CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – Pitt sophomore right side Olivia Babcock has been named the Atlantic Coast Conference Offensive Player of the Week, while Louisville senior libero Elena Scott and Stanford senior middle blocker Sami Francis were named the is ACC Co-Defensive Players of the Week for matches played September 9-15. Additionally, Notre Dame senior Phyona Schrader has been named the ACC Setter of the Week and Clemson’s Neea-Maria Joki was tabbed the ACC Freshman of the Week.
Babcock totaled 46 kills and hit .347 to lead Pitt to three straight sweeps and a perfect 6-0 record on the young season. The Los Angeles, California, native began the week with a 17-kill performance in a 3-0 win over No. USC last Tuesday, as the sophomore averaged 5.67 kills per set in the win. Over the weekend, Babcock totaled a combined 29 kills and hit .414 in a pair of wins over Pepperdine and UCSB and was named the Tournament MVP of the Asics Classic. Babcock’s 5.11 kills per set was the fifth-highest mark in the nation for matches played last week.
Scott posted 23 digs in both of Louisville’s two victories last week, headlined by the Cardinals’ 3-2 win over No. 9 Creighton on Sunday. Prior to the victory over the Blue Jays, the Louisville, Kentucky, native averaged 7.67 digs per set to lead Louisville to a straight-set win over Northern Iowa on Saturday. Scott added her second 23-dig performance of the weekend against Creighton, as she helped hold the visitors to -.100 hitting in the fifth and deciding set. For her efforts, the libero was named to the All-Cardinal Classic Team.
Francis led Stanford on the defensive side, as she averaged 1.91 blocks per set in the Cardinal’s three wins last week. After she combined for 19 blocks in wins at UCSB and Pepperdine to begin the week, the San Diego, California, native tied a match high with five blocks in a 3-0 sweep of No. 6 Texas on Sunday. Francis and the Stanford defense held Texas to a .125 hitting percentage, the Longhorns’ lowest mark in over 11 years.
Schrader handed out 63 assists en route to a pair of triple doubles, as Notre Dame finished a perfect 3-0 last week. The Ankeny, Iowa, native began her week with 21 kills, 19 assists and 13 digs to pace the Fighting Irish to a 3-1 win at Northwestern on Thursday. On Friday, the senior handed out 28 assists, totaled 11 kills and notched 14 digs in Notre Dame’s 3-1 victory over Colorado State. In a rematch with the Wildcats, Schrader posted 16 assists and totaled 12 kills in a 3-0 sweep. Schrader is the only player in the ACC to post a triple-double in 2024, as she has recorded three through the Irish’s seven matches.
Joki totaled 39 kills and recorded a team-high .349 hitting percentage in Clemson’s perfect 3-0 weekend at the Black & Gold Invitational in Boone, North Carolina. After posting 10 kills and four blocks against host, App State, on Thursday, the Tampere, Finland, native, tallied 14 kills and nine digs in a five-set win over Wofford on Friday. To close out the weekend, the freshman matched a season high with 15 kills and five blocks, as the Tigers fended off Winthrop in four sets. For her efforts, Joki was named to the Black & Gold Invitational All-Tournament Team.
One of the most anticipated weeks in recent memory inside ACC Volleyball begins Tuesday with No. 18 Florida State visiting in-state rival No. 16 Florida at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. On Wednesday, three ranked matchups await ACC teams as No. 3 Penn State visits No. 1 Pitt at 7 p.m. ET on ACCN and No. 4 Louisville travels to No. 11 Kentucky at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. At 8 p.m., No. 2 Stanford hits the road to No. 5 Nebraska at 8 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network.
This weekend, Stanford hosts Kentucky on Saturday at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2, while on Sunday, Nebraska heads to Louisville at 12:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
2024 ACC Offensive Player of the Week
Sept. 2 – Maggie Li, California
Sept. 9 – Tamara Otene, Georgia Tech
Sept. 16 – Olivia Babcock, Pitt
2024 ACC Defensive Player of the Week
Sept. 2 – Elena Scott, Louisville
Sept. 9 – Nnedi Okammor, SMU
Sept. 16 – Elena Scott, Louisville | Sami Francis, Stanford
2024 ACC Setter of the Week
Sept. 2 – Annlea Maeder, California
Sept. 9 – Kami Miner, Stanford
Sept. 16 – Phyona Schrader, Notre Dame
2024 ACC Freshman of the Week
Sept. 2 – Nayelis Cabello, Louisville
Sept. 9 – Breonna Goss, Duke
Sept. 16 – Neea-Maria Joki, Clemson