She’s one of the most talented athletes in our city right now.
Pitt volleyball’s Olivia Babcock just won back-to-back ACC player of the year awards and is likely to repeat as national player of the year.
ChannelShelby Cassesse 11’s Shelby Cassesse talked to her ahead of tonight’s first round of the NCAA tournament happening at the Pete.
Olivia Babcock plays like she’s had a volleyball in her hand all her life, but that wasn’t the case.
A closer look at the person behind the player makes Babcock’s rise to the top of her sport that much more impressive.
Before the national accolades, record-setting performances and final four appearances there was just a text message
“One of my friends was looking for a new club team, so she, like, had texted me, was like, ‘Hey, you want to come to this clinic with me? It’s nothing serious, but I know you play volleyball, so you might as well come,” Babock said.
Until then, Babcock only played school and rec league volleyball, fitting it in with water polo, soccer and track.
But that clinic with her friend changed everything.
She, unsurprisingly, impressed and was offered a spot on a club team.
“This was when I started to realize how much I loved volleyball. So, it was kind of like I would miss more soccer practices because I was trying to see what my future was going to bring,” Babcock said.
From a 10th grader playing competitively for the first time, to national freshman of the year just four years later, Babock has been on an almost unprecedented rise to the top of her sport.
Though all the other sports eventually took a back seat, they built the foundation for the athlete we see today.
“It just gives you a bunch of different skills, and also teaches you to be like a different competitor in different situations, and it also teaches you to be a good teammate, because you’re with so many different teams. So I feel like just having that experience has caused me to like, be the competitor and teammate I am today, and I’m able to really see what this team needs and try and adapt to that,” Babcock said.
Naturally fueling that competitive fire: having a twin sister.
Cassesse: Was it competitive with her, and how has that relationship grown over time?
Babcock: Yeah, I think it definitely was competitive.)
But Olivia and Natalie Babcock’s differences are what make their relationship special.
Olivia’s the athlete, while Natalie’s passionate about fashion and beauty.
“It just like reminded us that we could be different and still love each other equally. I feel like just seeing a different perspective on how someone wants to navigate their life compared to mine, I feel like it just kind of brings me down to reality,” Babcock said.
While some siblings love to keep each other humble, these two do anything but she does not keep me humble. She is the worst. She always texts me. She’s like, ‘You’re insane. How are you doing this?”
Behind the passion and talent that seem so natural are years of hard work, both on her craft and even her confidence.
Cassesse: What were you like as a young athlete?
Babcock: I definitely wasn’t the same in the sense that I would probably shy away more for the big moments. I feel like I would never, like, give up, but I feel like, back then, I was more susceptible to a mistake at that time, even if I still wanted the moment. But I feel like, yeah, just maturity and more experience, I’ve learned how to control my emotions and learn to not get in my head. So I feel like that has just definitely carried on from now and then, staying in the fight the whole time.
Babcock will be in the spotlight as the Panthers begin their road to the Final Four on Friday.
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