Olivia Babcock, the ACC Player of the Year in volleyball for the past two seasons, had 19 kills to help host Pittsburgh fend off the Gophers volleyball team 25-16, 25-23, 25-22 in the NCAA regional semifinals on Thursday.
Babcock, a 6-foot-4 junior from Los Angeles, had nine kills — three in a row to end the match — in the third set for the Panthers, the No. 4 overall seed.
The Panthers (29-4), who remained unbeaten in 16 home matches, will play Purdue, a 16-25, 25-19, 25-22, 29-27 winner over Southern Methodist in Thursday’s late match, for the regional title. Pitt lost to Louisville in the semifinals of the Final Four last season.
Carly Gilk and Kelly Kinney each had nine kills and Julia Hanson, playing her final match for the Gophers, had eight for the Gophers (24-10). Hanson finished her Gophers career with 1,041 kills.
The Gophers were playing in the Sweet 16 for the ninth time in the past 11 seasons but for the first time since 2022 and the first time under coach Keegan Cook. They also lost to Pitt in the regional semifinals in April 2021, when the NCAA tournament was held in the spring because of COVID-19 and played in Omaha.
“Congrats to Pittsburgh on the win and thanks to the university and city for being such great hosts,” Cook told reporters in Pittsburgh after the game. “I’m proud of the way our team battled tonight and throughout the season. We just fell a little bit short tonight. I told the team I have loved coaching them all year and appreciate their willingness to learn and grow. We’re going to miss these seniors next year, but we’re glad to get back to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament and continue to push the program forward.”
After Pitt was in control throughout the first set, the Gophers led 10-9 midway through the second set before the Panthers took a 20-17 lead. The Gophers used a 6-3 run to tie it 23-23, the 13th tie of the set, but the Panthers scored the final two points on a kill from Marina Pezelj and a block of Gilk from Blaire Bayless and Abbey Emch.
