University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Babcock Voted the 2025-2026 ACC Female Athlete of the Year
7/8/2026 1:57:00 PM | Volleyball
PITTSBURGH – Olivia Babcock continues to solidify her place among the greatest players in college volleyball history after being named the Mary Garber Award recipient as the ACC Female Athlete of the Year. She is the first volleyball player to earn the honor and joins Pitt legend Kenny Pickett as the only Panthers to receive the prestigious award. Babcock shares this year's recognition with Duke basketball standout Cameron Boozer, the ACC Male Athlete of the Year.
Babcock's historic junior season was highlighted by a remarkable list of accolades, including AVCA National Player of the Year, ACC Player of the Year, AVCA East Coast Region Player of the Year, AVCA Opposite of the Year, First Team All-American, First Team All-ACC, Pittsburgh NCAA Regional Most Valuable Player, Volleyball Honda Award winner and AAU Sullivan Award finalist.
She also rewrote the Pitt record book, setting the program's single-season record with 646 kills while breaking the school's long-standing single-match kills record twice. Babcock recorded 41 kills at No. 4 Louisville before surpassing that mark with 45 kills at No. 21 North Carolina.
After spending part of the summer training with the U.S. Women's National Team in Anaheim, California, Babcock has returned to Pittsburgh and will look to lead the Panthers into the 2026 season.
