With 5 All-Americans in lineup, Pitt women's volleyball ranked No. 4 nationally in preseason poll
The American Volleyball Coaches Association released its annual preseason rankings, and it’s no surprise that the Pitt women are again among the top 10.
Pitt is ranked No. 4 in the nation (after No. 1 Texas, Nebraska and Wisconsin), making it back-to-back appearances for the Panthers in the top 5 and four in a row in the top 10.
After earning a third Final Four berth in a row last season, Pitt returns five starters and five All-Americans. They are:
• Senior Rachel Fairbanks, the 2023 ACC Setter of the Year and AVCA first-team All-American.
• Olivia Babcock, the first Pitt rookie named AVCA Freshman of the Year and First Team All-American.
• Sophomore Torrey Stafford, a 2023 third-team All-American.
• Sixth-year senior Valeria Vazquez Gomez and senior Emmy Klika, who were All-Americans in 2022 and 2023, respectively.
Also, redshirt junior Bre Kelley returns after missing much of last season with an injury. She was named to the 2023 Preseason All-ACC Team.
Pitt is scheduled to play 15 matches against 2023 NCAA Tournament participants, including Sweet 16 teams Penn State and Georgia Tech and three Elite Eight teams (Louisville, Oregon and Stanford). Seven of the 15 are nonconference matches.
The season begins at 10:30 p.m. Aug. 30 in Eugene, Ore., against No. 10 Oregon. The next day, Pitt visits Long Beach State at 7 p.m.
Jerry DiPaola is a TribLive reporter covering Pitt athletics since 2011. A Pittsburgh native, he joined the Trib in 1993, first as a copy editor and page designer in the sports department and later as the Pittsburgh Steelers reporter from 1994-2004. He can be reached at jdipaola@triblive.com.
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