A lot of folks expected this to be Olivia Babcock’s final season of college volleyball at the University of Pittsburgh.
However, due to a new NCAA rule, Babcock — the two-time AVCA National Player of the Year — now has an extra year of eligibility.
And she’s taking advantage of it.
Babcock and fellow All-ACC teammate Blaire Bayless announced Saturday, Sept. 26 during the first quarter of Pitt’s football game against Bucknell. With Babcock still in the fold next season, Pitt is likely to once again be a contender for the national title. Under coach Dan Fisher, the Panthers have advanced to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament in each of the past five seasons.
Pitt, which is 11-0 on the season with Babcock and Bayless leading the way, are ranked second in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll.
“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,” Fisher said in a statement. “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.”
Back in June, the NCAA changed its longstanding eligibility structures to an age-based model, commonly referred to as the “five-in-five” rule. Beginning with the day a student-athlete enrolls or their 19th birthday, whichever comes first, current and future college athletes will have five years to play five seasons of their sport. Along with every other active college athlete, Babcock and Blaire were grandfathered-in to the eligibility structure.
A 6-foot-4 right-side hitter from Los Angeles, California, Babcock has consistently been one of the best players in the sport during her time at Pitt. In addition to her pair of National Player of the Year honors, she’s a three-time All-American, was the ACC and AVCA Freshman of the Year in 2023, and has twice been nominated for the ESPY for Best College Athlete in Women’s Sports.
Babcock set a Pitt program record and ranked second nationally in kills last season with 646. This season, she ranks third in RAPM, an advanced statistic from Evollve which measures the player’s incremental impact on the probability of winning a point versus an average player. She averages 5.06 kills-per-set this season, which also ranks third nationally.
Additionally, Babcock was the 2025-26 ACC Female Athlete of the Year, making her the first volleyball player to win that award.
Babcock is one of just five players ever to win two AVCA Player of the Year honors. Should she win a third nod this year, Babcock would be the first-ever three-time winner of the award.
Bayless, an outside hitter from Plano, Texas, had a breakout junior season last year with 318 kills, 115 digs, 58 blocks and 16 assists. Babcock and Bayless lead Pitt in scoring this season.
Pitt is 5-0 against ranked opponents this season and faces No. 11 Stanford on Sunday night at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NCAA volleyball star Olivia Babcock will return to Pitt for a 5th season
Reporting by Mitchell Northam, USA TODAY / USA TODAY
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
