUM VOLLEYBALL AT THE PETE
• The Panthers will host the second Opening Spike Classic at the Petersen Events Center next Aug. 28 and 30.
• Pitt will play Kansas the first day of the tournament and conclude with Wisconsin.
• All four programs are competing in the 2025 Regional Semifinal.
• Stanford boasts nine national championships, and Wisconsin won its first in 2021.
FOUR STRAIGHT!
• The Panthers earned a share of the ACC Championship with a sweep over Georgia Tech.
• This marks Pitt's fourth consecutive ACC title and seventh overall.
• Bre Kelley, Olivia Babcock, Blaire Bayless and Haiti Tautua'a have captured a conference title in every season of their Pitt careers.
SWEPT SEASON SERIES
• Pitt defeated Louisville in three sets to earn a season sweep over the conference rival.
• This marked the first time the Panthers have swept the Cardinals since 2020.
• Olivia Babcock notched 22 kills on a .404 hitting percentage, and Brooke Mosher recorded 30 assists and a season-high five kills.
ROOKIE COMING ALIVE
• Freshman middle blocker Abbey Emch was named the ACC Co-Defensive Player of the Week on Dec. 1.
• She averaged 2.33 blocks per set in two sweeps and recorded a career-high 10 blocks against Georgia Tech to help secure the ACC Championship.
ALL-ACC AWARDS
• The Pitt volleyball team was well represented on the ACC awards list.
• Olivia Babcock was named the ACC Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.
• Bre Kelley is the first Panther in program history to earn ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors.
• Babcock, Kelley and Brooke Mosher were named First Team All-ACC, and Blaire Bayless notched Second Team honors.
• Marina Pezelj impressed as a rookie and saw her name on the All-ACC Freshman Team.
PRO PANTHERS!
• Bre Kelley and Brooke Mosher were chosen in the MLV Draft.
• Kelley was drafted number six overall in the first round by the reigning champion Orlando Valkyries, and Brooke Mosher went in the second round as the 15th pick by the Omaha Supernovas.
• Kelley will be joining Pitt libero great Emmy Klika in Orlando.
A NATIONAL PHENOM
• Olivia Babcock made an appearance on SportsCenter with Christine Williamson on Nov. 25, breaking down her record-breaking season and the team's success.
• In addition, Babcock was highlighted on NFL Countdown heading into the match against Louisville on Oct. 19.
