Babcock and Kelley Named to AVCA Player of the Year Watch List
7/22/2025 1:00:00 PM | Volleyball
PITTSBURGH – The AVCA (American Volleyball Coaches Association) released its second ever Division I Player of the Year Watch List, presented by Nike Volleyball. Olivia Babcock and Bre Kelley are included in the 30-player list with 20 schools represented. Pitt is one of only nine programs to have two or more athletes up for the honor.
Babcock enjoyed the most successful season in program history last year, being named Pitt's first AVCA National Player of the Year, ACC Player of the Year, AVCA East Coast Region Player of the Year, Pittsburgh Regional Most Outstanding Player, Honda Award winner, AAU Sullivan Award Semifinalist and ESPY nominee.
She led the Pitt offense and averaged 5.94 points per set, 4.72 kills per set, 1.82 digs per set and 0.62 aces per set. Babcock won two AVCA National Player of the Week and three ACC Offensive Player of the Week awards last season. Babcock also set a program record with 71 aces in 2024, passing Dee MacAulay who recorded 67 aces in 1989. She is fifth in program history for most kills in a single season with 538 and first in the rally scoring era.
Kelley earned Second Team All-American honors for the first time after being named an AVCA East Coast All-Region Team member last season. She was named a First Team All-ACC player and finished the season eighth in the nation in blocks per set with 1.49. She hit a program and ACC record .497 and earned ACC Defensive Player of the Week (10/21) after averaging 2.00 blocks per set and 1.67 kills per set, hitting .450 in two sweeps over Cal and Stanford.
