Virginia
No. 3 Pitt Returns Home to Play Virginia Tech and Virginia This Weekend – Pitt Panthers #H2P
PITTSBURGH – The No. 3 Pitt volleyball team (19-3, 11-1 ACC) returns to the Fitzgerald Field House to play Virginia Tech (10-13, 2-10 ACC) on Friday night at 6 p.m. and Virginia (10-12, 3-9 ACC) on Sunday at noon. The matches can be streamed on ACCNX and ACC Network, respectively.
The Panthers hold a 16-6 all-time advantage over Virginia Tech and have won 10 straight in the series. Olivia Babcock recorded 18 kills, seven digs and two blocks against the Hokies last year to lead Pitt.
Pitt is 19-3 against Virginia and has won 12 straight matches. Seven Panthers recorded at least one kill last year against the Cavaliers in Charlottesville, and Pitt held Virginia to less than 10 points in two of the three sets. The Panthers haven’t lost to either opponent since 2015.
HISTORIC. AGAIN.
• Olivia Babcock broke her own program record with 45 kills against North Carolina on Sunday afternoon.
• That kill total is the most in NCAA Division I volleyball since Cincinnati’s Jordan Thompson had 50 against UConn on Nov. 3, 2019.
• Babcock has recorded at least 25 kills seven times this season and has three 30+ kills to her name in 2025 and four in her career.
• Her previous record was 41 kills set against rival Louisville on Oct. 19.
DYNAMIC DUO
• Olivia Babcock and Brooke Mosher earned ACC Offensive Player of the Week and ACC Setter of the Week, respectively.
• The duo has combined for eight ACC weekly accolades, with Babcock at five and Mosher at three.
• Babcock continued her dominance last week, averaging 7.88 points per set, 6.88 kills per set, 1.75 digs per set and 1.25 blocks per set in wins over Duke and then-No. 21 North Carolina.
• Mosher paced the Pitt offense by averaging 10.88 assists per set and 2.63 digs per set in two wins this past weekend.
RACKING UP RANKED WINS
• The Panthers earned their eighth ranked win of the season against then-No. 21 North Carolina on Sunday.
• They boast an 8-3 record against top 25 opponents.
• Pitt and Nebraska are tied for second in the nation with eight ranked wins right behind Texas, who has nine.
MEYER MAGIC
• Mallorie Meyer had a career day against North Carolina.
• The sophomore libero recorded a personal-best 21 digs and 10 assists to lead Pitt’s back court defense.
• Meyer and the Panthers held the Tar Heels to a .180 clip.
SWEEPS ON SWEEPS
• The Panthers swept both NC State and Wake Forest.
• Marina Pezelj had a match-high 12 kills on Friday night against the Wolfpack, tying her career high.
• Mallorie Meyer recorded a then career-high 11 digs, her second double-digit dig outing in three matches.
• Olivia Babcock notched a match-high 16 kills on a .560 hitting percentage to round out the weekend against Wake Forest.
MARINA ON A TEAR
• Freshman outside hitter Marina Pezelj has stepped in due to a Dagmar Mourits injury and is thriving.
• She tied her career high with 12 kills, a match best, in three sets against NC State while hitting .381 with eight digs, a personal best five blocks, an ace and an assist.
• Pezelj followed that up with eight kills on a .286 hitting percentage, five digs, a career-high three aces, a block and an assist against Wake Forest.
PLAYED OUR CARDS RIGHT
• Pitt came back from being down two sets to one to defeat rival Louisville in the L&N Federal Credit Union Arena.
• Olivia Babcock set a new program record with 41 kills while hitting .423, and Brooke Mosher recorded a career-high 60 assists to pace the Panthers to a .313 team hitting percentage.
• Mallorie Meyer notched 10 digs and seven assists, and Blaire Bayless also registered a career-high eight digs.
• Babcock made an appearance on NFL Countdown to help preview the top-10 rivalry match.
