Pitt
#13 Penn State
No. 5 Panthers Travel to No. 13 Penn State for Rivalry Match
9/16/2025 11:30:00 AM | Volleyball
PITTSBURGH – The No. 5 Panthers (7-2, 0-0 ACC) hit the road to play in-state rival No. 13 Penn State on Wednesday night at Rec Hall. First serve is set for 7 p.m., and the match can be streamed on Big Ten Network.
Penn State leads the overall series 34-22, but Pitt has is on a two-match win streak. The Panthers defeated the Nittany Lions in straight sets last September in front of a program record 11,800 fans in the Petersen Events Center. Olivia Babcock recorded 13 kills, five digs and four blocks in the match, and Ryla Jones contributed seven kills and six blocks.
BLOCKS BY BREEZY
• Redshirt senior middle blocker Bre Kelley is currently fifth in the nation in blocks per set (1.70).
• This marks the best in the ACC and second among all Power Four players.
• She tied her career high with 10 blocks against Wright State this past weekend.
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 then No. 3 Kentucky in the ACC/SEC Showcase in Dickies Arena on Wednesday in Fort Worth.
• This marks 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 Mourtis 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 402-73 all time, good for an impressive .846 winning percentage.
BUSINESS AS USUAL FOR BRE
• Bre Kelley was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Week last week.
• 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 #7 Arizona State and Pepperdine.
FUN AT THE FIELD HOUSE
• The Panthers enjoyed a 2-0 home opening weekend at the Fitzgerald Field House.
• Pitt swept Pepperdine and defeated Jacksonville in four sets.
RYLA ON THE RISE
• Ryla hit .645 in three wins against Arizona State, Pepperdine and Jacksonville.
• She hit .875 and added seven kills against the Waves and recorded a career-high 11 kills on 13 swings hitting .645 against the Dolphins.
PANTHERS PERFECT AT PPG
• The Panthers went 2-0 at the State Farm Showcase at PPG Paints Arena, defeating #25 TCU in four sets and #7 Arizona State in a clean sweep.
• Blaire Bayless recorded a personal best 14 kills against the Horned Frogs, hitting a blistering .448 hitting percentage.
• Bayless followed that up with a career-high five blocks against the Sun Devils.
• Brooke Mosher impressed in the Monday night win alongside Bayless, recording 21 assists, five digs, four blocks, four aces and three kills.
MILESTONE REACHED
• Senior middle blocker Bre Kelley reached 500 career kills against #7 Arizona State at PPG Paints Arena.
• She also added a match-high seven blocks in the contest, holding the Sun Devils to a .051 hitting percentage.
1,000 KILL CLUB
• Olivia Babcock recorded her 1,000th career kill in the match against #16 Florida.
• She reached the mark in only 238 sets played as she is currently averaging 4.18 kills per set for her career.
• Babcock is currently averaging 4.29 kills per set in the 2025 campaign.
ACC POTW NODS
• Olivia Babcock and Brooke Mosher earned ACC Offensive Player of the Week and ACC Setter of the Week, respectively, after the AVCA First Serve Showcase.
• Babcock recorded 46 kills, 18 digs, six blocks, six aces and a pair of assists in two matches.
• She totaled 21 kills and five digs against #1 Nebraska and recorded her first double-double of the season with 25 kills and 13 digs against #16 Florida.
• Mosher led the Pitt offense on opening weekend and totaled 80 assists, 16 digs, three blocks, three kills and two aces.
• She added 36 assists and four digs against the Cornhuskers and earned her first double-double as a Panther against the Gators with 44 assists and 12 digs.
LIV'S BUSY SUMMER!
• Olivia Babcock had a busy summer both on and off the court.
• She played with the USA Senior National Team in the VNL for two weeks before heading to New York City for the CWSA Honda Award Banquet (6/29-6/30) and Los Angeles for the ESPYS (7/16).
• Babcock is the first Panther to be named a Honda Award winner and the first Pitt female student-athlete to be nominated for an ESPY (best college athlete in women's sports).
PANTHERS TO WATCH
• Olivia Babcock and Bre Kelley were named to the 2025 AVCA Player of the Year Watch List.
• This marks Kelley's first time being named to the list.
• Babcock makes the list after being dubbed the 2024 AVCA National Player of the Year.
NPOTY RETURNS
• Olivia Babcock returns for her junior campaign.
• She had the best season in program history last year, being named the program's first AVCA National Player of the Year, ACC Player of the Year, AVCA East Coast Region Player of the Year, AVCA First Team All-American, First Team All-ACC, and Pittsburgh NCAA Regional Most Valuable Player.
• Babcock recorded 33 kills in the National Semifinal, a program record in the rally scoring era.
• The sophomore sensation led the conference in points per set (5.85), kills per set (4.59) and aces per set (0.65) last season.
BIG BLOCK BRE
• Redshirt senior Bre Kelley is back for her fifth year after earning AVCA Second Team All-America honors last season.
• Kelley finished eighth in the nation in blocks per set (1.49)
• She finished the season hitting .497, setting both a program and ACC record.
• Along with being named an All-American, Kelley earned First Team All-ACC and East Coast Region honors.
EMERY DUPES A PANTHER
• Graduate libero Emery Dupes transferred to Pitt after four seasons at Florida State.
• She became the first All-ACC freshman libero in program history for the Seminoles.
• Dupes redshirted the 2023 season after tearing her ACL in preseason.
• She came into the 2025 campaign with career totals of 872 digs, 212 assists and 59 aces and is currently 64 digs away from hitting 1,000.
FROM GREEN TO GOLD
• Sophia Gregoire transferred to Pitt after two seasons at Oregon.
• She redshirted her freshman season and saw action in her redshirt freshman campaign before sustaining an ankle injury.
• Gregoire had an accomplished high school career and was named to the U18 roster for the USA Volleyball National Team Development Program.
B1G TO ACC
• Redshirt senior setter Brooke Mosher came to Pittsburgh this May to prepare for her fifth and final season of college volleyball.
• She played four years at Illinois and came into the season with 2,075 assists, 727 digs, 403 kills and 114 aces in her career.
EARLY ENROLLEES
• Freshman middle blocker Abbey Emch graduated high school early to join the Panthers last spring.
• Emch was the District Player of the Year and MVAC Player of the Year, notched 1st Team All Ohio, 1st Team All District, 1st Team MVAC and AVCA girls high school All-Region honors.
• Freshman libero Izzy Masten graduated a whole year early and reclassified to be a part of the 2025 Pitt volleyball team.
• She played outside hitter and libero in club and high school and won the USAV 18U Beach National Championship.
INTERNATIONAL INFLUENCE
• The Panthers welcome two international outside hitters to the 2025 team.
• Dagmar Mourits hails from the Netherlands and won the CEV Volleyball European Championship from 2019-2022.
• Marina Pezelj is from Monaco and recently was a member of the French VNL Team this past summer.
FISHER IN HIS 13TH SEASON
• Head coach Dan Fisher is in his 13th season at the helm of the Pitt volleyball team.
• He is building upon his unprecedented success, earning his sixth ACC Championship and is seeking his first National Championship.
• Fisher currently holds a 327-71 overall record at Pitt, good for a .822 winning percentage.
