There's a reason we can't stop talking about Pittsburgh outside hitter Olivia Babcock. She's fiery and flashy with her jump serve and her pin hitting. Babcock dominated in the Panthers' sweep against 2020 national champion Kentucky in its regional final, posting a team-high 13 kills. Let's not forget, that performance came on the heels of her career-high 31 kills against Oregon in a thrilling five-set regional semifinal. Her extraordinary serve hit a bit of a snag in the regionals, yet she was still selected the Pittsburgh regional's most outstanding player. And what's mind-boggling about all of this? She's a sophomore.
Penn State has seven national championship in women's volleyball. Nebraska, runner-up a year ago, is a five-time champion. Pittsburgh and Louisville are seeking their first.
First up Thursday is an ACC showdown between Pittsburgh and Louisville at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. That's followed by Big Ten powerhouses Nebraska and Penn State on ESPN. The winners will play Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on ABC.
Louisville was down match points but pulled off a five-set win against Northern Iowa in the second round. Pittsburgh was pushed to five sets by Oregon in the regional semifinals.
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