University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Babcock, Bayless Announce Return to Pitt Volleyball for Fifth Season
9/26/2026 7:09:00 AM | Volleyball
PITTSBURGH — Pitt volleyball seniors Olivia Babcock and Blaire Bayless have announced they will return to the Panthers for a fifth season in 2027, extending one of the most decorated partnerships in program history.
Babcock, a two-time AVCA National Player of the Year, and Bayless will use their final season of eligibility to continue their careers in the Blue and Gold as the Panthers pursue a national championship.
The announcement comes as Pitt sits at No. 2 in the national rankings with an 11-0 start to the season and an active 57-match home winning streak – one of the longest in NCAA Division I history.
"It's hard to put into words what Olivia and Blaire mean to Pitt volleyball, and we're thrilled that they have chosen to come back and give us another year," Head Coach Dan Fisher said. "Both players are incredibly competitive, committed to this program and hungry to finish what they've started. Having the opportunity to coach them for another season is a blessing and a huge honor. The future looks very bright!"
Babcock and Bayless have anchored a Pitt program that has established itself among the nation's elite over the past four seasons. They have made three trips to the Final Four and have an overall record of 103-12, which includes a 37-11 mark against ranked opponents. The duo has lost just one home match in four seasons at Pitt.
The two seniors have written very different stories at Pitt.
Babcock made a splash from the start and was named AVCA Freshman of the Year in 2023. She went on to earn AVCA Player of the Year honors in 2024 and 2025, becoming just the fifth player in the award's history to win it twice. Babcock has also been a two-time Honda Award winner and a two-time ESPY finalist for Best College Athlete, Women's Sports. She is closing in on the program's all-time career records in both kills and service aces.
Bayless, on the other hand, built her legacy brick-by-brick over four years at Pitt. She became the exception in this era of college athletics – a player who stayed at the same school for four years and made steady, continual growth.
As a freshman in 2023, she played in just seven sets. A year later, she saw action in 89 sets over 33 matches. A year ago, Bayless truly blossomed, increasing her production in almost every area while averaging 2.65 kills per set on .296 hitting.
But she didn't settle.
In 2026, Bayless is breaking through the ceiling once more, averaging 3.24 kills, 2.00 digs, 0.62 blocks and 3.58 points per set – all of which are on pace to be career-highs.
Now, both Babcock and Bayless will add another chapter to their Pitt careers with one more opportunity to chase the ultimate prize.
No. 2 Pitt (11-0, 1-0 ACC) returns to action Sunday at 8:30 p.m. against No. 12 Stanford inside Victory Heights. The match, which features the top two programs in the preseason ACC poll, will be televised nationally on ESPN.
