Babcock and Fisher Named East Coast Region Player and Coach of the Year, Six Panthers Honored
PITTSBURGH – Head Coach Dan Fisher and Olivia Babcock headlined a strong showing of AVCA East Coast Region honors for the Panthers on Tuesday morning, the organization announced. Fisher was named AVCA East Coast Region Coach of the Year for the fourth time, while Babcock earned her second straight AVCA East Coast Region Player of the Year award. In total, six Panthers, Babcock, Brooke Mosher, Bre Kelley, Blaire Bayless, Marina Pezelj and Ryla Jones, were recognized for standout seasons.
Fisher earns his second consecutive East Coast Region Coach of the Year honor after guiding Pitt to its fourth straight ACC Championship and sixth consecutive Regional Semifinal. The Panthers also secured a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the third year in a row, giving them the opportunity to host through the National Semifinal.
Babcock repeats as Region Player of the Year, adding another major accolade to her remarkable junior campaign. She is averaging 5.89 points per set and has collected five ACC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Babcock earned AVCA National Player of the Week recognition after breaking the program record with 41 kills against Louisville — a record she later reset with 45 kills against North Carolina. She was also named First Team All-ACC for the third straight year and is an AVCA National Player of the Year semifinalist.
Mosher earned AVCA East Coast Region honors following a season in which she once again fueled Pitt’s high-powered offense. A First Team All-ACC selection, she is averaging a career-best 9.86 assists per set while leading a Panther attack hitting .311 — sixth-best nationally. Mosher tallied seven double-doubles and earned three ACC Setter of the Week awards.
Redshirt senior Kelley continued her dominance on both sides of the ball en route to East Coast All-Region recognition and her second straight First Team All-ACC selection. She ranks 10th nationally and first in the ACC with 1.49 blocks per set, while also hitting .370 and adding 1.49 kills per set. Kelley earned ACC Defensive Player of the Week honors after averaging 2.10 blocks and 1.90 kills per set in dominant performances against Pepperdine and Jacksonville.
Junior outside hitter Bayless collected her first career AVCA East Coast Region honor, adding to her recent Second Team All-ACC selection. She is averaging 2.66 kills per set on .294 hitting, highlighted by a career-high 16 kills against Georgia Tech and a personal-best 11 digs against Louisville. Bayless has hit at least .400 in seven matches and reached double-digit kills 13 times.
Pezelj was named AVCA East Coast Honorable Mention following an impressive debut season that also earned her a spot on the All-ACC Freshman Team. She averaged 1.95 kills and 1.73 digs per set while hitting .231 in conference play.
Sophomore middle blocker Jones earned East Coast Region Honorable Mention for the second straight year. She is averaging 1.20 blocks per set and hitting .376, continuing her impactful presence at the net.
