CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – Pitt junior right side hitter Olivia Babcock was named the winner for the 2025 Honda Sport Award for Volleyball, the Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) announced on Saturday, January 18.
The 2024 AVCA Division I Player of the Year helped lead the Panthers to a 33-2 overall record and 19-1 conference record this season, as well as to their fourth consecutive trip to the national semifinals. In the 2024 season, Babcock hit .323 with 538 kills while adding 71 aces to lead the Panthers’ offense. Defensively, the Los Angeles, California, native recorded 208 digs and 128.0 total blocks.
The 2024 ACC Volleyball Player of the Year, All-ACC First Team selection and AVCA First-Team All-American’s 538 kills this season were the most in the ACC and ranked 10th in Division I volleyball. Babcock also finished the season at the top of the conference and No. 12 in the nation with 4.72 kills per set. Babcock’s performance on the right side this year helped Pitt break the ACC single-season record for hitting percentage (.332), which was previously set by Georgia Tech in 2003 with a .331 hitting percentage.
In the 2024 NCAA Volleyball Championship semifinals against Louisville on Thursday, December 19, Babcock recorded a career-high 33 kills, setting a Pitt record for the most kills in an NCAA Tournament match. Her 33 kills were the most in a NCAA semifinal game since Cincinnati’s Jordan Thompson’s 50-kill performance in 2019.
Babcock’s 71 aces were the most in the ACC and ranked fifth in the nation. The sophomore cemented her name in the history book, recording the most service aces for the Pitt Panthers in the 25-point scoring era.
Babcock was the first ACC player to receive the AVCA Division I Player of the Year award while a member of the conference. She is also the first ACC player to receive the Honda Sport Award for Volleyball while a member of the conference.
The Honda Sport Award has been presented annually by the CWSA for the past 49 years, recognizing the top women athletes in 12 NCAA-sanctioned sports and symbolizing “the best of the best in collegiate athletics.” Babcock is now a finalist for the prestigious Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the 2025 Honda Cup, which will be presented during the live broadcast of the Collegiate Women Sports Awards Presented by Honda…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Atlantic Coast Conference…