Penn State women’s volleyball players, coach Russ Rose pick up Big Ten honors
Several Penn State players were honored when the Big Ten announced its postseason volleyball awards Wednesday afternoon.
Head coach Russ Rose was named Coach of the Year by his fellow Big Ten coaches, while several players were also honored, including senior Kendall White. White was named the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year for the second year in a row. It’s also the third year in a row the Nittany Lions have taken the honor home with Haleigh Washington claiming it in 2017.
White was also named a unanimous first-team selection. Joining White on the first team were sophomores Kaitlyn Hord and Jonni Parker, who were also unanimous selections. A third sophomore, Gabby Blossom, was named a second-team selection, while senior Emily Sciorra was announced as Sportsmanship Honoree.
Rose received his honor for the 13th time as Penn State’s head coach, leading the Nittany Lions to a 24-5 record and a 17-3 record in the conference. He’s in his 41st season as head coach of the program and has Russ Rose in all 39 years of its existence.
White was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week twice during the season and is the only Penn Stater to win the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year award twice. She finished fourth in the conference in digs per set with 4.14.
Hord earned All-Big Ten honors for the second year in a row after finishing on the second team as a freshman. She finished third in the conference in blocks per set with 1.31 and first in hitting percentage at 44.1.
This is the second year in a row Parker has made the conference’s first team. This season she finished tied for third in the Big Ten in service aces per set with 0.38 and ninth in kills per set with 3.46.
Hord, Parker, White and the rest of the Nittany Lions will take on the Princeton Tigers Friday night at 7 in Rec Hall in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The winner of the match will take on the winner of the American-Towson matchup in the second round.
This story was originally published December 5, 2019 at 3:15 PM.
