University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt
#6 Texas A&M
Panthers Primed for National Semifinal Against Texas A&M Thursday Night
12/17/2025 7:29:00 PM | Volleyball
PITTSBURGH – The No. 1 seeded Pitt volleyball team (30-4, 18-2 ACC) is primed for the 2025 National Semifinal against No. 6 Texas A&M (27-4, 14-1 SEC) on Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. The winner will take on either No. 2 Kentucky or No. 10 Wisconsin on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET for a chance at a National Championship.
The Panthers hold a 4–2 advantage in the all-time series against the Aggies and claimed the most recent meeting on Aug. 18, 2022, with a straight-sets victory. In that match, 2024 ACC Setter of the Year and AVCA First Team All-American Rachel Fairbanks posted a triple-double (15 assists, 13 kills, 12 digs) to lead the Panthers. This season, the Aggies advanced to their first National Semifinal after upsetting previously undefeated No. 1 overall seed Nebraska. Texas A&M features nine seniors on its 2025 roster and is led by right side hitter Logan Lednickey and Ifenna Cos-Okpalla.
NPOTY FINALIST AGAIN
• Olivia Babcock was named an AVCA Player of the Year Finalist for the second straight season.
• She would become the fifth player in the award's history to receive the award back to back and the first since Kathryn Plummer.
FIVE STRAIGHT SEMIS
• The Panthers have advanced to their fifth consecutive National Semifinal with the 3-1 win over Purdue.
• Pitt is the fourth team in history to accomplish the feat and the first since Texas (2012-2016).
PITTSBURGH REGIONAL TEAM
• Three Panthers were honored on the Pittsburgh Regional Team after the Regional Semifinal and Final matches.
• Olivia Babcock was named the Pittsburgh Regional Most Outstanding Player for the third consecutive season after averaging 6.00 kills per set and 1.71 digs per set.
• Brooke Mosher and Marina Pezelj were also named All-Tournament Team members for their impressive performances.
BEAT THE BOILERS
• Pitt defeated Purdue in four sets in the Regional Final on Saturday night behind Babcock's 23 kills.
• The two teams met for the first time since Pitt earned the win over the Boilermakers in the 2021 Regional Final.
• This win allowed Pitt to advance to its first National Semifinal in program history.
ALL THE SWEEPS!
• Pitt swept Minnesota in the Regional Semifinal to advance to its sixth consecutive Regional Final.
• For the first time in program history, the Panthers opened the NCAA Tournament with three straight sweeps.
• Olivia Babcock led the way with 19 kills, and Bre Kelley hit .800 with eight kills on 10 swings.
EAST COAST'S BEST
• Many Panthers were honored with All-Region accolades.
• 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 52 match winning streak at home, dating back to Sept. 14, 2023.
• The Panthers have won 15 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.
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.
