Inside The Panthers

Pitt Volleyball Assistant Coach Earns National Recognition

A Pitt Panthers volleyball assistant coach earned national recognition.

Dominic Campbell

Pitt Volleyball Assistant Coach Kamalani Akeo
Pitt Volleyball Assistant Coach Kamalani Akeo / Courtesy of Pitt Athletics

PITTSBURGH -- Pitt Panthers volleyball assistant coach Kamalani Akeo recently received national recognition for her work in recent years.

The Ameican Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) named Akeo as a "Thirty Under 30" honoree, recongizing the top coaches under 30 years old.

The Thirty Under 30 honors rising coaches at all levels of volleyball, including college, high school, and club. The recipients work in a wide range of roles, including volunteer assistant, club director and head coach. Nominees had to be under 30 as of Dec. 31, 2023, to qualify for the award.

Akeo is in her second season as an assistant coach for the Panthers, previously serving a director of directors for two seasons in 2021 and 2022 and as a volunteer assistant coach in the 2020-21 season.

She played for Pitt from 2015-18 as a setter, missing just one match in her four-year career with 130 appearances.

Her 3,956 assists are the third most in a career at Pitt, while her 10.86 assists per set in 2016 and 10.75 assists per set in 2017 rank second and third best in a season at Pitt, respectively. She also won ACC Setter of the Year in both the 2016 and 2017 seasons.

Akeo's play led the Panthers to an 104-27 overall record (.793) and a 63-15 record in ACC Play (.808). This included back-to-back ACC Titles in 2017 and 2018, plus three straight NCAA Tournament Appearances from 2016-18, ending a 12-year drought from 2004.

Her work as a setter has benefitted senior Rachel Fairbanks during her time at Pitt, as she is currently one of the top setters in the nation.

Fairbanks led Pitt to a .303 hitting percentage last season, fifth best in Division I, and Pitt is currently hitting .343, the best mark in the nation in 2024.

Pitt has also made four straight Elite Eights and three consecutive Final Fours with Akeo on the staff, the only Division I team to do the latter. They have also had a record of 124-19 (.867) and an ACC record of 65-11 (.855), along with two ACC titles in 2022 and 2023.

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Dominic Campbell
DOMINIC CAMPBELL

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