Is Olivia Babcock the Greatest Athlete in Pitt History? (Guest Post)
David Vatz looks at the case for Babcock as Pitt's GOAT -- and the one former star standing in her way.
Good morning from Carolina, Puerto Rico! Wednesday was a big, if predictable, National Signing Day for Pitt Volleyball. All five players who committed to Pitt for 2026 signed their letters, creating "the highest ranked class in program history" according to Pitt's recap. Check it out – always interesting to read between the lines of coach Dan Fisher's comments.
While I'm away on vacation, David Vatz – Pitt alum and fellow Pitt Volleyball season-ticket holder – agreed to take on a topic that scares me to tackle. -JS
By David Vatz
Every so often (yes, even at Pitt), we are graced with special athletes who help to redefine greatness. In my lifetime, I’ve had the pleasure to watch greats like Darrelle Revis, Larry Fitzgerald, Aaron Donald, Rachel Fairbanks, DeJuan Blair, and many others who have helped to shape a proud athletic tradition at Pitt.
Before my time, Pitt’s tradition of greatness is perhaps even stronger, with names like Tony Dorsett, Dan Marino, Hugh Green, Trecia Kaye-Smith, and Roger Kingdom. There are plenty to choose from in the Pitt Sports Hall of Fame.
But recently, social media has been abuzz with a question - Is Olivia Babcock the greatest athlete in the history of Pitt athletics? Her meteoric rise, from coming in as a highly recruited freshman to being almost immediately recognized as one of the best volleyball players in the country, has been incredibly fun to watch, as are the great successes of the teams from her nearly three seasons at Pitt.
But is she the greatest of all time? The short answer to the question is that she’s on the path. The longer answer requires a stroll through the hall of campus legends, where figures like Dorsett, Green, Kingdom, and others loom large on the Mount Rushmore of Panther greatness.
Babcock’s Credentials
To call her résumé impressive is an understatement. Babcock is only a junior, yet she already carries two First-Team All-American selections, a National Player of the Year award, and the distinction of being one of the engines of the best era in the history of Pitt volleyball. She appears to be on the brink of what could be another NPOTY selection, and will unquestionably earn her third First-Team All American selection.
In addition to that, Babcock has helped to lead her team to two straight Final Fours, two ACC Championships, and in her junior season Pitt is performing like a team that could be headed for similar successes. And make no mistake - that success is on the shoulders of Babcock, who now has two matches with 40+ kills this season, including the absolutely bonkers 41-kill, .423 performance against top-5 ranked Louisville.
I also want to note that, from following Babcock for multiple seasons now, being honored as one of the greatest of all time at Pitt is probably not an honor that would drive her. When being interviewed after her 2024 National Player of the Year award, she said "I don't play for the awards, I play for the people. When you're playing for good people and people that you love, good things come out of it."
Babcock is a selfless, team-oriented player who always credits her teammates for her individual success - an admirable quality that only helps to elevate her individual stature as one of the greatest ever at Pitt!
The Current GOAT
But to claim the title of “greatest of all time” requires confronting Tony Dorsett, whose Panthers career makes him, by my estimation, the greatest collegiate athlete in the history of Pitt.
By New Year's Day 1977, Dorsett had claimed the Heisman Trophy, set the NCAA career rushing record, and carried Pitt to a national championship. His legacy is not one that will topple easily.
To surpass that standard, Babcock needs more than stardom. She needs history.
That said, there is a path for Babcock. Volleyball’s popularity at Pitt is partly the result of her generation of athletes and the Dan Fisher era. The program she leads is a relative newcomer to the Volleyball blue bloods, and that context matters. Being the cornerstone of a rising powerhouse carries different significance than starring in a program that has already made it. It is one thing to extend a dynasty, but another thing all together to build one.
How Babcock Could Become the GOAT
If we’re constructing the roadmap to toppling Dorsett, here are some of the things that would help get her there. She probably doesn’t need all of these to be considered the greatest, but getting them all would make it undeniable.
1. A National Championship. This is the Dorsett hurdle. Winning a title would help to crystallize Babcock as the greatest of all time. Pitt volleyball has knocked on this door before, with four straight Final Fours, that streak beginning before she arrived. Breaking through and winning a championship, the first in Pitt Volleyball history and the first National Championship for any Pitt Panthers team in any sport* since Dorsett’s 1976 football team, would unquestionably cement her legacy
2. A Four-Time First-Team All-American Career. This seems like it’s almost a forgone conclusion, but if Babcock collects two more First-Team All-American honors, she becomes one of the most decorated athletes in any sport in Pitt history.
3. Multiple National Player of the Year Awards. A second National Player of the Year award would be a rare accomplishment by any player in the Volleyball world, but Babcock certainly could do it. Her dominance this season has her as one of the semi-finalists for the award, and I don’t think anyone would be shocked to see her win it. And she’s still a junior!
4. A String of Final Four Appearances. The Panthers’ deep postseason runs matter. Multiple Final Fours, particularly now that the core of players who started the Final Four run are gone, would help to solidify her place on the list of all time greats.
5. Sticking around for all four years Not to tempt fate here, as I’m still not over the Torrey Stafford transfer, but I think to be considered the greatest, we can’t have any transfer portal action!
The Present and the Possible
Right now, Babcock is building the kind of career that Pitt Volleyball fans won’t soon forget. But she is still a junior. As incredible as her early career has been, greatness at Dorsett’s level requires her to continue that greatness and help the team to reach new heights. She’s already a legendary Pitt athlete, but the final chapters remain unwritten.
The Verdict
So is Olivia Babcock the greatest athlete in the history of the University of Pittsburgh?
Not yet.
But she is the most plausible heir to that title that Pitt has seen in decades. If she keeps stacking honors, carrying her team deep into the tournament, and pushing the program into previously unreachable territory, she could end her career as not only Pitt’s greatest volleyball player, but as the most accomplished athlete ever to wear the Panther logo.
If her career ended today, she would already be on the Mount Rushmore of Pitt Athletics. But it’ll take another season-and-a-half to figure out if she has climbed all of the way to the top.
*OK, my former team from my time at Pitt (class of ‘08), the Pitt Men’s Ultimate Frisbee team, won the National Championship in 2012 and 2013. But I'm only counting official varsity sports here!
