It has been a tumultuous time for the volleyball community. With a number of NCAA stars signing up for the transfer portal, there’s no telling when the next bad news is going to come. Speaking of a difficult time, mention must be made of Pittsburgh Panthers fans. The news of AVCA First Team All-American Torrey Stafford entering the transfer portal was a massive blow for them. As if losing an All-American hadn’t hurt them enough, rumors about Olivia Babcock leaving the Panthers also started going around.

Thankfully, however, a recent Instagram story posted by the Los Angeles sophomore has come as a ray of hope. Maybe she is not ready to say goodbye. At least that is what Huskers Illustrated’s beat reporter, Lincoln Arneal, thinks.

Arneal recently shared Babcock’s Instagram story on his X handle. He wrote, “Based on her instagram story, do not expect Olivia Babcock to enter the transfer portal.” In said story, Babcock is seen standing in a huddle with her Pittsburgh Panthers teammates. But it’s just a picture of a team huddle, right? It isn’t conclusive proof. You’re right. It isn’t. But the devil—or, in this case, the hope—is in the details. Upon closer inspection, one can find an emoji of the infinity symbol next to one of the crossed fingers. While they are still not conclusive proof, Arneal has chosen to see them as a sign, probably because of the timing. Maybe she will stay. Maybe she will not. Time will tell.

Babcock was the most valuable player of the Panthers with 5.94 points per set, 4.72 kills per set, 1.82 digs per set, and 0.62 aces per set. She currently holds the record for the most aces in a season at 71. She broke the record of Dee MacAulay, who recorded 67 aces in 1989. Babcock was also named the AVCA National Player of the Year, becoming the first Panther to be crowned with the honor. So when the news of her hinting at staying came out, fans couldn’t keep themselves from making their thoughts known.

Pittsburgh Panthers’ star Babcock’s story brings hope, but fans still miss their #4

“I sure hope not,” wrote one fan under Arneal’s tweet. “Too many rumors swirling – a certain VT member is stirring up a firestorm,” he added. Fans have found some solace in Babcock’s apparent hint. However, they are still not over the fact that Stafford won’t play in a Panthers shirt next season. Still recovering from the hurt of Stafford’s transfer news, another fan wrote, “I can’t believe Stafford is leaving…” The thought that she would choose to leave the team playing for which she became an AVCA First Team All-American is difficult to digest.

Under the same tweet, another fan wrote, “Good news about Olivia! So sad to lose Torrey. H2P!” After all, Stafford played a huge role in taking the Panthers to the top four. Recently a fan tweeted one of Babcock’s Instagram posts captioned, “same time next year @pitt_vb ?” The post had pictures of the season’s highlights, including a couple of moments from the Player of the Year ceremony. Upon seeing the post, all another fan could think of was Stafford as they wrote, “So Torrey is in the portal!” After all, the sophomore was the first Pittsburgh volleyball player to put herself on the transfer portal. Imagine the impact she would have had if she had chosen to spend all her eligible years with the Pittsburgh Panthers!

In the same thread, another fan claimed that Strafford was the reason behind the Babcock’s success: “Yeah but #4 hit the portal so that’s way bad news. There were plenty of times Stafford carried the team when Liv had some lapses. Liv isn’t the same player without Stafford on the other side.” Stafford finished her sophomore season with 400 kills, 252 digs, and 67 blocks. The only Panther with more kills was Babcock. In fact, it was a string of incredible performances by the Stafford-Babcock pair that helped the Panthers to an incredible finish to the season with a 33-2 overall record and a third straight ACC title.

The Panthers will surely miss Stafford. But the priority now is a more definitive statement on Babcock’s part. What do you think? Will she stay, or will she seek a new adventure? Let us know in the comments.