Emmy Klika joins fellow Pitt women's volleyball players on national teams

Emmy Klika, a recent alum of the Pitt Panthers women’s volleyball team, has been selected to play for the women’s U23 national team.

The libero joins 17 other athletes who will be training for the NORCECA U23 Pan American Cup.

The tournament takes place in Leon, Mexico from July 25-Aug. 2.

Two other Panthers will be competing overseas this summer as well. Outside hitter Blaire Bayless (U21) and middle blocker Abbey Emch (U19) will embark on similar journeys to Klika.

Bayless will be training in Colorado Springs, Colo., where 12 athletes will be selected to represent Team USA in Costa Rica.

Bayless, a junior, played for the U21 team last summer and in 2023 was named tournament MVP at the U19 Pan American Cup.

Emch, a freshman who joined the Panthers as an early enrollee this spring, will also train in Colorado. Selected athletes will then head to the Netherlands for additional training before traveling to play in Croatia and Serbia over the summer.

Klika helped Pitt reach the NCAA semifinals the past four seasons. She holds the program record of 64 digs in the NCAA tournament in 2024.

She was a two-time All-ACC member and now competes in the PVF (Pro Volleyball Federation) with the Orlando Valkyries. Her performance helpd Orlando earn the organizations’s first title last weekend. Klika has experience in the international competition after competing in the U21 Pan American Cup.

Twelve of the 17 athletes training in Anaheim, Calif., will be added to the team’s U23 roster when they head to Mexico later this summer.