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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.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In this world of college football, with the transfer portal and recruiting battles, bad blood is present more than ever before between head coaches.
That’s not the case between the Virginia Tech head coach and Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, however. In fact, Franklin revealed at ACC Kickoff on Thursday that the two are actually close friends, dating back to their time at the Nike trip that various coaches take over the summer.
“Dabo’s my guy,” Franklin said on Thursday. “We go way back. We’ve been on the Nike trip for a long time. His wife and my wife are friends.”
The long-time Penn State head coach is making the move to the ACC after being fired from the Nittany Lions in October. 12 seasons of being with the program had Franklin hold a 44-21 record against top 10 opponents, an impressive record for a new conference foe of Swinney’s.
But when that trip comes around, there’s a camaraderie between Swinney and Franklin and both of their wives. In fact, the two hang out with each other instead of the other coaches at times. It simply comes to an “edgy” time in college athletics that raises tempers.
“I’m going to be honest, I wouldn’t say we’re necessarily like the type of people that love a lot of other coaches and a lot of other programs,” Franklin said. “It’s hard when you just compete year-round.”
On Swinney’s end, there are a few who could immediately come to mind among Clemson fans. Perhaps the most recent would be Ole Miss coach Pete Golding, who played the most significant role in the tampering of former linebacker Luke Ferrelli.
It’s a select list of coaches who make the good side of the Tigers’ head coach, and Franklin is certainly on that list. On the other hand, Hokies’ head coach has Swinney on his own shortlist.
“Obviously, tremendous respect for what he has built at Clemson and what he’s done at Clemson, and what he’s done for the ACC,” he said.
The two will see that close relationship face off at Memorial Stadium this upcoming season. Clemson will host the Hokies on Oct. 24 in what could be a potential title-eliminator for the ACC Championship.
Of course, the last game that we’ve seen the Tigers play in was against Franklin’s former team in Penn State at the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. That game ended in a 22-10 contest that saw a foundation of Franklin players end Clemson’s season in disappointment.
Swinney will see many of those players once again in October, including starting quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, in that contest. The anticipated Hokie starter recorded 260 yards and two passing touchdowns on the Tigers in the Bronx that day.
Although friends become foes, another ACC coach has given Swinney his flowers for what he’s been able to do for the conference. In the upcoming moments, Franklin will look to prepare his team to prove itself on one of the biggest stages in the ACC, while Swinney looks to put his team back at the top of a conference he’s dominated for over 15 years.
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MARTINSVILLE, Va. (WSET) — Extreme drought conditions in parts of Virginia have prompted an emergency drought warning for a wide swath of the region, including Bedford, Campbell, Charlotte, Franklin, Halifax, Henry, Mecklenburg, Patrick, Pittsylvania and Roanoke counties, along with the cities of Danville, Roanoke, Salem and Martinsville.
The governor has warned that if conditions worsen, she will activate mandatory nonessential water-use restrictions.
In Martinsville, city leaders have issued a voluntary water conservation notice and are urging residents and businesses to cut back where they can. The request comes as local businesses that rely heavily on water say the drought is already affecting day-to-day operations.
SEE ALSO: Botetourt County residents adjust daily routines as voluntary water restriction continues
John Hughes, owner of John’s Car Wash, said the dry conditions have hit his business hard in recent weeks. “For the last 3 weeks, it’s been hitting pretty hard. We done three yesterday and haven’t done anything today with the drought and hot weather. Yeah, I’m really concerned about it,” Hughes said.
Restaurants are also feeling the strain. David Kitzmiller, an owner of Be Wiched, said water is essential for routine tasks such as washing dishes and preparing some menu items.
“We use a lot of water for washing dishes and some of our recipes if they limit us in anyway defiently can’t produce and its a scary aspect,” Kitzmiller said.
Kitzmiller added that cutting back is not always realistic for businesses that must meet sanitation needs. “Not really feasible for a business that depends solely relies on water to wash their dishes, so that can’t definitely be an impact there,” he said.
City leaders emphasized that the conservation request is voluntary for now, but they are encouraging everyone to do their part by taking shorter showers, turning off the faucet when it is not in use, washing only full loads of laundry, and limiting outdoor watering whenever possible.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Five people were charged after Virginia Beach Police conducted a two-day human trafficking and vice operation on July 3, according to the Virginia Beach Police Department.
The department’s Special Investigations Bureau conducted the operation, which was aimed at identifiying human trafficking victims, reducing the demand for commercial sex and targeting individuals seeking to exploit or recruit children for prostitution.
Detectives used many investigative techniques to proactively identify individuals involved in criminal activity related to prostitution, human trafficking and offenses against children. The operation was conducted in Virginia Beach, involving personnel from all of the bureau’s squads.
As a result of the operation, five people were identified and charged with offenses ranging from solicitation of prostitution to sex trafficking and crimes involving minors. Two vehicles and U.S. currency were seized during the operation. Other people were connected to victim services through Samaritan House.
The operation led to the following people being charged:
- Shane Carter, 28, of Norfolk, was charged with solicitation of prostitution.
- Robert Harris, 64, of Virginia Beach, was charged with solicitation of prostitution and assault and battery.
- Larry Pittman, 53, of Portsmouth, was charged with sex trafficking and use of electronic devices to facilitaate certain offenses involving minors.
- Kenric Frazier, 46, of Portsmouth, was charged with sex trafficking, use of electronic devices to facilitate certain offenses involving minors and solicitation of child pornography.
- Cameron Lewis, 24, of Norfolk, was charged with solicitation of prostitution.
Investigators also developed leads about people who are suspected of trafficking and exploiting others for commercial sex. Those are now active and ongoing investigations. There may be more charges and arrests pending further investigation and consultation with the Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.
If you’re a human trafficking victim or know someone who is, you can report it to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
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