SURVIVED IN FIVE
• The Panthers earned a gritty five-set win over Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind.
• Olivia Babcock had a match-high 29 kills, and Marina Pezelj enjoyed a career day with 17 digs and 12 kills.
• Pitt is currently 4-2 in five set matches this year.
HISTORY MADE!
• Olivia Babcock was named the AVCA National Player of the Week after setting a new program record with 41 kills in the five-set victory over then-No. 4 Louisville.
• She became just the second player to earn four weekly national awards in a career, tying Minnesota’s Stephanie Samedy for the all-time mark.
• Babcock rewrote the previous record of 37 set by Ann Marie Lucanie against Auburn on 9/13/91.
• She is the only player in the NCAA to record at least 40 kills in a single match this season and the fourth to reach that milestone since 2019.
STAT STUFFER
• Olivia Babcock is currently second in the nation in points per set (6.07), tied for second in kills per set (5.24) and fourth in total points (504) and total kills (435).
• Bre Kelley is 17th in blocks per set (1.41).
• Brooke Mosher is 36th in total assists (843) and 44th in assists per set (9.92).
ACC AWARDS KEEP ROLLIN’ IN
• Olivia Babcock earned her fourth ACC Offensive Player of the Week award of the season (10/20).
• This marks the 14th ACC weekly honor of her career (8 Offensive Player of the Week and 6 Freshman of the Week)
DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE
• Olivia Babcock has recorded a team best eight double-doubles so far this season.
• Six of them have come in the last 13 matches, including a career-high 17 dig performance against No. 11 SMU.
• Her 2.18 digs per set this season is a personal best, improving upon her 1.82 digs per set her sophomore year.
Virginia
Greensburg Central Catholic star Erica Gribble changes plans, follows coach from Richmond to Virginia of the ACC
Virginia
Virginia’s Spanberger Approves Workplace Heat Safety Standards
Virginia will join a growing list of states with workplace heat safety standards that private-sector employers must follow under legislation approved by Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D).
The bill (SB 288) tasks the state’s Safety and Health Codes Board with creating standards for indoor and outdoor workplaces no later than May 1, 2028, adding Virginia to a handful of states that have dictated heat safety protocols in the absence of a federal standard.
The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration continued work on developing a national heat safety rule in 2025, but President Donald Trump’s deregulatory goals are likely to yield a more employer-friendly standard than those passed in Democratic-majority states.
Virginia employers will be required to provide water, access to shade, rest periods, acclimatization, and training for working in heat. High-heat procedures would take effect at a temperature threshold to be determined by the board in its rulemaking.
Deciding on an appropriate temperature threshold to trigger protections has been a notable challenge, both in state proposals and OSHA’s federal regulatory efforts.
California, Maryland, Minnesota, Oregon, and Washington state have mandated workplace heat safety standards, while Colorado has imposed a standard specific to agriculture workers.
Virginia regulators previously considered a workplace heat safety proposal but halted the rulemaking process in late 2021, with some board members citing concerns it would conflict or be redundant with the federal regulation that they thought at the time would be implemented soon.
Virginia
Bill signing aims to bolster horse racing industry in West Virginia
CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. (WCHS) — Gov. Patrick Morrisey signaled support for the horse racing industry in West Virginia through a bill signing Monday.
Senate Bill 1060 updates laws to include certified thoroughbred horses and raises a funding cap for restricted races from $1 million to $2 million.
The measure allows horses that have lived in West Virginia for six months to compete for larger purses. State leaders are hopeful the move will incentivize out-of-state horse owners to relocate to West Virginia.
In addition, the bill would allow licensed racing associations to transmit broadcasts of races with a portion of wagers going toward the West Virginia Thoroughbred Development Fund.
Changes will go into effect on June 7.
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Currently, horse races are held in West Virginia’s panhandles, at the Mountaineer Racetrack and Resort in New Cumberland and the Hollywood Casino in Charles Town.
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