UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State women's volleyball picked up two major awards from the Big Ten and had four players make all-conference teams on Wednesday. Senior Kendall White was voted the Defensive Player of the Year for the second-straight season, while Russ Rose was named the Coach of the Year in a vote of the league's 14 head coaches.
Joining White as unanimous first team All-Big Ten selections were sophomores Kaitlyn Hord and Jonni Parker. Gabby Blossom earned a spot on the second team. Emily Sciorra received a Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
White, a two-time All-America selection at libero, is the first two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in Penn State history. The award was first handed out in 2001. It is the fifth time a Penn State player has earned the award and the third-straight year the award was given to a Nittany Lion player.
White is now a three-time All-Big Ten selection, including unanimous first team honors in each of the last two seasons. She has averaged 4.14 digs/set this season, while her passing ability helped Penn State hit .277 as a team. White has 1,942 career digs, which ranks second in program history. She needs just 16 more to pass Kaleena Walters for first on the all-time list.
Rose was voted the Big Ten Coach of the Year for the 16th time in the 37 years the award has existed. Penn State was picked fourth in the league's preseason poll but finished tied for second in the final standings with a 24-5 overall record and a 17-3 mark in the conference. Rose had the Lions in a position for a chance to win the Big Ten heading into the final match of the season.
Penn State is headed to the NCAA Tournament for a 39th consecutive season. The Lions are one of just two programs to compete in every NCAA Tournament, while Rose is the only head coach to lead a team in all 39 championship tournaments.
Parker is a first team All-Big Ten selection in each of her first two seasons with the Lions. The six-rotation player didn't suffer from a sophomore slump after finishing as the league's Freshman of the Year last season. She enters the NCAA Tournament as the team leader in kills/set (3.46) and aces (39). Parker ranked 10th in the Big Ten in both categories. In addition to her offensive play, Parker has contributed 1.73 digs/set and 0.63 blocks/set.
Hord was the most consistent player for Penn State this season while being one of the most dominant players in the toughest conference in the nation. The middle blocker ranks first in the Big Ten and fourth in the nation in hitting percentage (.437) and is third in the conference and 35th in the nation in blocks/set (1.31). Hord had double-digit kills with at least .500 hitting in a match nine times this season, including each of the final two matches of the regular season. Each of those two matches came against teams ranked in the top 10 nationally.
Blossom picked up second team All-Big Ten recognition in her first season as the starting setter. The sophomore was a three-time Big Ten Setter of the Week this season and averaged 11.37 assists/set. She posted nine double-doubles and recorded 50-plus assists five times. Her career high of 58 assists came in a five-set win over Illinois in which Penn State erased a 2-0 deficit.
Sciorra earned her first Big Ten Sportsmanship Award, following current teammate Kristin Krause as last year's winner. The senior appeared in 63 sets while playing in all 29 matches this season, contributing both with her serve and her defensive ability in the back row. She finished with 30 digs and six aces. Sciorra stepped up big as Penn State erased a 2-0 deficit to take down then-No. 5 Wisconsin in the second-to-last match of the season at Rec Hall.
Penn State will host its first two matches of the NCAA Tournament this weekend. The Lions play Princeton on Friday at 7:30 p.m., at Rec Hall, and with a win would play the winner of American/Towson on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. American and Towson play Friday at 5 p.m., also at Rec Hall. All three matches will stream free of charge on Big Ten Plus.
2019 Big Ten Volleyball All-Big Ten Honorees
First Team
Jacqueline Quade, Sr., Illinois
Katie Myers, So., Maryland
Paige Jones, So., Michigan*
Mackenzi Welsh, Sr., Michigan
CC McGraw, So., Minnesota
Regan Pittman, Jr., Minnesota*
Stephanie Samedy, Jr., Minnesota
Nicklin Hames, So., Nebraska
Lauren Stivrins, Jr., Nebraska*
Lexi Sun, Jr., Nebraska
Kaitlyn Hord, So., Penn State*
Jonni Parker, So., Penn State*
Kendall White, Sr., Penn State*
Grace Cleveland, So., Purdue*
Blake Mohler, Sr., Purdue
Sydney Hilley, Jr., Wisconsin*
Grace Loberg, Jr., Wisconsin
Dana Rettke, Jr., Wisconsin*
* denotes unanimous selection
Second Team
Ashlyn Fleming, Sr., Illinois
Breana Edwards, So., Indiana
Cori Crocker, Sr., Michigan
Alexis Hart, Sr., Minnesota
Taylor Morgan, Sr., Minnesota
Madi Kubik, Fr., Nebraska
Temi Thomas-Ailara, Fr., Northwestern
Kylie Murr, Fr., Ohio State
Gabby Blossom, So., Penn State
Caitlyn Newton, Jr., Purdue
Madison Duello, Sr., Wisconsin
Molly Haggerty, Jr., Wisconsin
Danielle Hart, So., Wisconsin
All-Freshman Team
Diana Brown, Illinois
May Pertofsky, Michigan
Jessica Robinson, Michigan
Kenzie Knuckles, Nebraska
Madi Kubik, Nebraska
Temi Thomas-Ailara, Northwestern
Jenaisya Moore, Ohio State
Kylie Murr, Ohio State
Player of the Year: Dana Rettke, Jr., Wisconsin
Defensive Player of the Year: Kendall White, Sr., Penn State
Setter of the Year: Sydney Hilley, Jr., Wisconsin
Freshman of the Year: Madi Kubik, Nebraska
Coach of the Year (Coaches): Russ Rose, Penn State
Coach of the Year (Media): Kelly Sheffield, Wisconsin
Sportsmanship Honorees
Beth Prince, Sr., Illinois
Meaghan Koors, Sr., Indiana
Brie Orr, Jr., Iowa
Taylor Smith, Sr., Maryland
Sydney Wetterstrom, Sr., Michigan
Sam McLean, Sr., Michigan State
Lauren Litzau, Sr., Minnesota
Anezka Szabo, So., Nebraska
Emily Ehman, Sr., Northwestern
Bia Rodrigues-Franklin, Sr., Ohio State
Emily Sciorra, Sr., Penn State
Jael Johnson, So., Purdue
Jasmine Stackhouse, Sr., Rutgers
M.E. Dodge, Sr., Wisconsin
